# 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:** 54
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2026, 1:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-geographical-misconceptions/929294/1064 "2026-10-12T13:47:46Z")
> [@Askance](#): > > I understated the situation, there was no Mount Ararat in biblical times. Apparently it received that name around the Middle Ages due to Christian tradition linking it to the biblical region. And it probably got that name because it’s the highest mountain in the region. No doubt people were thinking that the ark must have landed on the highest mountain, even though the ark, as described in the Bible, does not have any mode of propulsion. It’s just a big floating box, so it’s not like Noah could have sailed around to find that highest mountain. ---
**Author:** ![Filbert](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/filbert/32/3433_2.png) [@Filbert](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Filbert)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2026, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-geographical-misconceptions/929294/1065 "2026-10-12T19:52:30Z")
Maybe they got all the ducks to paddle in the right direction? ---
**Author:** ![Railer13](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/railer13/32/9742_2.png) [@Railer13](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Railer13)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2026, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-geographical-misconceptions/929294/1066 "2026-10-12T19:58:31Z")
> [@Filbert](#): > > they got all the ducks to paddle in the right direction? So then they were in a row? ---
**Author:** ![Askance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/askance/32/8281_2.png) [@Askance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Askance)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2026, 10:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-geographical-misconceptions/929294/1067 "2026-10-12T22:42:48Z")
That would have lead to a quack-up , unless they were sure to beak airful. ---
**Author:** ![Paul\_was\_in\_Saudi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/b77776/32.png) [@Paul\_was\_in\_Saudi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paul_was_in_Saudi)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2026, 10:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-geographical-misconceptions/929294/1068 "2026-10-12T22:59:34Z")
The geography of Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines confuses me. I often reverse the positions of Cornwall and Wales. ---
**Author:** ![SCAdian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scadian/32/3292_2.png) [@SCAdian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SCAdian)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2026, 1:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-geographical-misconceptions/929294/1069 "2026-10-13T01:25:01Z")
> [@dtilque](#): > > Peñón de Vélez de la Gomera First time I’ve ever heard of that one, though I’ve known about Ceuta and Melilla at least since I was a teenager. ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2026, 1:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-geographical-misconceptions/929294/1070 "2026-10-13T01:35:53Z")
There are other Spanish possessions along the Moroccan coast, but they’re islands > **[Plazas de soberanía](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plazas_de_soberan%C3%ADa)** > > The plazas de soberanía (.mw-parser-output .IPA-label-small{font-size:85%}.mw-parser-output .references .IPA-label-small,.mw-parser-output .infobox .IPA-label-small,.mw-parser-output .navbox .IPA-label-small{font-size:100%}Spanish pronunciation: \[ˈplaθas ðe soβeɾaˈni.a\]), meaning "strongholds of sovereignty", are a series of Spanish territories scattered along the Mediterranean coast bordering Morocco, closer to Africa than to Europe. This term is used for those territories that have been a pa ---
**Author:** ![Wallaby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/dc4da7/32.png) [@Wallaby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wallaby)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2026, 6:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-geographical-misconceptions/929294/1071 "2026-10-15T06:35:47Z")
One that we which we were all taught in school Down Under, that is wrong. The tallest mountain in Australia is _ **not** _ Mt Kosciuszko. Australia owns a couple of tiny Antarctic Islands - one of which, Heard Island, is basically a giant, volcano. The topmost point is called Mawson Peak named after our most famous Antarctic explorer and is … umm, err … about 9,000 ft high (it’s still an active, growing volcano). (You could get technical and argue about the Australian Antarctic Territory (where there are a few even higher peaks), but that’s not _ **really** _ a part of the actual country - we just look after that bit (mow the lawns, put the bins out, etc). ---
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2026, 1:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-geographical-misconceptions/929294/1072 "2026-10-15T13:14:02Z")
… shovel the sidewalk… 😁 ---
**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:** [October 15, 2026, 1:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-geographical-misconceptions/929294/1073 "2026-10-15T13:29:03Z")
Depends on whether you interpret “in Australia” as referring to the country or to the continent. ---
**Author:** ![eschereal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschereal/32/18939_2.png) [@eschereal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschereal)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2026, 2:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-geographical-misconceptions/929294/1074 "2026-10-15T14:13:21Z")
On the continental basis, the highest point in Australia would be Puncak Jaya in New Guinea, at over 16,000’. It does seem to be right on the edge of the plate – probably a collision uplift like the Himalayas – which may make one ask which continent/subcontinent the Himalayas are actually on. ---
**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:** [October 15, 2026, 3:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-geographical-misconceptions/929294/1075 "2026-10-15T15:00:19Z")
And then you get the question of whether “continent” means the landmass, or the continental plate. To get from Kosciuszko to any higher mountain, you need to cross ocean water. That seems like it should be some sort of recognized category. ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2026, 3:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-geographical-misconceptions/929294/1076 "2026-10-15T15:11:08Z")
I just learned the other day that Upper Sandusky, Ohio is 50 miles south of Sandusky, Ohio. Now, being that Sandusky just into Lake Erie, one might think that of course there’s no Sandusky north of it, but…I never bothered to look. The “Upper” in Upper Sandusky refers to being at the headwaters of the Sandusky river, which flows north to Lake Erie, at the northern Sandusky. Also, Sandusky the city is not in Sandusky County. ---
**Author:** ![Lumpy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lumpy/32/446_2.png) [@Lumpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lumpy)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2026, 3:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-geographical-misconceptions/929294/1077 "2026-10-15T15:13:00Z")
Because Europe and the United States have roughly comparable climates, it’s surprising to note just how much further south the United States is compared to Europe, for some reason the western side of the Atlantic being much cooler than the eastern side: - Alaska is at the same latitude range as Scandinavia - Britain is at the same latitude as Labrador - The northernmost tier of USA states are at the latitude of central France - The southernmost parts of Europe– southern Spain, Sicily and Greece– are at the latitude of North Carolina - The southernmost parts of the USA, Florida and southern Texas, are at the latitude of Egypt and the Persian Gulf. ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2026, 3:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-geographical-misconceptions/929294/1078 "2026-10-15T15:13:23Z")
Those two (Puncak Jaya/Carstensz Pyramid and Kosciusko) are both options for admission to the [Seven Summits Club](https://sevensummitsregistry.com/carstensz-or-kosciuszko/). So the controversy goes to the highest level. ---
**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:** [October 15, 2026, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-geographical-misconceptions/929294/1079 "2026-10-15T15:16:58Z")
The comparison I usually make is that Cork, at the southern tip of Ireland, is at the same latitude as Saskatoon. And palm trees grow in Ireland! Meanwhile, Americans also tend to think of Australia as at the “opposite side of the world”, but Australia is much closer to the equator than the US. The southernmost parts of Australia are about the same (absolute value) latitude as Washington, DC. ---
**Author:** ![Filbert](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/filbert/32/3433_2.png) [@Filbert](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Filbert)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2026, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-geographical-misconceptions/929294/1080 "2026-10-15T15:53:23Z")
For a British one that tends to throw people, the island of Great Britain is much more tilted than it’s generally perceived; Edinburgh, in the East of Scotland, is almost due North of Cardiff in Wales, on the West coast. The Greenwich meridian- which you’d assume would be picked as relatively central- just passes through a few Eastern English counties and doesn’t touch Scotland at all. ---
**Author:** ![Crafter\_Man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crafter_man/32/458_2.png) [@Crafter\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crafter_Man)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2026, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-geographical-misconceptions/929294/1081 "2026-10-15T15:57:06Z")
> [@ZipperJJ](#): > > I just learned the other day that Upper Sandusky, Ohio is 50 miles south of Sandusky, Ohio. Catawba, Ohio is 115 miles SSW of Catawba Island. And Catawba Island isn’t even an island. I also just learned you can measure straight line distances (i.e. “how the crow flies”) in Google Maps. ---
**Author:** ![MrAtoz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@MrAtoz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrAtoz)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2026, 4:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-geographical-misconceptions/929294/1082 "2026-10-15T16:05:33Z")
> [@Filbert](#): > > For a British one that tends to throw people, the island of Great Britain is much more tilted than it’s generally perceived; Edinburgh, in the East of Scotland, is almost due North of Cardiff in Wales, on the West coast. One that I saw recently on YouTube: Many people (at least many American people; I don’t know about the British) tend to think of France as being to the west of Great Britain. Maybe because the Chunnel runs mostly east-to-west, as does the ferry between Dover and Calais. Actually, as a look at a map will show, France is mostly _south_ of Great Britain. ---
**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:** [October 15, 2026, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-geographical-misconceptions/929294/1083 "2026-10-15T16:12:08Z")
> [@Filbert](#): > > The Greenwich meridian- which you’d assume would be picked as relatively central- just passes through a few Eastern English counties and doesn’t touch Scotland at all. Which also means that most of Great Britain and all of Ireland is, by some definitions, in the Western Hemisphere. As well as much of France, most of Spain, and all of Portugal. > [@MrAtoz](#): > > One that I saw recently on YouTube: Many people (at least many American people; I don’t know about the British) tend to think of France as being to the west of Great Britain. I’ve never encountered that notion, and it seems bizarre to me. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-geographical-misconceptions/929294.md?page=53) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-geographical-misconceptions/929294.md?page=55)