# I am such a dope **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [February 5, 2003, 3:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-such-a-dope/152873 "2003-02-05T03:45:46Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![js\_africanus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/87869e/32.png) [@js\_africanus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/js_africanus)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2003, 3:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-such-a-dope/152873/1 "2003-02-05T03:45:46Z")
I was on the brink of submitting a Cafe Society thread titled “Just how big is Middle Earth, anyway?” Looking back at the map in the front of the book, in order to check the spellings of my north-south and east-west boundaries, I just _happen_ to notice a scale. :smack: Couldn’t look for that to begin with, could I? ---
**Author:** ![Rhum\_Runner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/2bfe46/32.png) [@Rhum\_Runner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhum_Runner)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2003, 3:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-such-a-dope/152873/2 "2003-02-05T03:47:07Z")
So, how big is it? ---
**Author:** ![MissTake](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/misstake/32/3189_2.png) [@MissTake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MissTake)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2003, 3:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-such-a-dope/152873/3 "2003-02-05T03:50:53Z")
_(bites tongue in attempt to NOT make completely lewd comment)_ ---
**Author:** ![AncientHumanoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ancienthumanoid/32/278_2.png) [@AncientHumanoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AncientHumanoid)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2003, 3:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-such-a-dope/152873/4 "2003-02-05T03:55:48Z")
Hyperbole: I’m bigger than Fingolfin’s LOTR thread, baby! (I did it for you, **MissTake**.) ---
**Author:** ![MissTake](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/misstake/32/3189_2.png) [@MissTake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MissTake)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2003, 4:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-such-a-dope/152873/5 "2003-02-05T04:01:59Z")
Not quite it, lol, but thank you **NCB** 😉 ---
**Author:** ![js\_africanus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/87869e/32.png) [@js\_africanus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/js_africanus)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2003, 6:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-such-a-dope/152873/6 "2003-02-05T06:07:50Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Rhum Runner \* > \*\*So, how big is it? \*\* Roughly 1,720 miles from the western coast of Forlindon to the eastern coast of the Sea of Rhun (actually to a north-south line tangent to the east coast of the Sea of Rhun, but who’s counting?), and roughly 1,375 miles from Mt. Gundabad (the southern edge of the Northern Waste) to the City of the Corsairs. As the crow flies, it is roughly 1,050 miles from the center of The Shire to Mt. Doom. Roughly 650 miles from the center of The Shire to the western edge of Mirkwood. About 600 miles from The Shire to Helm’s Deep. Or were you asking about my… 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Achernar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e274bd/32.png) [@Achernar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Achernar)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2003, 6:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-such-a-dope/152873/7 "2003-02-05T06:33:15Z")
In [another thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=160047&perpage=20&pagenumber=1) I asked what’s east of Rhûn. **Qadgop the Mercotan** pointed me toward some interesting resources: [Tolkien Maps Galore](http://www.tolkien.homestead.com/) [The Tolkien Archives Map Room](http://www.tolkien-archives.com/maproom.shtml) ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2003, 2:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-such-a-dope/152873/8 "2003-02-05T14:09:41Z")
Well, then obviously you’re in the right place. Or didn’t you mean to say, “I am such a dope **r** ”? ---
**Author:** ![js\_africanus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/87869e/32.png) [@js\_africanus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/js_africanus)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2003, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-such-a-dope/152873/9 "2003-02-05T16:48:46Z")
> [@](#): > > _Originally posted by Ethilrist \* > **Well, then obviously you’re in the right place. Or didn’t you mean to say, "I am such a dope** r_\*"? \*\* I’ll have to think about that.🙂