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Location: Cleveland bound with MPLS in the rear-view
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Quote:
Originally Posted by steel03
I know there are a couple places in the US that can only be reached from Canada, like the Northwest Angle in Minnesota and Point Roberts in Washington.
Liechtenstein is only accessible from Switzerland, even though its border with Austria is much larger (because of impassible mountains).
If you take a map of the US and flip it upside-down, it's amazing how far east Minnesota, Iowa, Missouri, Arkansas, and Louisiana look, and it becomes so obvious that the geographic center of the country is much further west (http://fc03.deviantart.net/fs12/i/20...by_socom58.jpg).
And just for fun, Carowinds, the major amusement park that serves Charlotte, NC, lies on the NC-SC border, and there are several rides that go back and forth (http://0.tqn.com/d/themeparks/1/0/Q/...h-Carolina.jpg)
I know! And also how your perspective of relatively density and isolation completely changes (another C-D poster did this and I was astounded!).
What are some geographic facts that you find odd, unexpected, or just plain interesting? Here are some of mine:
1. Cairo, IL is closer to Birmingham, AL than it is to Chicago, and equidistant from Little Rock, AR as it is from Indianapolis.
2. Amarillo, TX is closer to Denver than it is to Austin, and closer to Cheyenne, WY than it is to Houston.
3. El Paso, TX is closer to San Diego than it is to Houston.
4. Across the southern United States, everything from Pecos, TX to Dothan, AL is located in the Central Time Zone.
5. Though South Carolina barely has any mountains, its highest point is higher than the highest point in Pennsylvania.
6. From its westernmost point to its easternmost point, North Carolina is over 500 miles long.
7. The Las Vegas metropolitan area is only served by one Interstate, not counting local spur routes. The Austin metropolitan area is only served by one Interstate, period.
8. New York and Philadelphia have no direct Interstate connection (yet).
9. The distance between the summit of Mt. Whitney, the highest point in the contiguous United States, and Badwater Basin in Death Valley, the lowest point in North America, is only 86 miles.
10. The northern border of Missouri is located at roughly the same latitude as Pittsburgh, while the southern border of the Missouri bootheel is located at roughly the same latitude as Raleigh, NC.
What are some geographic oddities that you can think of? List them here.
Cairo is also 30 miles farther south than Richmond, VA
You can travel from Benton, MO to Northeastern Louisiana and never go up or down a natural hill.
Both the highest and lowest points in the state of Missouri are in Southeast Missouri.
Both Missouri & Tennessee border 8 states including each other.
Kentucky is only one state away from Canada.
The capitol of Missouri (Jefferson City) is not served by an interstate.
Reelfoot lake (Near Tiptonville, TN) is one of the only naturally created lakes in the South. It was created by an earthquake (New Madrid earthquake of 1812).
Dalhart Texas is closer to Fort Yates North Dakota than it is to Brownsville Texas. El Paso Texas is closer to San Diego CA than it is to Houston. Texarkana is closer to Chicago than El Paso. Also El Paso is further west than is Denver Colorado, by about 50 miles.
And the southern tip of Cairo Illinois, at the confluence of the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers, is slightly further south than is the northern border of New Mexico.
Missouri and Kentucky are the only two states that border one another that are not directly reachable to the other state by road.
Dalhart Texas is closer to Fort Yates North Dakota than it is to Brownsville Texas. El Paso Texas is closer to San Diego CA than it is to Houston. Texarkana is closer to Chicago than El Paso. Also El Paso is further west than is Denver Colorado, by about 50 miles.
And the southern tip of Cairo Illinois, at the confluence of the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers, is slightly further south than is the northern border of New Mexico.
Missouri and Kentucky are the only two states that border one another that are not directly reachable to the other state by road.
I had to check a map and it looks like your right about Cairo being so far south. Its actually pretty surpising.
In addition to Missouri and Kentucky, New York borders Rhode Island and cannot be reached by road. Though, you can take your bike on a ferry from Montauk, Long Island to Block Island or Newport, Rhode Island.
Syracuse is closer to Ottawa than it is to NYC or Washington DC. Toronto and Montreal are roughly as close to it as Philadelphia and Boston are, as all four are about 4 hours away.
There are around 1700 islands in the 1000 Islands region of Ontario/NY.
Derby Line VT and Rock Island PQ are essentially one town, including an opera house where the stage is in Canada and the audience is in the US. A library that shares the same building has an international boundary as well.
Location: The western periphery of Terra Australis
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1. I also think of Cairo, how far south it is. It's about 150 miles from Memphis! And it's in the same state as Chicago. Illinois seems further north than it is because it's so Chicago-centric.
2. The census classes WV as the 'South'. East Liverpool, far northern WV, is the same latitude as Manhattan!
3. Ohio and PA are the only thing separating Dixie from Canada.
4. Just how far west El Paso is, it's firmly in the Southwest. It's the same distance to LA as Houston.
5. That Oklahoma has a border with Colorado - most forgotten border in the US?
6. That NYC, biggest city in the US, is mostly on islands.
7. Crescent City, CA is almost the latitude of Boston. You think of California as warm, sunny and southern and Boston as cold and northern, but yep, they're the same latitude! Kind of like NYC and Naples.
8. That Virginia actually goes further west than West Virginia.
9. Florida is as wide as it is long (thanks to the Panhandle).
10. Just the shape of Maryland - it looks like it's cut into two pieces. Also how the 'Delmarva' Peninsula is covered by two states.
11. How the bigger Kansas City is in Missouri, not Kansas.
You can walk (on dry ground) from New Jersey to Delaware (Map Finn's Point, New Castle, DE)
Huntingdon, Quebec is closer to the Gulf of Mexico, than to the northern tip of Quebec.
Northern California is further north than the Point Pelee, Canada.
Bosten is further west than the Pacific port of Iquique, Chile.
Seattle is closer to Finland than to England (think polar route).
New Orleans, Cairo Egypt and Lhasa Tibet are roughly the same distance from the equator.
Natal, Brazil, is closer to Africa than to westernmost Brazil, or southermost Brazil, or any Caribbean island.
Kashgar China is closer to the Mediterranean Sea than to Shanghai.
Memphis, Nashville and New Orleans, all east of the Mississippi, have baseball teams in the Pacific Coast League. All the teams in the International League are in the United States.
Last edited by CowanStern; 02-09-2012 at 09:57 PM..
The Northwest Angle in Minnesota (the little hat) can only be reached by leaving the US and then entering back into Minnesota from Canada. It's the only place in the lower 48 north of the 49th parallel.
Upon entering the Northwest Angle, one must place a videocall and report to US Customs.
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