# 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:** 29
**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:** [February 10, 2021, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-geographical-misconceptions/929294/562 "2021-02-10T16:21:22Z")
> [@Terminus\_Est](#): > > The original name for the state was to be Columbia, but this was rejected as being too similar to the District of Columbia. It should be “Central Oregon”–British Columbia having been formed from the northern part of the Oregon Territory. ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2021, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-geographical-misconceptions/929294/563 "2021-02-10T16:24:08Z")
> [@Die\_Capacitrix](#): > > The first time I learned Rome and New York are at the same latitude really confused me. It’s still weird. [Link](https://vividmaps.com/comparing-latitude-of-europe-and-america/) to latitude comparison. Yeah, the US is very much further south than most of Europe- Houston, for example is a few degrees south of Cairo, and Dallas is a couple of degrees north of Tripoli. New York and Rome are roughly the same latitude, and London is within a couple of degrees of Edmonton. ---
**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:** [February 10, 2021, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-geographical-misconceptions/929294/564 "2021-02-10T16:27:42Z")
> [@Thudlow\_Boink](#): > > Or am I thinking of some other country? The precipitation in Portugal pelts primarily on the plateau ---
**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:** [February 10, 2021, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-geographical-misconceptions/929294/565 "2021-02-10T17:09:50Z")
Something I didn’t realize till I visited there, but the Highlands of Scotland are actually in the Arctic Circle. The bombastic tour guide explained that the constant cross-winds from the North Sea and the Atlantic kept the weather windy and chilly, so it’s best to fortify yourself with food and drink that make you fat and better insulated. The Scots seemed to have a sense of irony about avoiding death one way by embracing another. ---
**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:** [February 10, 2021, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-geographical-misconceptions/929294/566 "2021-02-10T17:10:55Z")
> [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](#): > > The precipitation in Portugal pelts primarily on the plateau Bravo good Sir!! ---
**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:** [February 10, 2021, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-geographical-misconceptions/929294/567 "2021-02-10T17:23:48Z")
> [@Knowed\_Out](#): > > the Highlands of Scotland are actually in the Arctic Circle. I think they were having you on, the arctic circle is approximately 66°30′ N latitude, the northernmost bit of Scotland is below 61° N ---
**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:** [February 10, 2021, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-geographical-misconceptions/929294/568 "2021-02-10T17:24:42Z")
🕶 ---
**Author:** ![Dead\_Cat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9fc29f/32.png) [@Dead\_Cat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dead_Cat)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2021, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-geographical-misconceptions/929294/569 "2021-02-10T18:20:07Z")
Agreed - and that “northernmost bit” is the Shetland Islands, which are some 300 miles north of the northernmost Scottish highlands. ---
**Author:** ![zimaane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/a3d4f5/32.png) [@zimaane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zimaane)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2021, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-geographical-misconceptions/929294/570 "2021-02-10T18:32:07Z")
I have always tended to think that all of mainland Europe (except Scandanavia) was south and east of the United Kingdom; so I surprised to learn that Berlin is actually north of London. Also I tend to think of the west coast of the U.S. as a straight north south line, but around southern California it’s actually north-west to south-east and in places runs east to west. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2021, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-geographical-misconceptions/929294/571 "2021-02-10T18:38:56Z")
> [@zimaane](#): > > I have always tended to think that all of mainland Europe (except Scandanavia) was south and east of the United Kingdom; so I surprised to learn that Berlin is actually north of London. I almost had that misconception too, if asked I would have thought Berlin _slightly_ south rather than slightly north of London. I blame wargames that tilt mainland Europe in order to fit the continent neatly onto as little board area as possible. ---
**Author:** ![bob\_2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bob_2/32/3341_2.png) [@bob\_2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bob_2)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2021, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-geographical-misconceptions/929294/572 "2021-02-10T22:21:17Z")
They frequently see the Northern Lights though. ---
**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:** [February 11, 2021, 3:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-geographical-misconceptions/929294/573 "2021-02-11T03:04:46Z")
> [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](#): > > The precipitation in Portugal pelts primarily on the plateau Golf clap ---
**Author:** ![jtur88](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e9c0ed/32.png) [@jtur88](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jtur88)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2021, 4:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-geographical-misconceptions/929294/574 "2021-02-11T04:06:49Z")
I don’t know if this is a misconception or not. The only political division in the world that are partly on a continental mainland but most residents live on islands are Denmark, Newfoundland and Monroe County Florida. Can somebody disabuse me of that? ---
**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:** [February 11, 2021, 4:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-geographical-misconceptions/929294/575 "2021-02-11T04:21:18Z")
> [@jtur88](#): > > Can somebody disabuse me of that? New York City. (The Bronx is on the mainland, the rest of the city on islands.) ---
**Author:** ![jtur88](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e9c0ed/32.png) [@jtur88](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jtur88)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2021, 9:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-geographical-misconceptions/929294/576 "2021-02-11T09:03:46Z")
The courts have ruled that Long Island is not an island. And since there is fresh water between them, all the boroughs are part of the continental land-mass. But your point is valid and it is a reasonable argument. ---
**Author:** ![jtur88](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e9c0ed/32.png) [@jtur88](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jtur88)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2021, 9:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-geographical-misconceptions/929294/577 "2021-02-11T09:58:57Z")
20 minutes after posting this, I’m now in “read only” mode . Whats up? ---
**Author:** ![gkster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gkster/32/14107_2.png) [@gkster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gkster)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2021, 10:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-geographical-misconceptions/929294/578 "2021-02-11T10:36:52Z")
> [@jtur88](#): > > The courts have ruled that Long Island is not an island. And since there is fresh water between them, all the boroughs are part of the continental land-mass. I do’t know that the fresh water was part of the Supreme Court’s argument, see wikipedia below. In any case, the water between Long Island and the Bronx isn’t fresh, it’s saltwater. I’ve been swimming in it. “In 1985, the [United States Supreme Court](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Supreme_Court) ruled in _[United States v. Maine](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_v._Maine)_ that Long Island is legally not an island, because New York State’s boundaries contained its offshore soil and [seabeds](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seabed).[[40]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Long_Island#cite_note-40)[[41]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Long_Island#cite_note-41)[[42]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Long_Island#cite_note-42) Despite the legal decision the [United States Board on Geographic Names](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Board_on_Geographic_Names) still considers Long Island an island, because it is surrounded by water.[[43]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Long_Island#cite_note-piniat20160220-43)” ---
**Author:** ![doreen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/858c86/32.png) [@doreen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/doreen)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2021, 11:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-geographical-misconceptions/929294/579 "2021-02-11T11:59:45Z")
Here’s a quote from that Supreme Court case : > Here, Long Island presents the exceptional case of an island that should be treated as an extension of the mainland. An “island that should be treated as an extension of the mainland” is still an island. ---
**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:** [February 11, 2021, 12:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-geographical-misconceptions/929294/580 "2021-02-11T12:52:14Z")
> [@jtur88](#): > > The courts have ruled that Long Island is not an island. And since there is fresh water between them, all the boroughs are part of the continental land-mass. The geographical definition of an island is a body of land completely surrounded by water (and smaller than a continent). It doesn’t matter at all whether the water is salt or fresh. There are plenty of islands in freshwater lakes. In any case, as mentioned the Harlem and East “Rivers” are salt water tidal straits, not true freshwater rivers. The technical legal argument doesn’t make Long Island actually part of the mainland. ---
**Author:** ![Mark\_Finn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/34f0e0/32.png) [@Mark\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mark_Finn)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2021, 12:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-geographical-misconceptions/929294/581 "2021-02-11T12:55:51Z")
“I don’t know if this is a misconception or not. The only political division in the world that are partly on a continental mainland but most residents live on islands are Denmark, Newfoundland and Monroe County Florida. Can somebody disabuse me of that?” Hong Kong? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-geographical-misconceptions/929294.md?page=28) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-geographical-misconceptions/929294.md?page=30)