# Shapes of political entities **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [July 18, 2013, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shapes-of-political-entities/663856 "2013-07-18T15:51:23Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2013, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shapes-of-political-entities/663856/1 "2013-07-18T15:51:23Z")
How many political entities (countries, states, cities, counties, etc.) look like a recognizable object? For instance: Italy looks like a boot. Florida looks like a penis. What others? ---
**Author:** ![Iggy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iggy/32/3364_2.png) [@Iggy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Iggy)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2013, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shapes-of-political-entities/663856/2 "2013-07-18T15:58:18Z")
Grand Cayman looks a little like a shoe. The island nation of St Kitts and Nevis is described as a cricket bat and ball. ---
**Author:** ![Diceman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Diceman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diceman)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2013, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shapes-of-political-entities/663856/3 "2013-07-18T16:07:33Z")
Michigan (the Lower Penninsula, at least) looks like a mitten. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2013, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shapes-of-political-entities/663856/4 "2013-07-18T16:09:39Z")
People from Michigan always hold up a hand when they need to show you where something in their state is located. ---
**Author:** ![Slithy\_Tove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slithy_tove/32/18248_2.png) [@Slithy\_Tove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slithy_Tove)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2013, 10:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shapes-of-political-entities/663856/5 "2013-07-18T22:19:41Z")
[the old woman riding a pig](http://crocs-with-socks.tumblr.com/image/55231273345) [rabbit on the moon](https://www.google.com/search?q=rabbit+on+the+moon&client=safari&hl=en&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=wmjoUeSzJIuE9QSv2oHABQ&ved=0CAcQ_AUoAQ&biw=320&bih=504#biv=i%7C0%3Bd%7CSCmYc_Ij0GTzHM%3A) ---
**Author:** ![AK84](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85e7bf/32.png) [@AK84](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AK84)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2013, 11:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shapes-of-political-entities/663856/6 "2013-07-18T23:33:17Z")
Pakistan looks like a pistol. A weird ass pistol. Israel to my mind looks like a dagger of some sort. Sudan like a piece of bread ---
**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:** [July 18, 2013, 11:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shapes-of-political-entities/663856/7 "2013-07-18T23:53:45Z")
[Colorado](http://www.netstate.com/states/maps/images/co_outline.gif) looks like [Wyoming](http://www.netstate.com/states/maps/images/wy_outline.gif). ---
**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:** [July 19, 2013, 12:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shapes-of-political-entities/663856/8 "2013-07-19T00:04:58Z")
> [@AK84](#): > > Pakistan looks like a pistol. A weird ass pistol. I was thinking [Pakistan](http://us.123rf.com/400wm/400/400/skvoor/skvoor0712/skvoor071200120/2190395-pakistan-outline-map-with-shadow-detailed-mercator-projection.jpg) looks like a [dachshund](http://anwo.com/store/media/black-dachsund-figurine-sandicast-os370.jpg) sitting up on its hind legs. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2013, 1:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shapes-of-political-entities/663856/9 "2013-07-19T01:00:25Z")
Idaho looks like a pistol pointing upward. Namibia looks like a very deep pot with a single handle. ---
**Author:** ![Ambivalid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a5b964/32.png) [@Ambivalid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ambivalid)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2013, 1:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shapes-of-political-entities/663856/10 "2013-07-19T01:26:25Z")
North Dakota looks like a [sloppily drawn rectangle](http://www.google.com/maps/vt/data=VLHX1wd2Cgu8wR6jwyh-km8JBWAkEzU4,Ka35rgHlJXPKTJsPKAePb6zd07_S6c0AfGzYMkrkvlgHXFIbWmHlz5NGjTNh4kiLQj6rVzJxblnAYnQD08m93t4PBBtGti7rpx8iMT9Cq6RUyhI55bKGMCU-VaM1GvaMLPSiZ2BLs-i8xl6k5n4p9rcKoxs5gYMTsfdUGvfkhfjPDYk-VyESpm5k4qK2kqLNANG6_wk). ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2013, 1:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shapes-of-political-entities/663856/11 "2013-07-19T01:45:56Z")
Some say Nova Scotia (province if Canada) looks like a lobster, appropriately enough. My almost-3-year-old son likes to take apart a foam jigsaw puzzle of the states of Mexico and line them up on the floor on their sides like a parade of critters. He comes up with an appropriate animal name for practically every one. San Luis Potosí is a dog! (A terrier, that is.) Tamaulipas is a dinosaur! (Brontosaurus type.) But most of the correspondences are pretty abstract. ---
**Author:** ![Ambivalid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a5b964/32.png) [@Ambivalid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ambivalid)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2013, 1:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shapes-of-political-entities/663856/12 "2013-07-19T01:52:54Z")
> [@Ambivalid](#): > > North Dakota looks like a [sloppily drawn rectangle](http://www.google.com/maps/vt/data=VLHX1wd2Cgu8wR6jwyh-km8JBWAkEzU4,Ka35rgHlJXPKTJsPKAePb6zd07_S6c0AfGzYMkrkvlgHXFIbWmHlz5NGjTNh4kiLQj6rVzJxblnAYnQD08m93t4PBBtGti7rpx8iMT9Cq6RUyhI55bKGMCU-VaM1GvaMLPSiZ2BLs-i8xl6k5n4p9rcKoxs5gYMTsfdUGvfkhfjPDYk-VyESpm5k4qK2kqLNANG6_wk). So does [South Dakota](http://www.google.com/maps/vt/data=VLHX1wd2Cgu8wR6jwyh-km8JBWAkEzU4,wVpwccU5gFE7GbkVn4EolYy0TIwEsL24287pz-vo-oekJJXMFsMwWMjD7OHFgwimG4qt6DDnfH9Fi9c_1TJyuu2Xmq1QCKC1n7q5zs836xvO7UfmHeYR6ynLErVH-gukmU4iYU3zSV8ANmgjLSonfLOYJ_MImlquLDjRer4MmsysXB6WlDkpABaCWxbR_lK1_RWBe8A). ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2013, 1:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shapes-of-political-entities/663856/13 "2013-07-19T01:59:04Z")
[Relevant XKCD](http://xkcd.com/1079/) ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2013, 2:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shapes-of-political-entities/663856/14 "2013-07-19T02:11:15Z")
And then there’s [Oblong, Illinois](https://maps.google.com/maps?oe=utf-8&client=firefox-a&channel=np&q=oblong,+illinois&ie=UTF-8&hq=&hnear=0x887240e5da9be3ed:0x16b4de7a95da5e04,Oblong,+IL&gl=us&ei=sZ7oUfOHHqWMygGQi4BY&ved=0CIIBELYD), which looks pretty much like an oblong. And Lake Michigan looks like a zucchini. ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2013, 2:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shapes-of-political-entities/663856/15 "2013-07-19T02:59:42Z")
Ontario looks like… Ontario. On the other hand, _southern_ Ontario looks like an elephant with its trunk raised. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2013, 3:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shapes-of-political-entities/663856/16 "2013-07-19T03:07:21Z")
Québec looks like the profile of a guy with a big nose, yawning. Labrador is his hat. ---
**Author:** ![Sudden\_Kestrel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecd19e/32.png) [@Sudden\_Kestrel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sudden_Kestrel)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2013, 3:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shapes-of-political-entities/663856/17 "2013-07-19T03:07:54Z")
Wisconsin looks like George Washington looking at Minnesota. ---
**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:** [July 19, 2013, 3:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shapes-of-political-entities/663856/18 "2013-07-19T03:08:50Z")
It’s several countries, but Scandinavia looks like a horse’s head (with Denmark being a flower it’s eating). Austria looks like a turkey drumstick. ---
**Author:** ![Gagundathar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a183cd/32.png) [@Gagundathar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gagundathar)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2013, 3:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shapes-of-political-entities/663856/19 "2013-07-19T03:12:43Z")
Hilton Head Island (off the coast of South Carolina in the USA) looks like the side view of a running shoe. [Hilton Head Island Totally Looks Like a Shoe](http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=https://i.chzbgr.com/maxW500/3850229504/h99E659A9/&imgrefurl=http://cheezburger.com/3850229504&h=271&w=401&sz=31&tbnid=oEplEDufK4XUQM:&tbnh=90&tbnw=133&zoom=1&usg=__BCwmNoO-vFc_ZiW04LdTkPR8HCo=&docid=_B-odgxM6l2zeM&sa=X&ei=Y67oUeCZL4jo9ATrpYHwAg&ved=0CC8Q9QEwAA&dur=5480) ---
**Author:** ![Svejk\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ea666f/32.png) [@Svejk\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Svejk_1)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2013, 3:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shapes-of-political-entities/663856/20 "2013-07-19T03:17:13Z")
> [@Sunspace](#): > > Ontario looks like… Ontario. On the other hand, _southern_ Ontario looks like an elephant with its trunk raised. Ontario looks like a whale, with its tail stretching from S. Ontario to Ottawa and it’s mouth near the border with Manitoba. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shapes-of-political-entities/663856.md?page=2)