# Your geographical misconceptions **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [December 30, 2020, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-geographical-misconceptions/929294 "2020-12-30T20:58:33Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 22
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2021, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-geographical-misconceptions/929294/422 "2021-01-27T19:18:01Z")
> [@thorny\_locust](#): > > But if you lay it out flat as in the picture on that site, it’s massively misleading; just in a different way than more common maps are. Only if you insist that north-south axes must be displayed vertically. When you are looking at a map in which the latitudes and longitudes are not displayed as straight lines at right angles to each other, why would you? North != top and south != bottom. And that’s true in life as well as on this and many other maps. ---
**Author:** ![thorny\_locust](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thorny_locust/32/431_2.png) [@thorny\_locust](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thorny_locust)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2021, 7:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-geographical-misconceptions/929294/423 "2021-01-27T19:55:06Z")
That’s already been corrected, and the correction acknowledged. See posts #144 and #145. ---
**Author:** ![Bijou\_Drains](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bijou_drains/32/2814_2.png) [@Bijou\_Drains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bijou_Drains)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2021, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-geographical-misconceptions/929294/424 "2021-01-27T20:31:32Z")
Here in NC Lenoir is not in Lenoir county. Henderson is not in Henderson county. But Durham is in Durham county. And we have Transylvania county for Dracula fans. ---
**Author:** ![ScarletSteve](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/59ef9b/32.png) [@ScarletSteve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ScarletSteve)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2021, 2:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-geographical-misconceptions/929294/425 "2021-01-29T02:16:02Z")
> [@AlsoNamedBort](#): > > How far north San Fransisco is. I always think of it as maybe an hour from LA. Wow. I read this and thought “oh, I wonder how far it is then”, and fired up google maps. America is big! ---
**Author:** ![WildaBeast](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wildabeast/32/6_2.png) [@WildaBeast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WildaBeast)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2021, 6:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-geographical-misconceptions/929294/426 "2021-01-29T06:13:11Z")
> [@ScarletSteve](#): > > Wow. I read this and thought “oh, I wonder how far it is then”, and fired up google maps. America is big! I’ve always found it kind of ironic that I’m supposedly in “Northern” California, yet I’m still approximately a six hour drive from Oregon. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2021, 12:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-geographical-misconceptions/929294/427 "2021-01-29T12:20:52Z")
> [@ScarletSteve](#): > > Wow. I read this and thought “oh, I wonder how far it is then”, and fired up google maps. America is big! California is big too: [![](https://www.boredpanda.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/true-size-countries-mercator-map-projection-james-talmage-damon-maneice-13-5790c938142df__880.jpg) ](https://www.boredpanda.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/true-size-countries-mercator-map-projection-james-talmage-damon-maneice-13-5790c938142df__880.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2021, 1:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-geographical-misconceptions/929294/428 "2021-01-29T13:36:39Z")
> [@Bijou\_Drains](#): > > Here in NC Lenoir is not in Lenoir county. Henderson is not in Henderson county. But Durham is in Durham county. And we have Transylvania county for Dracula fans. This reminded me of one that happened a while back. Not _my_ misconception, happily, but a patron who showed up trying to find the building for her job interview. She had the address written down for the building, and at first glance, it certainly seemed she was close, but something seemed off. I used Google maps to confirm my suspicion, and sure enough: the address she had, if it were correct, would have been the middle of a parking lot nearby. I told her that I didn’t know what had gone wrong, but recommended that she call her contact and get the correct address and make clear that she was trying to get there in time for her interview. She rushed out, dialing her cell phone, and I never saw her again. She’d been gone for about 5 minutes when something clawed its way up from the back of my mind, and I pulled up Google again. Sure enough: the address she had was 100% correct for the building she was looking for, only it was the address for the department of whatever it was in Mecklenburg County, VIRGINIA, 200 miles away from the Mecklenburg County she was standing in. There are only two Mecklenburg Counties in the US, and she was in the wrong one. To this day, I don’t know if she Googled the wrong place or if she’d driven to the wrong county, but either way, even if I’d remembered to check that while she was right in front of me, she wouldn’t have gotten there in time for her appointment. ---
**Author:** ![Folacin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/folacin/32/3195_2.png) [@Folacin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Folacin)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2021, 2:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-geographical-misconceptions/929294/429 "2021-01-29T14:30:21Z")
> [@KneadToKnow](#): > > even if I’d remembered to check that while she was right in front of me, she wouldn’t have gotten there in time for her appointment. How do you know she wasn’t Nora West-Allen, AKA XS? Huh? Then she had plenty of time! ---
**Author:** ![Knowed\_Out](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/knowed_out/32/7380_2.png) [@Knowed\_Out](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Knowed_Out)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2021, 2:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-geographical-misconceptions/929294/430 "2021-01-29T14:48:54Z")
There have been several mentions about the size of Texas in this thread. A friend of mine originally from Alaska told me they’ve had their share of Texan blowhards throwing their weight around. Alaskans would tell them “Watch your mouth or we’re going to split in two and make you the _third_ largest state in the union!” ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2021, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-geographical-misconceptions/929294/431 "2021-01-29T14:53:22Z")
> [@Folacin](#): > > How do you know she wasn’t Nora West-Allen, AKA XS? Huh? Then she had plenty of time! Well, you’ve got me there. But in that case, I’ll blame Barry Allen for mucking up the timeline and causing me to forget. ---
**Author:** ![Knowed\_Out](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/knowed_out/32/7380_2.png) [@Knowed\_Out](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Knowed_Out)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2021, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-geographical-misconceptions/929294/432 "2021-01-29T15:57:52Z")
> [@mtnmatt](#): > > It was several years of visits before I realized that the inner and outer beltways were THE beltway, just opposite sides of the same road, going “clockwise” and “counterclockwise” Actually, it’s called the Beltline. The Beltway is in DC. The south part is I-40, and all the other sides are 440. Now we have 540, called the Outer Loop. I bet plenty of people have confused it with the Outer Beltline. ---
**Author:** ![Jasmine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jasmine/32/2964_2.png) [@Jasmine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jasmine)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2021, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-geographical-misconceptions/929294/433 "2021-01-29T16:29:53Z")
Madagascar! That’s surprising because it is a big-assed island, and it’s pretty much the only thing off the east coast of Africa. Thing is, for some reason I keep shifting it over to the west coast in my mind. Maybe they should move it? ---
**Author:** ![peccavi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peccavi/32/388_2.png) [@peccavi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/peccavi)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2021, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-geographical-misconceptions/929294/434 "2021-01-29T17:20:26Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > California is big too: One of the biggest culture shocks I got was when I got to college and students from the East Coast talked about taking a day trip to another state! Growing up in the Bay Area, driving anywhere out of state and back is a multi-day affair. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2021, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-geographical-misconceptions/929294/435 "2021-01-29T18:47:38Z")
This has been pointed out to me before, but I still can’t get my mind around the idea that the distance between Sydney and Melbourne, Australia, is comparable to the distance between New York and Cleveland. They look so close togother on the map! Also that New Zealand and Australia are as far apart as New York and Oklahoma City. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2021, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-geographical-misconceptions/929294/436 "2021-01-29T19:52:12Z")
> [@Jasmine](#): > > Thing is, for some reason I keep shifting it over to the west coast in my mind. Maybe they should move it? But Madagascar just naturally wants to sit under the big bulge in the northwest of mainland Africa. If it were down there then the whole continent+island would be much more balanced. > [@peccavi](#): > > One of the biggest culture shocks I got was when I got to college and students from the East Coast talked about taking a day trip to another state! Growing up in the Bay Area, driving anywhere out of state and back is a multi-day affair. LA for me, but same story. You _could_ drive to the state line and back in one day, but not with much time left for doing anything. We could day-trip to Tijuana if you got up early and came home late. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2021, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-geographical-misconceptions/929294/437 "2021-01-29T20:06:43Z")
I was detailed to Oakland, right across the bay. Some folks flew in from Oklahoma. They wanted to drive over after work to see the Golden gate bridge, etc. Great. Can do. Then they wanted to drive down to Disneyland. I had to tell them that it was about a 8 hour drive. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2021, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-geographical-misconceptions/929294/438 "2021-01-29T20:12:39Z")
But a _much_ longer drive. 😝 ---
**Author:** ![WildaBeast](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wildabeast/32/6_2.png) [@WildaBeast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WildaBeast)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2021, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-geographical-misconceptions/929294/439 "2021-01-29T20:19:17Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > LA for me, but same story. You _could_ drive to the state line and back in one day, but not with much time left for doing anything. We could day-trip to Tijuana if you got up early and came home late. A few years ago when my parents came to visit for Christmas, my Dad wanted to visit his friend in the Monterey area, and maybe do a few touristy things while we were there. He knew it was too far to drive there and back in one day, so he said he’d take care of booking a hotel for us. He booked just one night. I had to tell him even then, we’d basically have enough time to drive there, have dinner with his friend, spend the night at the hotel, and turn around and drive back to my place the next day (particularly since I wanted to take then on the scenic route down Highway 1 and make some stops on the way). I guess there would have been time for a couple hours of sightseeing the next morning before heading back, but not time to see a whole lot. He changed the hotel reservation to two nights. ---
**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:** [January 29, 2021, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-geographical-misconceptions/929294/440 "2021-01-29T20:21:20Z")
> [@Jasmine](#): > > Madagascar! That’s surprising because it is a big-assed island, and it’s pretty much the only thing off the east coast of Africa. Thing is, for some reason I keep shifting it over to the west coast in my mind. Maybe they should move it? My understanding is they’d like to move it move it. ---
**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:** [January 29, 2021, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-geographical-misconceptions/929294/441 "2021-01-29T20:35:22Z")
> [@Ulfreida](#): > > An hour from L.A. is just more L.A. Ha!!! [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-geographical-misconceptions/929294.md?page=21) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-geographical-misconceptions/929294.md?page=23)