# 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:** 2
**Author:** ![Marks\_1st\_wife](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Marks\_1st\_wife](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marks_1st_wife)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2004, 4:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/geography-trick-questions/223496/21 "2004-01-09T04:24:16Z")
I remember walking through a part of three different states in one afternoon when I was a kid. (that was an easy thing to write about when I had to do “what I did this summer”) ---
**Author:** ![Zoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/a4c791/32.png) [@Zoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zoe)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2004, 4:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/geography-trick-questions/223496/22 "2004-01-09T04:51:17Z")
And in what state do we find the Statue of Liberty? ---
**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 9, 2004, 4:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/geography-trick-questions/223496/23 "2004-01-09T04:55:34Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Horseflesh \* > \*\*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.” \*\* Yes, yes, but in the spirit of the OP, which sort of amounts to winning drinks in a bar bet, the technical answer would be the correct one. Sheesh, people. ---
**Author:** ![xayoz306](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/bc8723/32.png) [@xayoz306](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xayoz306)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2004, 5:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/geography-trick-questions/223496/24 "2004-01-09T05:22:24Z")
Geographical trick questions?? Sand dunes are located all over the word, generally indeserts. But doesn anyone know the furthest north location of Sand Dunes in the world? The Athabasca Sand Dunes in Norethern Saskatchewan, on the shores of Lake Athabasca Can anyone name the northernmost permanently inhabited location in the world??? ---
**Author:** ![Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ccd318/32.png) [@Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paul_in_Qatar)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2004, 5:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/geography-trick-questions/223496/25 "2004-01-09T05:28:53Z")
Name the three states that have parts of a perfect circle in their borderlines. If you want the answer, you have to tell me how to do a spoilers box. ---
**Author:** ![cmkeller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmkeller/32/118_2.png) [@cmkeller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmkeller)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2004, 5:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/geography-trick-questions/223496/26 "2004-01-09T05:33:28Z")
> [@](#): > > Bt there’s one group of three states that meet in three separate and distinct points. Which three states, and how? Hmm…that’s got to involve Michigan and Wisconsin somehow, but for the life of me, I can’t seem to make a third state fit that description. And I just spent five minutes looking at a map over it. ---
**Author:** ![Tripler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripler/32/21807_2.png) [@Tripler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tripler)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2004, 6:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/geography-trick-questions/223496/27 "2004-01-09T06:16:36Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Zoe \* > \*\*And in what state do we find the Statue of Liberty? \*\* According to public thought, it’s in New York. ( I can’t find my cite right now, darn it. . . ) But the halls on Ellis Island were built on New Jersey soil, while expansion to the island were brought into New York State lines. [Cite.](http://www.cnn.com/US/9805/26/scotus.ellis.island/) But the Statue of Liberty, IIRC, is a little farther out from NJ shores and is in NY waters, so she falls into NY state. Tripler Who cares where she sits. She’s still beautiful. ---
**Author:** ![Tripler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripler/32/21807_2.png) [@Tripler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tripler)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2004, 6:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/geography-trick-questions/223496/28 "2004-01-09T06:21:43Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Tripler \* > \*\*But the halls on Ellis Island were built on New Jersey soil, while expansion to the island were brought into New York State lines. \*\* Pardon me. Slight typo. The original island was NY, but expansion went into NJ. Tripler My bad. Damn keyboard. :mad: ---
**Author:** ![Gest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/9d8465/32.png) [@Gest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gest)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2004, 7:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/geography-trick-questions/223496/29 "2004-01-09T07:18:36Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Paul in Saudi \* > \*\*Name the three states that have parts of a perfect circle in their borderlines. > > If you want the answer, you have to tell me how to do a spoilers box. \*\* Admit it; there _is_ no third and you only put it in so someone would tell you how to do a spoiler box! Well it worked. Just enclose the _spoilt_ text in vB code spoiler tags as you would any other kind of text. Delaware and Pennsylvania? Was I at least two thirds correct? Now quote this post, or any other post with coding you’d like to emulate, to see how it’s done. ---
**Author:** ![Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ccd318/32.png) [@Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paul_in_Qatar)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2004, 8:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/geography-trick-questions/223496/30 "2004-01-09T08:10:09Z")
OK, here you go, three (US) States which have a potion of a circle. Delaware and Pennsylvania… of course and New Jersey where it runs up against Delaware in the Delaware River. I like this one a lot. ---
**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 9, 2004, 8:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/geography-trick-questions/223496/31 "2004-01-09T08:27:49Z")
Starting from the coast of the Gulf of Mexico, and traveling only by land, what is the fewest number of states you can travel through to reach Canada? ---
**Author:** ![Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ccd318/32.png) [@Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paul_in_Qatar)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2004, 12:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/geography-trick-questions/223496/32 "2004-01-09T12:25:31Z")
I dunno, how many? ---
**Author:** ![UselessGit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/74df32/32.png) [@UselessGit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UselessGit)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2004, 12:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/geography-trick-questions/223496/33 "2004-01-09T12:38:20Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by xayoz306 \* > \*\*Geographical trick questions?? > > Can anyone name the northernmost permanently inhabited location in the world??? \*\* IIRC it is an outpost of the mighty Canadian military. The name’s lost on me though… ---
**Author:** ![Sublight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/439d5e/32.png) [@Sublight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sublight)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2004, 12:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/geography-trick-questions/223496/34 "2004-01-09T12:56:53Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by amore ac studio \* > \*\*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 \*\* Also, if you start slightly south of that starting point, 100 miles south will take you to a latitude at which the Earth’s cross section has a 50-mile circumference, which means 100 miles east will take you exactly twice around. You can then expand this to an infinite number of starting points approaching 100 miles north of the South Pole. ---
**Author:** ![Coldfire](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a587f6/32.png) [@Coldfire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Coldfire)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2004, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/geography-trick-questions/223496/35 "2004-01-09T14:50:39Z")
Which intersection of three countries used to be an intersection of _four_ countries for a brief period of time?The intersection now encompasses The Netherlands, Belgium, and Germany. But for about a century, up until the end of World War I, a small yet independent country called Moresnet bordered on the intersection as well, making it an intersection of FOUR countries. Not that intersections of four countries are unique, but this is the only one I know that went from 4 to 3.If you know this one, you’re truly gifted in history and geography. I only found out about it 2 years ago. ---
**Author:** ![Gest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/9d8465/32.png) [@Gest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gest)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2004, 11:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/geography-trick-questions/223496/36 "2004-01-09T23:16:17Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Ex Machina \* > \*\*Starting from the coast of the Gulf of Mexico, and traveling only by land, what is the fewest number of states you can travel through to reach Canada? \*\* I can easily see half a dozen ways how it can be done in five but can’t get it down to four. So? ---
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2004, 11:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/geography-trick-questions/223496/37 "2004-01-09T23:56:22Z")
Couldn’t you just walk on the Mexican side of the border west until you got to be south of California, then go up three states (CA, OR, WA) to Canada? ---
**Author:** ![Cervaise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cervaise/32/16693_2.png) [@Cervaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cervaise)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2004, 12:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/geography-trick-questions/223496/38 "2004-01-10T00:05:09Z")
If “coast of the Gulf of Mexico” includes being _in_ Mexico, you can go all the way across then go up through California, Oregon, and Washington, though I doubt that’s what it means. ---
**Author:** ![Gest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/9d8465/32.png) [@Gest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gest)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2004, 12:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/geography-trick-questions/223496/39 "2004-01-10T00:06:12Z")
Excellent! I was looking for a tricky way to do it and still didn’t see it. I was getting desperate and wondering if there was a Canadian consulate in Austin or somewhere making it, contentiously, _one_ state but your solution is better. ---
**Author:** ![Cervaise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cervaise/32/16693_2.png) [@Cervaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cervaise)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2004, 12:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/geography-trick-questions/223496/40 "2004-01-10T00:06:50Z")
**BobLibDem** ’s post wasn’t there when I hit Submit, obviously. I should read these things more quickly… ☹ [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/geography-trick-questions/223496.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/geography-trick-questions/223496.md?page=3)