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Showing results for tags 'Cartography'.
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Which three countries cross the 180th Parallel (i.e., the "antimeridian")? Exclaves (e.g., if France has some obscure island in the South Pacific) don't count - this question is about the "meat" of the countries. Mouse over for the first two: USA and Russia (the Aleutian Islands (an archipelago, but part of Alaska-proper) cross the 180th Parallel). Russia is the only country to cross it with "real" land mass (i.e., not an archipelago, which is a hint for the third country...) Those were the easy ones: There's one other country in both hemispheres - think, then mouse over... Fiji (granted, an archipelago, but everything is clustered together). If it weren't for these three countries, the 180th Parallel would extend from the North Pole to the South Pole without hitting any land. --- Firefly (DonRocks) -
You're on the Carribbean island of Barbados. All of a sudden, the entire island starts floating due North. What, specifically, will you hit first (I'm looking for the smallest named unit of land possible, and how you got there). If anyone - *anyone* - gets this question right without first doing some research, you're either Sinbad the Sailor, or you've got too much time on your hands. I'm going to open this up to guests just because it's so terribly difficult. This is not a trick question (there's no tiny, unmapped islet out in the middle of the sea that's claimed by some obscure country); it's just a very difficult question. If anyone gets this correct without first doing some research, I'll keel over and die.
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What is the largest landlocked country in the western hemisphere and the southern hemisphere? Mouse over for a hint: It's the same country. Mouse over for another hint: It's obviously in South America, you dodo. Mouse over for the answer: Bolivia (followed closely by Paraguay)
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Believe it or not, there are two communities of Markham, Virginia - Heartland Orchard is in Fauquier County, and the other is in Pittsylvania County. Fauquier County was founded in 1759, and named after Francis Fauquier, Lieutenant-Governor of Virginia Colony. Pittsylvania County was founded in 1767, and named after William Pitt, 1st Earl of Chatham.
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There's a place called Onancock, Virginia? How did this name come about? It's like naming the place Jackoff. "11 Charming Small Towns You Need to Explore on Your Next Chesapeake Bay Vacation" by Joe Sugarman on washingtonian.com
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You're lying on Miami Beach, and you're instantly transported 1,500 miles due south. Where are you? Mouse-over for the answer, which will have you crying "BS!" and send you running to a map: The Pacific Ocean.
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This is a great question that I just happened to think of, and despite my pride in knowing geography, cartography, and national capitals, I was wrong. Keep reading, and if you understand the answer, you will have learned a great deal in a very short amount of time. I was talking with the lady cutting my hair yesterday, who happened to be from one of these countries. I said, "It's landlocked, isn't it?" She said yes, somewhat impressed. This evening, I looked at a map of South America, and slam-dunked the countries in the Western Hemisphere that were landlocked. That is, until I checked my answer, which was only partially correct. Can you name the countries? This is by no means a trick question involving things such as "islands" (which wouldn't be landlocked anyway) or anything "weird" such as that. It's a straightforward question that is damnably difficult to guess. Take a moment to think, and then I'll give you a series of progressive hints, starting with this one, which you'll need to run your cursor over in order to see: Think of the gigantic oil company, BP (British Petroleum). Use the letters "B" and "P" as the first letters of the countries in South America. Okay, you have the first letters - do you have the countries? Obviously, you can rule out North America (with Canada, the United States, and Mexico), and I'll just flat-out tell you that there isn't a single country in Central America that's landlocked. So, that leaves the two in South America. If you haven't gotten them yet, I'll give you another hint here: The capitals of these countries are Sucre and Ascunsií³n. So, by this time, you've probably gotten them, although that second capital isn't all that easy, so go ahead and Google it, and then the first hint will become clear. That's it, right? And you'll remember this for the rest of your life. At least, that's what *I* thought when I made my guess, and I was so proud of myself for getting it right, even though I only got it half-right. Ponder this for a few minutes, and then look at my next clue: The "Western Hemisphere" is defined as anything west of 0-degrees longitude, i.e., the Prime Meridian, which runs through Greenwich, England. It's an entirely arbitrary, geologically meaningless point that was only established because England was such an enormous political power when all this was sorted out. Things just got a little bit tougher, but the fact that I was "half-right" is also a clue. Now, you have to *really* put your thinking caps on. Go ahead and take a moment, and then I'll give you my penultimate clue, which won't give it away, but it will put you right on top of everything: The two remaining countries are in Africa! Yeah, right? I was as shocked as you are. Think for a few minutes about where things are, and then I'll give you my final clue, which still won't give you the answer, but Google will allow you to finish: One of the countries has a capital which hosts the largest film festival in Africa, and the other has a famous, almost-mythical city which has had temperatures over 130 degrees Fahrenheit. Okay, that's it! Now, all I ask, in return for me presenting you the question and the answer, is to *always remember* what the answer is. You have just taken a giant leap in knowledge. And here's one final trick to help you remember the answer: Get a picture in your mind of a BP (British Petroleum) employee going to the bathroom (BM). BP-BM: Bolivia, Paraguay, Burkina Faso, Mali. Both of the African countries straddle the Prime Meridian, but both of their capitals lie in the Western Hemisphere, so you can decide for yourselves if you wish to include them.
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I just asked myself this question, and came up with a very logical, reasonable way to find the answer (don't worry, I'm not giving it away): "Landlocked and long," were my two alliterative criteria. I was just in Louisville, coming down from the southern tip of Indiana, and thought to myself, "Sure, why not Kentucky?" And I also knew that states east of the Mississippi River tend to be smaller (which can be both a blessing and a curse for having the most bordering states). It was really good reasoning, and it was wrong. If you'd like a hint before seeing the answer, mouse over the following line, holding your cursor down: There's a two-state tie, and both states border Kentucky. <--- This is the line with the hint. If you want the answer, just mouse over the next line, holding your cursor down (and you can click on it for more information): Tennessee and Missouri, both tied with 8. <--- This is the line with the answer. So you can see my general thought process was pretty solid, but ... as so often happens ... close, but no cigar.
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Name the U.S. state(s) that are furthest: 1) North 2) East 3) South 4) West Before you look at the answer, sit for a moment, and really try and *think* of what it is. The vast majority of people get this wrong, so think hard before you assume you're correct. If you highlight the (invisible) text that follows, you'll have the answer. Once again, I urge you to think carefully about this - I wouldn't be asking this question if it had an easy answer. No cheating! 1) North - Alaska 2) East - Alaska 3) South - Hawaii 4) West - Alaska The answer lies in the space between the previous line of text, and this one. Take your time ...
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