# geography trick questions **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [January 8, 2004, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/geography-trick-questions/223496 "2004-01-08T20:18:55Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**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:** [January 8, 2004, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/geography-trick-questions/223496/1 "2004-01-08T20:18:55Z")
I heard the following questions and thought they were amusing. Do you have any to add to these? Which city is further west? Reno, NV or LosAngeles, CA? Reno. If you drew a line directly south from Atlanta, GA where would South America be in relation to this line? West of it, east of it, on it? East of it. ---
**Author:** ![Jpeg\_Jones](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/4bbf92/32.png) [@Jpeg\_Jones](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jpeg_Jones)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2004, 9:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/geography-trick-questions/223496/2 "2004-01-08T21:07:24Z")
> [@](#): > > East of it. This was no surprise to me. How about the one that asks “What’s the first foreign country you encounter when drawing a line directly south from Detroit? Canada.” ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2004, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/geography-trick-questions/223496/3 "2004-01-08T21:12:16Z")
What direction are you traveling when you go through the Panama Canal from the Atlantic to the Pacific? southeast ---
**Author:** ![Polycarp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/82dd89/32.png) [@Polycarp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Polycarp)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2004, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/geography-trick-questions/223496/4 "2004-01-08T21:24:19Z")
After what animal were the Canary Islands named? The indigenous dogs – _Ilhas Canarias_ from Latin _Canis_, however it was adapted into Medieval Portuguese. The little yellow birds found there were named after the islands. ---
**Author:** ![AV8R](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/898d66/32.png) [@AV8R](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AV8R)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2004, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/geography-trick-questions/223496/5 "2004-01-08T21:24:24Z")
A hunter starts from his base camp and walks exactly 10 miles due south. He turns and walks exactly 10 miles due east. He shoots a bear. He turns and drags the bear for 10 miles going due north, where he arrives at his base camp again. What color was the bear? ---
**Author:** ![Ghanima](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Ghanima](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ghanima)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2004, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/geography-trick-questions/223496/6 "2004-01-08T21:30:22Z")
White 😛 Because he was at the north pole, silly. ---
**Author:** ![Palo\_Verde](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/65b543/32.png) [@Palo\_Verde](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Palo_Verde)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2004, 9:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/geography-trick-questions/223496/7 "2004-01-08T21:38:07Z")
Not sure if this is true or not, but… If you are standing at the northernmost point in Texas, are you closer to the southernmost point in Texas or Canada? Answer of course is Canada, or else it wouldn’t be a trick question! ---
**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:** [January 8, 2004, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/geography-trick-questions/223496/8 "2004-01-08T21:44:23Z")
White! Right? ---
**Author:** ![Uncommon\_Sense](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Uncommon\_Sense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Uncommon_Sense)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2004, 9:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/geography-trick-questions/223496/9 "2004-01-08T21:51:32Z")
What`s the southern most city in the US? ---
**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:** [January 8, 2004, 10:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/geography-trick-questions/223496/10 "2004-01-08T22:06:57Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by twickster \* > \*\*What direction are you traveling when you go through the Panama Canal from the Atlantic to the Pacific? > > southeast \*\* And from my apartment window, I can see the sun rise over the Pacific Ocean. The Atlantic is to my west. ---
**Author:** ![Polycarp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/82dd89/32.png) [@Polycarp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Polycarp)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2004, 10:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/geography-trick-questions/223496/11 "2004-01-08T22:08:18Z")
Using the 0 and 180 meridians as your delimiters, what is the easternmost state in the US? Which is farther south: Point Pelee National Park, Ontario, or Thompsonville, CT? Hamburg, Germany is at approximately the latitude of: Boston, MA, Seattle, WA, or Edmonton, Alberta? True or false: It is possible for a bird to fly due south from a point in Florida into one other state? Explain your answer. ---
**Author:** ![biqu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7feea3/32.png) [@biqu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/biqu)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2004, 10:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/geography-trick-questions/223496/12 "2004-01-08T22:09:00Z")
There are at least two points on Earth where one can travel 100 miles south, followed by 100 miles east, then 100 miles north, and arrive at the starting point. One of them, obviously, is at the north pole. Where is another one? 100 miles north of a latitude at which the Earth’s cross section has a 100 mile circumference ---
**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:** [January 8, 2004, 10:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/geography-trick-questions/223496/13 "2004-01-08T22:53:39Z")
What is the westernmost state in the union? What is the northernmost state in the union? What is the easternmost state in the union? Answer to all three: Alaska ---
**Author:** ![Diceman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Diceman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diceman)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2004, 11:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/geography-trick-questions/223496/14 "2004-01-08T23:14:47Z")
I call foul on that last one, **Chefguy.** “East” and “West” are relative directions. If I wanted to get to Alaska, I would head west, no matter which part of it we were talking about. The southern-most city in the US is probably Hilo, Hawaii. ---
**Author:** ![Lathe\_of\_Heaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Lathe\_of\_Heaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lathe_of_Heaven)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2004, 11:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/geography-trick-questions/223496/15 "2004-01-08T23:14:53Z")
Which US state is closest to Africa? Most people visualize a flat map, and guess “Florida”. Look at a round globe and it’s obvious… Maine. How much does the Gulf Stream warm up the scepter’d isle? Canada has polar bears at Edinburgh’s latitude. ---
**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:** [January 8, 2004, 11:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/geography-trick-questions/223496/16 "2004-01-08T23:41:28Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Diceman \* > \*\*I call foul on that last one, **Chefguy.** “East” and “West” are relative directions. If I wanted to get to Alaska, I would head west, no matter which part of it we were talking about. > \*\* Er…no. East and west are determined by longitude. The following is a quote from [this site:](http://www.alaskais.com/information.htm) > [@](#): > > Alaska boasts the northernmost (Point Barrow), the easternmost (Semisopochnoi Island in the Aleutians), and the westernmost (Little Diomede Island) points in the United States. This is possible because Alaska straddles the international dateline. ---
**Author:** ![Ex\_Machina](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/278dde/32.png) [@Ex\_Machina](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ex_Machina)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2004, 11:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/geography-trick-questions/223496/17 "2004-01-08T23:44:09Z")
I’m always amazed at how far west Havana, Cuba is in relation to certain points in the southeastern U.S. I make the same mistake everytime I try to visualize a map. ---
**Author:** ![Horseflesh](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/horseflesh/32/7502_2.png) [@Horseflesh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horseflesh)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2004, 1:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/geography-trick-questions/223496/18 "2004-01-09T01:46:18Z")
More of a fun fact than trick question, but Colorado’s western state line (shared with Utah) is not straight. Due to a surveyor’s mistake in 1879, there is a 1 mile “jog” about in the middle. Neither state contested the boundary after the mistake was discovered so the line stands as it was originally surveyed. Technically, this makes Colorado a six-sided state, not four. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2004, 2:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/geography-trick-questions/223496/19 "2004-01-09T02:22:13Z")
You can find places where three states meet at a single point. There’s one place where four states meet at a single point. Bt there’s one group of three states that meet in three separate and distinct points. Which three states, and how? By the way, **Horseflesh** , if you look closely at state boundaries you’ll notice that a lot of wha appear to be straight lines actually have jogs undetectable on normal scale maps. I don’t mean things like Minnesota’s odd northward “jog” into Canada, or Massachusetts’ extension into Connecticut – hose show up n your average road map. I mean tiny and oscure nonlinearities like the one you describe. ---
**Author:** ![Horseflesh](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/horseflesh/32/7502_2.png) [@Horseflesh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horseflesh)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2004, 3:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/geography-trick-questions/223496/20 "2004-01-09T03:31:50Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by CalMeacham \* > \*\*By the way, **Horseflesh** , if you look closely at state boundaries you’ll notice that a lot of wha appear to be straight lines actually have jogs undetectable on normal scale maps. I don’t mean things like Minnesota’s odd northward “jog” into Canada, or Massachusetts’ extension into Connecticut – hose show up n your average road map. I mean tiny and oscure nonlinearities like the one you describe. \*\* I know but for some reason I’ve heard of this “mistake” more than once. The first time I heard about it I immediately checked out the household Rand McNally road atlas. I was surprised to see the tiny jog actually depicted (southwest corner of Montrose county, Colorado). BTW, I gotta agree with **Diceman** , east and west are relative directions. If I were just on the US side of the IDL and was giving tourists directions to Asia, I wouldn’t point and say “Head west for a couple of miles, then (without turning) head east until you hit land.” [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/geography-trick-questions/223496.md?page=2)