# Geographical oddities (another thread) **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [December 10, 2014, 11:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/geographical-oddities-another-thread/706895 "2014-12-10T23:11:50Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**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:** [December 10, 2014, 11:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/geographical-oddities-another-thread/706895/1 "2014-12-10T23:11:50Z")
Done this before, but I was just looking at a map and a few occurred to me. 1. Where does the water in Niagara Falls come from, and where does it go? From Lake Erie into Lake Ontario. I don’t know why I have this idea it’s on a river that spills more or less directly into the ocean. 1. You’re in Detroit, heaven help you. To escape across the river to Windsor, Ontario, you drive what direction? Due south. I find that weird every time I notice it. 1. True or False: New Jersey is west of New York. False, of course; Joisey is 99% south of Noo Yawk. But if you guessed wrong it’s probably because you think that tight zoom on Manhattan represents the whole. ---
**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:** [December 10, 2014, 11:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/geographical-oddities-another-thread/706895/2 "2014-12-10T23:18:49Z")
I probably mentioned this one before, but it’s a good winner in bar trivia: Which direction do you travel in order to transit the Panama Canal from the Atlantic to the Pacific? [Southeast](https://www.google.com/maps/place/Panama+Canal,+Panama/@8.7548281,-79.7697584,7z/data=!4m2!3m1!1s0x8fab5f4b31cd492d:0xd9dd11e7a14a0960). Weird, ain’t it? ---
**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:** [December 10, 2014, 11:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/geographical-oddities-another-thread/706895/3 "2014-12-10T23:23:45Z")
Might have posted this one recently, too, but hey, sue me… 🙂 1. North Brother Island, West Brother Island, East Brother Island and South Brother Island are separated by what? Less than one mile OR the continental US. North/South are in New York Harbor; East/West are in San Francisco Bay. ---
**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:** [December 10, 2014, 11:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/geographical-oddities-another-thread/706895/4 "2014-12-10T23:25:50Z")
Duplicate. ---
**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:** [December 10, 2014, 11:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/geographical-oddities-another-thread/706895/5 "2014-12-10T23:27:20Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > Duplicate. Okay, there you go. Why did you need two? ---
**Author:** ![OldGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/3bc359/32.png) [@OldGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OldGuy)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2014, 11:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/geographical-oddities-another-thread/706895/6 "2014-12-10T23:46:49Z")
> [@Amateur\_Barbarian](#): > > Done this before, but I was just looking at a map and a few occurred to me. > > 1. Where does the water in Niagara Falls come from, and where does it go? > > From Lake Erie into Lake Ontario. I don’t know why I have this idea it’s on a river that spills more or less directly into the ocean. Well technically it comes from the Niagara river and goes into the Niagara river. ---
**Author:** ![notfrommensa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/f14d63/32.png) [@notfrommensa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/notfrommensa)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2014, 11:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/geographical-oddities-another-thread/706895/7 "2014-12-10T23:52:57Z")
There a region in what US State where 4 different US states are within 30 miles. [spoiler]Extreme SE Missouri near New Madrid, if you go NE, you will be in Illinois, If you go East, you are in Kentucky, if you got Southeast, you are in Tennessee, and if you go WestSouthWest, you will be in Arkansas. There are spots in Maryland (near Baltimore) that are within 50-60 miles of VA, NJ, DE, PA and WV [/spoiler] ---
**Author:** ![Procrustus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/procrustus/32/2994_2.png) [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2014, 11:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/geographical-oddities-another-thread/706895/8 "2014-12-10T23:55:47Z")
nm, misread ---
**Author:** ![Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spectre_of_pithecanthropus/32/12343_2.png) [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spectre_of_Pithecanthropus)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2014, 12:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/geographical-oddities-another-thread/706895/9 "2014-12-11T00:00:25Z")
I find seemingly odd that, if you want to fly the shortest route from Los Angeles to Johannisburg, SA, you start out with your plane pointing slightly north east. ---
**Author:** ![Baron\_Greenback](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baron_greenback/32/48_2.png) [@Baron\_Greenback](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baron_Greenback)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2014, 12:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/geographical-oddities-another-thread/706895/10 "2014-12-11T00:18:08Z")
An old favourite: closest US state to Africa? Maine Which European capital city is New York City closest in latitude to? Madrid ---
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2014, 12:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/geographical-oddities-another-thread/706895/11 "2014-12-11T00:43:45Z")
Most northern state of the lower 48? Minnesota ---
**Author:** ![robert\_columbia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e79b87/32.png) [@robert\_columbia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robert_columbia)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2014, 12:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/geographical-oddities-another-thread/706895/12 "2014-12-11T00:53:29Z")
Name all eight countries that have land territory above the Arctic Circle United States Canada Denmark Iceland Norway Sweden Finland Russia ---
**Author:** ![Peremensoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ce7236/32.png) [@Peremensoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peremensoe)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2014, 12:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/geographical-oddities-another-thread/706895/13 "2014-12-11T00:58:01Z")
> [@robert\_columbia](#): > > Name all eight countries that have land territory above the Arctic Circle > > United States > Canada > Denmark > Iceland > Norway > Sweden > Finland > Russia What’s odd about that? ---
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2014, 1:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/geographical-oddities-another-thread/706895/14 "2014-12-11T01:00:17Z")
T or F: All of Illinois lies east of the Mississippi River. [Allow THE MASTER to explain](http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/157/sucker-bets-101-illinois-lies-east-of-the-mississippi) ---
**Author:** ![Flywheel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/eb8c5e/32.png) [@Flywheel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Flywheel)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2014, 1:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/geographical-oddities-another-thread/706895/15 "2014-12-11T01:07:49Z")
Which state has the highest coastline-to-border ratio? Hawaii. ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2014, 1:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/geographical-oddities-another-thread/706895/16 "2014-12-11T01:13:18Z")
You’re in the center of the city of Los Algodones, Baja California, Mexico. What’s the first foreign country you hit if you go due north? Due south? Due east? Due west? The US, for all 4 directions. ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2014, 1:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/geographical-oddities-another-thread/706895/17 "2014-12-11T01:16:52Z")
What state has a portion of itself that cannot be reached from the rest of the state, by land, water, or air without traveling through another state? Kentucky, with its famous [Kentucky Bend](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kentucky_Bend). ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2014, 1:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/geographical-oddities-another-thread/706895/18 "2014-12-11T01:22:13Z")
I also find it amusing that parts of Canada are further south than parts of California. ---
**Author:** ![robert\_columbia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e79b87/32.png) [@robert\_columbia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robert_columbia)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2014, 1:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/geographical-oddities-another-thread/706895/19 "2014-12-11T01:53:46Z")
> [@Peremensoe](#): > > What’s odd about that? Most people don’t think about Denmark, because they think it is mostly a peninsula right above Germany. ---
**Author:** ![Peremensoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ce7236/32.png) [@Peremensoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peremensoe)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2014, 2:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/geographical-oddities-another-thread/706895/20 "2014-12-11T02:11:43Z")
> [@robert\_columbia](#): > > Most people don’t think about Denmark, because they think it is mostly a peninsula right above Germany. Ah. I’ve known that Greenland belonged to Denmark since I was a kid. The only one I was doubtful on was Iceland. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/geographical-oddities-another-thread/706895.md?page=2)