Americans are notorious throughout the world for their lack of understanding of world geography. However, America's national dislike of geography is not limited to other countries. There are many facts that US citizens do not know about their home country. It is worth noting that many of these mistakes are common not only for Americans, but also for the rest of the inhabitants of planet Earth.
There are no time zones in Antarctica
This is a common mistake. However, there are several scientific stations operating on the ice continent, located in different parts of Antarctica. This is why we know that Antarctica has nine different time zones.
Russia and Turkey are the only countries on the border of Europe and Asia
Russia and Turkey are not the only countries that lie on two parts of the world. According to geologists, the Asian-European border, which runs along the Caucasus mountain range, also separates Georgia, Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan.
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The Statue of Liberty is in New York
If you want to start an argument between New Yorkers and New Jersey residents, ask which city the Statue of Liberty belongs to. Even though the US Geological Survey has placed Liberty Island in New York's 8th District, the island actually sits in New Jersey waters and is located much closer to Jersey than to New York.
The Nile is the longest river in the world
This is what our geography textbooks taught, so this myth is quite common. But if you count the numerous branches and bends, the Amazon River is quite a bit ahead of the Nile in its length. So much for school geography!
Mississippi is the longest river in the USA
The novel by Mark Twain "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" speaks loudly in favor of the Mississippi, but the pages of the novel do not matter to geographers. In fact, the longest river in the United States is the Missouri.
Maine is the easternmost state in the United States
This was the case until 1959, when Alaska joined the United States, becoming one of the states. The fact is that the Aleutian Islands in Alaska cross the 180th meridian, which technically makes the islands one of the most eastern points of the Earth, which, in turn, makes Alaska the easternmost state.
Florida is the southernmost state
The Florida Keys are a scenic destination for tourists who flock to the southernmost geographic point in the United States. But this is the southernmost point on the continental United States. In fact, Hawaii is the southernmost state.
All countries of the world are switching to daylight saving time
This is not so, there are many countries in the world that do not see the point in changing the time twice a year. Even in the USA, there are states that do not change the time, for example, Hawaii and Arizona.
Norway is the northernmost country in the world
Norway only ranks fourth in the list of the northernmost states. Russia, Canada and Greenland are closer to the North Pole than Norway. The Greenland island of Kaffeklabben is the northernmost point in the world.
Mount Whitney is the tallest mountain in the USA
Mount Whitney towered over all the peaks of the country until Alaska joined the alliance. Alaska now has ten of the highest mountains in the country, the highest of which is Denali.
Route 66 is the longest highway in the United States
Undoubtedly, Nat King Cole made Route 66 famous all over the world, but only because the highway was easier to incorporate into the rhythm and rhyme of the song.
Route 66, or its modern version of I-40, pales before Route 20, which stretches along the coast from Boston to Newport.
Florida has the longest coastline in the United States
This statement only seems to be true. Alaska's coastline is five times longer than Florida's, according to the Congressional Research Service.
Alaska is the most sparsely populated state
Once upon a time, this statement was true. But according to the 2016 census, Wyoming has the smallest population. Vermont is in second place, while Alaska is only third in this list.
Verrazano-Narrows - the longest bridge in the world
It may just be American pride in the bridge that leads to New York Harbor, but it doesn't even come close with the world's longest bridge. This honor went to the Danyang-Kunshan viaduct, along which the Beijing-Shanghai railway passes. But Verrazano-Narrows is only 149th in the list of the longest bridges in the world.
Orlando is the capital of Florida
This is the site of a popular theme park, but Orlando is not the capital of Florida. That honor went to Tallahassee, a city on the Florida-Georgia border. Why such a remote location? Because the city was halfway between St. Augustine and Pensacola, the capitals of the Spanish territories of East Florida and West Florida.
Krakatoa east of Java
"Krakatoa East of Java" is the title of a thrilling film about the world's loudest eruption of 1883.
The problem is that the volcano is located on the west coast of Java. Is it weird that no one checked the map of Indonesia before misnamed the whole movie?
Kashmir may not be part of India
Discussion of this argument leads to bloody disputes and even caused war in the region. The fact is that at the moment India, Pakistan and the People's Republic of China are claiming the region or part of it, and the borders of the three states in Kashmir have not yet been agreed upon.
The South Pole is in Antarctica
Quite right. The problem is that Antarctica has more than one South Pole, there are four of them.
The Geographic South Pole (where the earth's axis crosses the earth's crust), the Inaccessible South Pole (the farthest point from the coastline), the Geomagnetic South Pole (where the geomagnetic region crosses the earth's surface), and the Magnetic South Pole (where the earth's magnetic fields cross the crust). To confuse us even more, due to magnetic drift, the magnetic South Pole is constantly moving.
Canada is the largest country in the world
Many Americans are really convinced of this. Despite the fact that Russia covers almost 10 time zones and twice more than Canada.
The Matterhorn is the highest mountain in Europe
Switzerland's scenic peak is one of the most scenic peaks in Europe, but certainly not the highest. This honor was awarded to Mount Elbrus of Russia. Elbrus is located in the Caucasus, not far from the border of Russia and Georgia.
Toronto is the capital of Canada
Not only Americans believe in this. Probably because Toronto retains its title as Canada's financial capital and is home to some of the country's most significant landmarks and cultural symbols. However, the official capital of the state is Ottawa.
Africa is one country
Another strange belief. Africa is a continent of 54 amazing countries, with different languages, cultures and traditions.
Geneva is the capital of Switzerland
Both Geneva and Zurich have a reputation for being the world's cultural centers, no wonder they are mistaken for the capital. But the capital of Switzerland is actually Bern, the country's fifth largest city.
Holland is a country
Many people use Holland and the Netherlands interchangeably. But this is not the same. The Netherlands consists of 12 regions, including North Holland and South Holland. But since the country's largest cities - Amsterdam, Rotterdam and The Hague - are located in these areas, people often refer to the entire country as Holland.
Greenland is bigger than Africa
We are all familiar with elementary school world maps that extend the poles to gigantic proportions. As a result, Greenland looks huge on those maps, while Africa looks rather modest. If we consider the real proportions, then Africa is almost twice the size of Russia and almost 15 times the size of Greenland.
Great Britain and the United Kingdom are one and the same
These names are not interchangeable. The United Kingdom is a country that includes England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Great Britain is only part of the United Kingdom - a large island that consists of England, Scotland and Wales.
Puerto Rico is a country
Perhaps this is thought because Spanish is the main language of the island, which makes picturesque Puerto Rico feel like a foreign country. In fact, this is American territory. Almost a state, but not quite.
Iceland is covered in ice
It's all about the name. The name of the country is translated from English as “ice land”. However, the small island nation in the North Atlantic actually has a fairly temperate climate. Thanks to the warm currents of the North Atlantic, Iceland's coast is not covered with ice even in winter. The country has glaciers, but also geysers and volcanic activity.
Sydney is the capital of Australia When Americans (and others) think about Australia, they imagine the Sydney Opera House or the Olympic Games in Sydney. It is not surprising that the largest city in the country is mistaken for the capital. In fact, the capital city is Canberra, and this decision was made in 1908 as a compromise between Sydney and rival Melbourne.
Lagos is the capital of Nigeria Another confusion with capitals. Previously, Lagos was indeed the capital, but in 1991 the capital was moved to Abuja, which is located closer to the center of the state and where "Wonderland" is located - one of the first amusement parks in Nigeria. Hope Chikanchi