I don’t know what it is about an atlas or a map, but I can study those things all day long.
I guess in some ways it gives me (and other folks) a journey to distant lands…in our minds, at least.
Maybe I’m weird, I don’t know…
What’s a geography fact that really blows your mind?
Here’s how AskReddit users responded.
1. Down Under.
“Australia is the only continent with no active volcanoes.
I mean with everything else they have to deal with, I think they deserved a break somewhere.”
2. An enormous state.
“Alaska is actually HUGE.
It’s larger than Montana, Texas, and California combined.
Yet, illustrated on maps as being tiny.”
3. Cool!
“Reelfoot Lake in Tennessee was created due to the impact of three earthquakes.
They occurred in 1811 and 1812, and measured around 8 on the Richter Scale.”
4. Moving plates.
“In Iceland, you can see where the North American tectonic plate and the Eurasia tectonic plate are moving away from each other.
Another place that is similar, but not as intense, is Point Reyes National Seashore in California.
It is separated by the San Andreas Fault, where the North American and Pacific plates come together.”
5. It’s true!
“Bristol, Tennessee is closer to Canada than it is to Memphis, Tennessee.
Couldn’t believe this one…but it checks out.”
6. Oh, Canada.
“Canada is so big that St. John’s in Newfoundland is closer to London, England, then it is to Victoria, British Columbia.
And St. John’s and London are separated by a freaking ocean.”
7. That’s insane.
“You could fit the United States, Europe, and India within the borders of Africa, with room to spare.”
8. Don’t try this, though.
“The largest vertical cliff in the world is Mt Thor, in Auyuittuq National Park, Baffin Island, Nunavut.
If you stepped off it, you’d fall for 1.6 km (1 mile) straight down before hitting anything, and then you’d tumble to level ground.
Assuming you’re immortal, of course.”
9. That’s strange.
“At the western end of Kentucky, there’s a portion of the state called the Kentucky Bend that you HAVE to go through another state – even if flying – to get to it.
The technical term is that it is an exclave of Kentucky.”
10. An enormous country.
“Russia is 1/6 the landmass of the world.
And Siberia would be the 2nd largest country in the world if it was a country.”
11. Some good ones.
“The Irish Republic extends further north than Northern Ireland. Therefore there is an area of the island of Ireland where Northern Ireland is to the south.
Despite how it appears on a map, Madagascar is over twice the size of Great Britain, and New Guinea is over three times the size.
The island of Java is roughly the size of England, but it has over double the population of the whole UK, and half the population of the USA.
The closest country to Newfoundland is France.”
12. All kinds of interesting stuff.
“Maine borders exactly one state. Tennessee and Missouri border eight apiece.
Half the world’s population lives within 3,300 kilometers of Mong Khet, Myanmar.
Manila’s population density is more than 100,000 people per square mile. In fact, the three densest cities in the world are all in the Philippines.
The distance between the highest point and the lowest point in the contiguous United States is less than 85 miles.”
13. Time to explore!
“Kentucky has more caves than any other place on earth
And scientists suggest there could be another 200 miles of unexplored caves.”
I bet you know some cool geography facts, right?
I knew it!
So go ahead and share them with us in the comments, okay?
Thanks a lot!
