# Stupid Geography Questions **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [May 18, 2001, 9:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-geography-questions/65805 "2001-05-18T09:32:26Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Michael\_Ellis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/977dab/32.png) [@Michael\_Ellis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Michael_Ellis)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2001, 3:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-geography-questions/65805/41 "2001-05-22T03:46:53Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by waterj2 \* > The worst I heard was someone from Staten Island who was convinced that New Jersey was about the same size as California. If it was I wouldn’t mind the drive from San Diego to Sacramento quite so much. ---
**Author:** ![LateComer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/b5ac83/32.png) [@LateComer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LateComer)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2001, 12:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-geography-questions/65805/42 "2001-05-22T12:31:49Z")
A friend related this exchange with a woman in Florida who claimed to be a school teacher: Woman: “So, where are you from?” Friend: “West Virginia.” “Oh, you mean the western part of Virginia?” “No, the state of West Virginia.” “I’m sorry, I don’t follow you. There’s a state called ‘West Virginia’?” “Yes.” “Oh. I’ve never heard of that!” This exchange, by the way, did not take place pre-Civil War. ---
**Author:** ![slortar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6bbea6/32.png) [@slortar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/slortar)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2001, 12:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-geography-questions/65805/43 "2001-05-22T12:39:31Z")
My mother knew a school teacher with the exact same problem. Apparently a lot of people who refuse to admit West Virginia exists. Conspiracy? ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2001, 12:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-geography-questions/65805/44 "2001-05-22T12:58:11Z")
Europeans often express surprise (to me, anyway) that people in one part of the US are unfamiliar with other parts of the US, but I suspect this has more to do with scale than anything else. In Europe, you can drive a few hundred miles (or less) and be in a whole new country with a whole new language. In the US, you could still be in the same state. Once, in Nebraska, we drove from Lincoln to Beatrice with a visiting British man to visit some friends. This is a distance of about 50 miles, or an hour’s drive. The visitor expressed surprise that Americans would drive so far for a day visit. In the same way that Americans don’t have a sense of historical distance and feel that the 1950’s was ancient history, Europeans don’t really comprehend how BIG American is. Or, as someone else more succinctly put it, In America, 200 years is a long time. In Europe, 200 miles is a long way. ---
**Author:** ![Floater](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/dc4da7/32.png) [@Floater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Floater)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2001, 1:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-geography-questions/65805/45 "2001-05-22T13:07:13Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Spavined Gelding \* > \*\*They were very pleasant people and we had a nice visit on a ferryboat going up the Sonja Fjord. \*\* For some odd reason I feel compelled to point out that it’s **Sognefjord**. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![psiekier](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/psiekier/32/116_2.png) [@psiekier](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/psiekier)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2001, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-geography-questions/65805/46 "2001-05-22T14:55:31Z")
When I tell people I’m from Wichita Falls, they say, “Oh, so you’re from Kansas! You don’t sound like you’re from Kansas…” Keep in mind that these people are _Texans_ - you’d think they’d know where Wichita Falls is. > [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by GingerOfTheNorth \* > \*\*As I have mentioned before, while I was in school I learned a bunch about the USA. What did Americans learn about Canada? > \*\* You’re not all lumberjacks or fur traders. Most of you don’t live in igloos, eat blubber, or own dog sleds. Do you know Jimmy, Sally, or Susie? Are they really realy nice? You have a Prime Minister, not a President. You speak English and French, not American. You pronounce it “about”, not “aboot” (yeah, _riiiight_). You can proudly sew your country’s flag on your backpack. You believe in “peacekeeping”, not “policing”; diversity, not assimilation; and that the beaver is a truly proud and noble animal. A toque is a hat. A Chesterfield is a couch. And it is pronounced “zed” - not “zee” - “zed”! Canada is the second-largest land mass, the first nation of hockey, and the best part of the northern third of North America. * * * Pete Take off every .sig for great justice!! ---
**Author:** ![tomndebb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b9e5f3/32.png) [@tomndebb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomndebb)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2001, 3:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-geography-questions/65805/47 "2001-05-23T03:51:16Z")
> [@](#): > > Apparently a lot of people who refuse to admit West Virginia exists. Conspiracy? No. Confederacy. . . . . . Thet don’t believe that WV had a right to secede. ---
**Author:** ![chickmunkx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e9c0ed/32.png) [@chickmunkx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chickmunkx)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2001, 12:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-geography-questions/65805/48 "2001-05-23T12:13:13Z")
[The world according to America](http://readonly.org/images/americamap.gif) ---
**Author:** ![Scarlett67](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scarlett67/32/7387_2.png) [@Scarlett67](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scarlett67)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2001, 12:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-geography-questions/65805/49 "2001-05-23T12:31:30Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by delphica \* > \*\*And on the topic of U.S. states, did anyone else learn the 50 States song in grammar school? List of the 50 states, in alpha order, set to a tune. I know 'em all, but only if I sing them. Sort of like the Preamble of the Constitution. \*\* “Fifty nifty United Staes From the thirteen original colonies . . .” That’s all I remember of the regular lyrics. I can also sing the list of states; it comes in handy a lot when I’m copyediting a list of addresses or agencies organized by state. Other songs from “Let George Do It,” the little musical that spawned “Fifty Nifty” and that my fourth-grade class performed in 1976: “Boston tea, Boston tea, Come with me down the edge of the sea! Boston tea, Boston tea, Come to the party with me!” “Let George do it! He’s the man of the hour! Let George do it! He will give us the power! First in war, first in peace, First in the hearts of his countrymen . . .” Regarding Alaska/Hawaii as foreign countries, I’ve heard of clerks refusing to ship to New Mexico for the same reason. ---
**Author:** ![Jus\_lookin\_Round](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a6a055/32.png) [@Jus\_lookin\_Round](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jus_lookin_Round)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2001, 12:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-geography-questions/65805/50 "2001-05-23T12:52:53Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by BobT \* > \*\*And no, we don’t count the District of Columbia as a state. > > Why? > > Because it isn’t a state. 😉 > > But Puerto Rico, American Samoa, U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, and American Samoa all have capitals. But DC doesn’t have a capital. \*\* **Oh but yes it does! The city of Washington is the capital of the District of Columbia! I sure wish they’d control their borders better though. Those darn “polititions” keep getting out!** ---
**Author:** ![OxyMoron](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/e9a140/32.png) [@OxyMoron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OxyMoron)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2001, 1:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-geography-questions/65805/51 "2001-05-23T13:53:41Z")
Well, sorta. This was covered in another [thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=13507). Originally the District of Columbia included (at least) three cities: Washington, Alexandria and Georgetown. Alexandria reverted to Virginia in the mid-19th century and Washington absorbed Georgetown early in the 20th. The city of Washington and the District of Columbia are now coterminous. ---
**Author:** ![BostonBoom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ed8c4c/32.png) [@BostonBoom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BostonBoom)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2015, 7:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-geography-questions/65805/52 "2015-06-16T07:33:09Z")
My younger sister has no concept of geography. She was flipping through Instagram one day and showed me a comment in a non-English language (thought it looked like Spanish). Now, she knows I speak a little German, and she shows the comment to me and asks, “Hey, is that German?” It wasn’t and I told her I couldn’t read it. A minute later I asked her, “Why did you think that was German? It didn’t look anything like that language.” She keeps scrolling and says, “Oh, it was under a picture of that German castle building.” I ask to see the picture. She shows me a picture of the Kremlin. “That’s in Moscow,” I tell her. She gives me a deadpan look as says, “Yeah–Germany!” That wasn’t the only time she was like that–before she has asked me if Denver was in Minnesota. ---
**Author:** ![desertmonk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/898d66/32.png) [@desertmonk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/desertmonk)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2015, 10:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-geography-questions/65805/53 "2015-06-16T10:30:20Z")
Great, now we’re going to have to put up with a bunch of unfunny zombie jokes. ---
**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:** [June 16, 2015, 1:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-geography-questions/65805/54 "2015-06-16T13:27:58Z")
> [@Pammipoo](#): > > ::Raises hand:: Until a few years ago, I thought that Alaska was an island. You know how on maps it’s always in it’s own seperate box? I assumed it was an island, like Hawaii. I’ve mentioned this in other threads: I have a cousin who think Alaska and Hawaii are near the coast of California, because that’s where they were in the big map they had back in school. ---
**Author:** ![Canadjun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/76d3ee/32.png) [@Canadjun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Canadjun)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2015, 2:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-geography-questions/65805/55 "2015-06-16T14:11:25Z")
Went to a computer conference in Seattle many years ago (I forget exactly when - late 70’s/early 80’s) and upon mentioning to an American that I went to the University of Alberta, he asked me if that was in British Columbia. Ummm… No… ETA Oh Shit! Didn’t realize this thread is a risen zombie. Oh well. I’ll leave my comment anyway. ---
**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:** [June 16, 2015, 2:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-geography-questions/65805/56 "2015-06-16T14:36:12Z")
> [@FlyingDragonFan](#): > > Outside their country?? Up until a couple of years ago, my roommate thought that New England was one of those states “up there somewhere.” Keep in mind that this is a college educated teacher. She’d just never had a geography course. Not that that’s an excuse to not know your own country, but one person can only know so much stuff. On a side note, she also though that Benjamin Franklin was a president. I like to keep these two little anecdotes handy for when she brings home a new boyfriend. 🙂 I used to know a guy from India who thought that “New England” was a poetic term for the United States, not a name for a specific region _of_ the United States. ---
**Author:** ![Duckster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/duckster/32/1244_2.png) [@Duckster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duckster)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2015, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-geography-questions/65805/57 "2015-06-16T16:02:32Z")
This thread is from ZombieLand, but I can’t find it on a map. ---
**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:** [June 16, 2015, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-geography-questions/65805/58 "2015-06-16T16:02:59Z")
When this thread was opened, people thought **Kosovo** was a part of **Serbia & Montenegro**! Bwa ha ha! ---
**Author:** ![The\_Stainless\_Steel\_Rat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_stainless_steel_rat/32/5727_2.png) [@The\_Stainless\_Steel\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Stainless_Steel_Rat)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2015, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-geography-questions/65805/59 "2015-06-16T17:15:34Z")
And five new Nations have been declared since this thread began, to confound the geographers and the unwashed masses even futher… •May 20, 2002 - East Timor (Timor-Leste) declared independence from Portugal in 1975 but did not became independent from Indonesia until 2002. •June 3, 2006 - Montenegro was part of Serbia and Montenegro (also known as Yugoslavia) but gained independence after a referendum. •June 5, 2006 - Serbia became its own entity after Montenegro split. •Febraury 17, 2008 - Kosovo unilaterally declared independence from Serbia. •July 9, 2011 - South Sudan peacefully seceded from Sudan following a January 2011 referendum. Sudan itself was the first to recognize South Sudan and did so one day early, on July 8, 2011. Source: [The World's Newest Countries Since 1990](http://geography.about.com/cs/countries/a/newcountries.htm) ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2015, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-geography-questions/65805/60 "2015-06-16T18:14:40Z")
> [@Steve\_Wright](#): > > And, when I was unemployed and living in Gateshead, I once had a bit of a … debate … with a clerk at the local benfits office, when I applied under the Travel to Interview scheme for a rail ticket to Andover. I understood her reluctance when I realised she’d mixed up Andover (in Hampshire) with Hanover (in Germany). (Not that I wouldn’t have gone for a job in Germany at the time…) Do you drop your Hs? 🙂 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-geography-questions/65805.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-geography-questions/65805.md?page=4)