This is true? - Geographic oddities that defy conventional wisdom

[JayhawkCO]

Taking this post seriously, though...

It also made me realize that Tokyo is farther south than Las Vegas, which isn't intuitive. And, for that matter, that Memphis is farther south than Las Vegas.

[SEWIGuy]

Taking this post seriously, though...

It caught be by surprise that Milwaukee is a tiny bit farther south than the French Riviera.

43.04°N = Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA
43.71°N = Nice, Alpes-Maritimes, France

Explaining geography to Germans: OK, so imagine a European city...

[img

Milwaukee is America's Riviera and Lake Michigan is its Mediterranean.

[kphoger]

Milwaukee is America's Riviera and Lake Michigan is its Mediterranean.

https://i.imgur.com/f80w1Si.png

[NWI_Irish96]

Milwaukee is America's Riviera and Lake Michigan is its Mediterranean.

https://i.imgur.com/f80w1Si.png

Looks like Traverse City is the Riviera and Milwaukee is Tripoli.

[kphoger]

Looks like Traverse City is the Riviera and Milwaukee is Tripoli.

Yeah, I could make one that's rotated 180°, but I'm too lazy now.

[webny99]

India is the most fascinating part of this map. It's so weird to think that depending on where you are in India, your closest US city could be Boston, Seattle, or Honolulu. And weirder yet, Miami looks like it should be closest to India on a map, but in actuality, it doesn't even come close: isn't it bizarre to think that almost the entirety of Africa is closer to Boston than Miami? Never underestimate the Mercator projection effect.

I think adults who actually looked at globes as kids have an more intuitive feeling for this.

Perhaps. I know that Greenland isn't really the size of Africa, for example. But having an intuitive feeling is still a far cry from accurately assessing physical distances.

[kphoger]

I know that Greenland isn't really the size of Africa, for example. But having an intuitive feeling is still a far cry from accurately assessing physical distances.

Even though I owned a globe growing up, I still couldn't have told you that Russia is larger than Antarctica.

[webny99]

Indeed.  The image does not appear to be 'explaining geography'.

Well, the image is "explaining geography" insofar as it explains the practical effect of the Earth being round rather than flat.

Not sure where you're going with this...

...

I think it was maaaaybe a general insult that Americans don't understand geography? But with this specific audience, I don't think that's an accurate call.

I suspect the inference was more that Americans are so insular and self-important that they can only view the rest of the world in relation to America. To which, in fairness to other vantage points, I will allow the possibility of a crumb or two of truth.

[webny99]

I know that Greenland isn't really the size of Africa, for example. But having an intuitive feeling is still a far cry from accurately assessing physical distances.

Even though I owned a globe growing up, I still couldn't have told you that Russia is larger than Antarctica.

May I ask how many times you looked at that globe from underneath? 

[kphoger]

May I ask how many times you looked at that globe from underneath?

I love it that one commenter on the Reddit thread I pulled this image from said this:

oh my god, AFRICA LOOKS JUST LIKE AUSTRALIA FROM THE SIDE

this changed my life. thank you.

[kphoger]

[JayhawkCO]

Once you cancel everything out, I think that simplifies to

FC/USTLA

[Rothman]

I know that Greenland isn't really the size of Africa, for example. But having an intuitive feeling is still a far cry from accurately assessing physical distances.

Even though I owned a globe growing up, I still couldn't have told you that Russia is larger than Antarctica.

O.o. That's...sad.

[bing101]

[CoreySamson]

This one is a little trippy to me, even after living in Oklahoma for 3 years... Tulsa is about 100 miles from OKC, give or take, using I-44. Tulsa is also 100 miles from the Missouri border using I-44. It's weird to me that almost 1/3 of I-44's mileage in Oklahoma is east of Tulsa.

[thenetwork]

I had just read an article that said despite being situated on opposite coasts, residents in parts of Florida and Oregon are ONE hour apart.

This is because a sliver of Florida is in the Central Time Zone and a small portion of Oregon is in the Mountain Time Zone.

[kphoger]

I had just read an article that said despite being situated on opposite coasts, residents in parts of Florida and Oregon are ONE hour apart.

This is because a sliver of Florida is in the Central Time Zone and a small portion of Oregon is in the Mountain Time Zone.

Dude.  Wow, I hadn't realized that before.  Cool!

[Rothman]

I had just read an article that said despite being situated on opposite coasts, residents in parts of Florida and Oregon are ONE hour apart.

This is because a sliver of Florida is in the Central Time Zone and a small portion of Oregon is in the Mountain Time Zone.

Dude.  Wow, I hadn't realized that before.  Cool!

Just goes to show that time zones need revisiting.  Oh wait, what about DST... ;D