# Geographical mental images you can't shake even though they are incorrect. **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [February 27, 2014, 11:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/geographical-mental-images-you-cant-shake-even-though-they-are-incorrect/682459 "2014-02-27T23:20:37Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Quintas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/48db29/32.png) [@Quintas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quintas)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2014, 11:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/geographical-mental-images-you-cant-shake-even-though-they-are-incorrect/682459/1 "2014-02-27T23:20:37Z")
1. The location of Britain in relation to France. My mental image is of it being an island to the west of France. When I read of the Normandy invasion in WW2, I always picture them sailing across the channel west to east, when in reality the trip in North to South. 2. South America in relation to North America. In my mind I picture the west and east coast of each continent basically lining up. In fact, the west coast of S. America pretty much lines up with the East coast of N.America. Yours? ---
**Author:** ![scruffycat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scruffycat/32/200_2.png) [@scruffycat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scruffycat)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2014, 12:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/geographical-mental-images-you-cant-shake-even-though-they-are-incorrect/682459/2 "2014-02-28T00:05:26Z")
The location of Korea. For some reason my mental map has the two countries much much further south and west, sort of around where say Vietnam is. I’ve no idea why, I know they logically can’t be, but it constantly puzzles me for a few seconds when I see a map of the area. ---
**Author:** ![kushiel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/bbce88/32.png) [@kushiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kushiel)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2014, 12:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/geographical-mental-images-you-cant-shake-even-though-they-are-incorrect/682459/3 "2014-02-28T00:39:56Z")
I’ve always had this idea DC was way further south, like somewhere around South Carolina. It confuses me when people start talking about having high speed rail to surrounding areas because I think it’s so much farther. Also, I thought Maryland was more to the west, which further confuses me when people talk about its proximity to Washington. Hell, I’m just bad at geography. Don’t ask me about the Middle East at all! ---
**Author:** ![Amateur\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/59ef9b/32.png) [@Amateur\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amateur_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2014, 1:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/geographical-mental-images-you-cant-shake-even-though-they-are-incorrect/682459/4 "2014-02-28T01:00:10Z")
I persist in thinking of Kentucky and Tennessee as about one state closer to the Atlantic - in general, I think of the Great Lakes as being above the center point of the country and a lot of stuff to the east of them. ---
**Author:** ![Quintas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/48db29/32.png) [@Quintas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quintas)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2014, 1:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/geographical-mental-images-you-cant-shake-even-though-they-are-incorrect/682459/5 "2014-02-28T01:51:37Z")
Living in the SE USA, when at the beach and looking out over the ocean I still picture Europe directly on the other side, when its actually the west coast of N.Africa. It’s still a bit odd to look at a globe a realise how for north europe is to have such a relatively warm climate. I know, ocean currents. Even sunny southern europe is the same lattitude as New England ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2014, 2:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/geographical-mental-images-you-cant-shake-even-though-they-are-incorrect/682459/6 "2014-02-28T02:46:52Z")
For the longest time, my brain insisted on telling me that New York City was north of Boston. It’s only because of a long ago bar quiz question that I now know that Reno, NV is north_west_ of Los Angeles. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2014, 2:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/geographical-mental-images-you-cant-shake-even-though-they-are-incorrect/682459/7 "2014-02-28T02:52:32Z")
I tend the think of the east coast of the United States as being a north-south line even though I know it actually slants to the west and Jacksonville is about five hundred miles west of Boston. ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2014, 3:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/geographical-mental-images-you-cant-shake-even-though-they-are-incorrect/682459/8 "2014-02-28T03:00:16Z")
Although I know it’s not true, I still see going from the Atlantic to the Pacific via the Panama Canal as a westbound trip. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2014, 3:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/geographical-mental-images-you-cant-shake-even-though-they-are-incorrect/682459/9 "2014-02-28T03:09:35Z")
I keep thinking Hawaii is much farther west than Alaska when it’s really straight south from Alaska. ---
**Author:** ![SeldomSeen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/7ba0ec/32.png) [@SeldomSeen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SeldomSeen)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2014, 3:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/geographical-mental-images-you-cant-shake-even-though-they-are-incorrect/682459/10 "2014-02-28T03:31:47Z")
In world geography, I have great difficulty visualizing the relative positions of the Mediterranean, Aegean and Black Seas. Closer to home, being a native of Oregon and Idaho, I have never been able to entirely divest myself of the Westerner’s conceit that everything past the continental divide is “The East”. I know, it’s hard to countenance the notion that Cheyenne, Denver or El Paso are back east, but hey that’s the way it feels to me:o ---
**Author:** ![nevadaexile](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/eb8c5e/32.png) [@nevadaexile](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nevadaexile)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2014, 3:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/geographical-mental-images-you-cant-shake-even-though-they-are-incorrect/682459/11 "2014-02-28T03:45:45Z")
Geographically, distance between cities and the relative size of states always throws me off. For example: [ol] [li]Even though I’m from Nevada, it’s always hard for me remember that Slat Lake City is closer to Reno than Las Vegas is,[/li][li]Even though I have traveled down 1-80 numerous times, I keep forgetting that Nebraska is longer than Wyoming although it’s a smaller state.[/li][li]It always amazes me that it’s the same distance from where I live to Buffalo, NY and Nashville, TN[/li][li]Or that I’m closer to Canada than I am Downtown Chicago[/li][li]Or that driving east to west or west to east across Texas takes an entire day[/li][/ol] ---
**Author:** ![notfrommensa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/f14d63/32.png) [@notfrommensa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/notfrommensa)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2014, 3:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/geographical-mental-images-you-cant-shake-even-though-they-are-incorrect/682459/12 "2014-02-28T03:56:39Z")
Maine is closer to Africa than Florida is. ---
**Author:** ![MEBuckner](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mebuckner/32/2896_2.png) [@MEBuckner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MEBuckner)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2014, 4:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/geographical-mental-images-you-cant-shake-even-though-they-are-incorrect/682459/13 "2014-02-28T04:26:19Z")
I tend to think of Europe as being more or less due east of the United States, so I always find it surprising that Chicago is more or less on the same latitude as Rome, Atlanta is further south than Tunis or Algiers, and so on. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2014, 4:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/geographical-mental-images-you-cant-shake-even-though-they-are-incorrect/682459/14 "2014-02-28T04:49:23Z")
> [@Telemark](#): > > Although I know it’s not true, I still see going from the Atlantic to the Pacific via the Panama Canal as a westbound trip. You go mostly southeast, to be exact. A lot of people who come here have a lot of trouble realizing Panama runs east and west rather than north to south. I see the sun rise out of the Pacific in the morning. ---
**Author:** ![dracoi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/90db22/32.png) [@dracoi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dracoi)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2014, 5:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/geographical-mental-images-you-cant-shake-even-though-they-are-incorrect/682459/15 "2014-02-28T05:07:44Z")
Even though I’ve lived in/near Seattle for quite a while, I always picture Seattle and Portland as both being too close to the ocean. While they’re both close to water that connects to the ocean, they’re really quite a significant way inland. In fact, if you look at a map, both cities are about as far from the Pacific ocean as Sacramento is; I keep wanting to think of them more like San Francisco and San Diego. My instincts really want the equator to run through the Sahara desert. It’s an error that’s pretty close to what other people are saying - if we keep thinking of Europe as level with the US, then it makes sense that I have to mentally push Africa down to make room. The idea that the equator runs through the Congo is just a very strange concept to me. When I look at maps of the US and the world, I’m always surprised by how much desert there is. It’s especially notable when you find projections that don’t exaggerate the northern parts like Canada and Russia. ---
**Author:** ![horsetech](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/dec6dc/32.png) [@horsetech](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/horsetech)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2014, 7:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/geographical-mental-images-you-cant-shake-even-though-they-are-incorrect/682459/16 "2014-02-28T07:54:28Z")
> [@nevadaexile](#): > > Geographically, distance between cities and the relative size of states always throws me off. > > For example: > > [LIST=1] > [li]Even though I’m from Nevada, it’s always hard for me remember that Slat Lake City is closer to Reno than Las Vegas is,[/li] Huh? I checked Google maps and [travelmath.com](http://travelmath.com) out of curiosity, and Reno and Vegas are closer than Reno and SLC. Do you mean that Vegas is closer to SLC than Reno is? ---
**Author:** ![teela\_brown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d9b06d/32.png) [@teela\_brown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/teela_brown)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2014, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/geographical-mental-images-you-cant-shake-even-though-they-are-incorrect/682459/17 "2014-02-28T18:41:46Z")
My mental image of Hawaii is that it’s north and east of Tahiti, and that the early Tahitians, if they missed the islands, would have continued until they struck the Pacific northwest coast of the United States. Right around Oregon, say. Actually, Hawaii is almost due north of Tahiti, if not just a smidge west of them. ---
**Author:** ![Hampshire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hampshire/32/4887_2.png) [@Hampshire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hampshire)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2014, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/geographical-mental-images-you-cant-shake-even-though-they-are-incorrect/682459/18 "2014-02-28T19:45:46Z")
The oldy but goody: [Americans geographical mental image](http://www.ritholtz.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/11/world-accordign-to-USA.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![Bellhorn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/898d66/32.png) [@Bellhorn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bellhorn)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2014, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/geographical-mental-images-you-cant-shake-even-though-they-are-incorrect/682459/19 "2014-02-28T20:45:19Z")
Probably the most common one, and it’s that I always picture \*\*Greenland \*\*about twice as big as actual size. And I know why (the distortion close to the poles, when they “flatten” it out in a mercator projection map) but years of sitting in class and staring at the Map burned an image on my brain that cannot be erased. ---
**Author:** ![ouryL](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ouryl/32/6067_2.png) [@ouryL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ouryL)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2014, 9:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/geographical-mental-images-you-cant-shake-even-though-they-are-incorrect/682459/20 "2014-02-28T21:07:47Z")
> [@Siam\_Sam](#): > > I keep thinking Hawaii is much farther west than Alaska when it’s really straight south from Alaska. and further South than Florida [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/geographical-mental-images-you-cant-shake-even-though-they-are-incorrect/682459.md?page=2)