# Weird shaped nations and states. **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [January 6, 2006, 2:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-shaped-nations-and-states/338737 "2006-01-06T14:51:16Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2006, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-shaped-nations-and-states/338737/21 "2006-01-06T16:52:22Z")
Oh, yeah, the “jog” in the Massachusetts-Connecticut border is, according to legend, to keep Mass. from sliding into the Atlantic Ocean. [The real story](http://www.cslib.org/jog.htm) is just too dull. ---
**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 6, 2006, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-shaped-nations-and-states/338737/22 "2006-01-06T17:10:00Z")
> [@zev\_steinhardt](#): > > A similar situation occurs in New York City. The border between Kings County (Brooklyn) and New York County (Manhattan) runs along the Brooklyn shore. However, there are several piers that jut out from the shore. Those piers are, technically, in New York County, not Kings County, since the boundary between the counties is the edge of the river. Also, a small chunk of the Borough of Manhattan (Marble Hill) is actually on the mainland, attached to the Bronx, where a side channel of the Harlem River was filled in around a former island. ---
**Author:** ![ShibbOleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/848f3c/32.png) [@ShibbOleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShibbOleth)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2006, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-shaped-nations-and-states/338737/23 "2006-01-06T17:11:12Z")
> [@chinaglenn](#): > > ASIA. > > Burma. Myanmar. The southern leg of the nation that borders the Andaman Sea. Almost cuts Thailand in two. Has this territoy been a contention of these two nations in recent times? > [http://www.odci.gov/cia/publications...k/geos/wa.html](http://www.odci.gov/cia/publications...k/geos/wa.html) Burma and Thailand have fought each other for centuries if not longer. Bangkok is the capitol of Thailand mainly because Ayutthya and Sukothai were sacked so often. They still don’t get along too well and IIRC still have border skirmishes in the northern mountain areas of Thailand where a lot of ethnic tribes (the Karen and related tribes) dwell and the opium trade thrives. Did you mention Maryland or did I miss it? ---
**Author:** ![Bippy\_the\_Beardless](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ac8455/32.png) [@Bippy\_the\_Beardless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bippy_the_Beardless)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2006, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-shaped-nations-and-states/338737/24 "2006-01-06T17:13:43Z")
USA is dissjoint within the same contiguous land mass. ie you can travel from Alaska to the rest of mainland USA br land, but not without going through another country. I can’t think offhand of any other country with such a break in its shape. ---
**Author:** ![GorillaMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/50afbb/32.png) [@GorillaMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GorillaMan)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2006, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-shaped-nations-and-states/338737/25 "2006-01-06T17:13:59Z")
I live [here](http://www.uk-genealogy.org.uk/images/maps/Suffolk.jpg) - there’s a peculair jigsaw-notch piece of the west of the county, which takes in the town of Newmarket. I’ve never found out why this border occurred. ---
**Author:** ![GorillaMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/50afbb/32.png) [@GorillaMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GorillaMan)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2006, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-shaped-nations-and-states/338737/26 "2006-01-06T17:15:54Z")
> [@Bippy the Beardless](#): > > USA is dissjoint within the same contiguous land mass. ie you can travel from Alaska to the rest of mainland USA br land, but not without going through another country. I can’t think offhand of any other country with such a break in its shape. Russia: [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kaliningrad](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kaliningrad) ---
**Author:** ![Giles](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/giles/32/60_2.png) [@Giles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Giles)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2006, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-shaped-nations-and-states/338737/27 "2006-01-06T17:23:29Z")
> [@Bippy the Beardless](#): > > USA is dissjoint within the same contiguous land mass. ie you can travel from Alaska to the rest of mainland USA br land, but not without going through another country. I can’t think offhand of any other country with such a break in its shape. The US has two other disjoint parts, where you can only travel to the rest of the US by land by travelling through Canada: Point Roberts in Washington State, and the Northwest Angle of Minnesota (already mentioned). ---
**Author:** ![Captain\_Amazing](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6de8d8/32.png) [@Captain\_Amazing](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Amazing)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2006, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-shaped-nations-and-states/338737/28 "2006-01-06T17:23:29Z")
> [@zev\_steinhardt](#): > > You could also ask, of course, why the bottom of the Delmarva Peninusula is part of Virginia when it clearly should be part of Maryland. (Of course, if it were, it would be called the Delmar Peninusula). Because that area was settled by Virginia before Maryland became a colony. ---
**Author:** ![sciurophobic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/cab0a1/32.png) [@sciurophobic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sciurophobic)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2006, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-shaped-nations-and-states/338737/29 "2006-01-06T17:28:14Z")
Similar to the Northwest Angle is Point Roberts, WA. It’s part of the U.S. because it’s below the 49th parallel, but it’s reachable by land only through Canada. ---
**Author:** ![GorillaMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/50afbb/32.png) [@GorillaMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GorillaMan)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2006, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-shaped-nations-and-states/338737/30 "2006-01-06T17:32:42Z")
Brunei is also non-conguous within one land mass: [http://www.brudirect.com/BruneiInfo/info/brudirect\_\_location3.htm](http://www.brudirect.com/BruneiInfo/info/brudirect__location3.htm) ---
**Author:** ![GorillaMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/50afbb/32.png) [@GorillaMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GorillaMan)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2006, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-shaped-nations-and-states/338737/31 "2006-01-06T17:33:43Z")
\*non-contiguous ---
**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:** [January 6, 2006, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-shaped-nations-and-states/338737/32 "2006-01-06T17:35:33Z")
> [@Bippy the Beardless](#): > > USA is dissjoint within the same contiguous land mass. ie you can travel from Alaska to the rest of mainland USA br land, but not without going through another country. I can’t think offhand of any other country with such a break in its shape. There are many, categorized as [enclaves](http://tinyurl.com/cplpx). [Fishers Island, NY](http://tinyurl.com/cmug3) looks like it should be part of Connecticut. You cannot reach it by car without going through CT, and it’s considrably closer to New London than anywhere in NY. It was granted to NY in the late 1800s, and there’s a small movement right now to join CT. ---
**Author:** ![Meurglys](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/258eb7/32.png) [@Meurglys](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Meurglys)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2006, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-shaped-nations-and-states/338737/33 "2006-01-06T17:36:52Z")
Also [Angola](http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/ao.html) and it’s slightly detached Cabinda province… ---
**Author:** ![GorillaMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/50afbb/32.png) [@GorillaMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GorillaMan)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2006, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-shaped-nations-and-states/338737/34 "2006-01-06T17:47:12Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#): > > There are many, categorized as [enclaves](http://tinyurl.com/cplpx). > > [Fishers Island, NY](http://tinyurl.com/cmug3) looks like it should be part of Connecticut. You cannot reach it by car without going through CT, and it’s considrably closer to New London than anywhere in NY. It was granted to NY in the late 1800s, and there’s a small movement right now to join CT. Your own link excludes the American examples from being considered true enclaves! ---
**Author:** ![HubZilla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/ccd318/32.png) [@HubZilla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HubZilla)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2006, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-shaped-nations-and-states/338737/35 "2006-01-06T17:53:14Z")
> [@Giles](#): > > The US has two other disjoint parts, where you can only travel to the rest of the US by land by travelling through Canada: Point Roberts in Washington State, and the Northwest Angle of Minnesota (already mentioned). Oh, I can think of one more 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Bippy\_the\_Beardless](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ac8455/32.png) [@Bippy\_the\_Beardless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bippy_the_Beardless)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2006, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-shaped-nations-and-states/338737/36 "2006-01-06T17:53:23Z")
Thanks [exclaves](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Exclave) is my new word for the day. > [@wiki](#): > > ``` > * Angola: Cabinda, located between Democratic Republic of Congo (former Zaire) and the Republic of Congo > * Azerbaijan: Nakhichevan > * Brunei: Temburong is a unconnected to the larger western part of the country; thus, it is an exclave of Brunei > * Croatia: Dubrovnik > * East Timor: Oecussi-Ambeno > * Northern Cyprus: Kokkina. > * Oman: Musandam > * Russia: Kaliningrad > * Spain: The cities of Ceuta and Melilla, on the north African Moroccan coast > * United States: Alaska (Hawaii is not counted because it is made up of islands) > > ``` ---
**Author:** ![elmwood](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmwood/32/3060_2.png) [@elmwood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elmwood)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2006, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-shaped-nations-and-states/338737/37 "2006-01-06T17:55:52Z")
The [Izu Islands](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Izu_Islands) and [Ogasawara Islands](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ogasawara_Islands), stretching out over a distance of 1,850 kilometers south of Tokyo in the Pacific Ocean, are actually considered part of Tokyo metropolis, and governed by Tokyo Metropolitan Government ---
**Author:** ![Giles](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/giles/32/60_2.png) [@Giles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Giles)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2006, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-shaped-nations-and-states/338737/38 "2006-01-06T18:01:55Z")
> [@HubZilla](#): > > Oh, I can think of one more 😉 If you’re thinking of Hawaii, can you explain how you can travel from Hawaii to the lower 48 by land through Canada? And if Hawaii, why not other parts of the US which are islands? (e.g., the Channel Islands of California) ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2006, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-shaped-nations-and-states/338737/39 "2006-01-06T18:08:00Z")
One not mentioned so far: Afghanistan’s [Wakhan Corridor](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wakhan_Corridor), across the northern end of Pakistan to connect with China, was created by the British in the 19th century as a buffer against Russian adventurism into India. ---
**Author:** ![St.Urho](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8e7dd6/32.png) [@St.Urho](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/St.Urho)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2006, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-shaped-nations-and-states/338737/40 "2006-01-06T18:47:40Z")
> [@chinaglenn](#): > > Michigan Upper Peninsula. Why is this part of the state of Michigan when it is clearly part of Wisconsin? Of course, this could blow up into a conversation of why Wisconsin is not part of another state or blah, blah, blah, but I think the UP belongs to the wrong state. Here’s a recent [thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=347256) on the subject. St. Urho Yooper, eh [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-shaped-nations-and-states/338737.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-shaped-nations-and-states/338737.md?page=3)