Geography fun facts and oddities: Difference between revisions
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** "enclave" is derived from the Latin "inclavare" for "to close with a key," meaning one property that is entirely surrounded by another proprerty | ** "enclave" is derived from the Latin "inclavare" for "to close with a key," meaning one property that is entirely surrounded by another proprerty | ||
** nation state enclaves: | ** nation state enclaves: | ||
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*** Vatican City (within Italy) | *** Vatican City (within Italy) | ||
*** San Marino (within Italy) | *** San Marino (within Italy) | ||
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** semi-enclave states are surrounded by another states by land but also have a water border, such as: | ** semi-enclave states are surrounded by another states by land but also have a water border, such as: | ||
*** Monaco (surrounded by France and the Mediterranean Sea) | *** Monaco (surrounded by France and the Mediterranean Sea) | ||
*** The Gambia ( | *** The Gambia (surrounded by Senegal and the Atlantic Ocean) | ||
*** Brunei ( | *** Brunei (surrounded by the Malaysian state, Sarawak, and the South China Sea) | ||
*** several other enclave states exist politically independent but are not recognized officially as independent nations | |||
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*** several other enclave states exist politically independent but not recognized officially as independent | * '''click on EXPAND to see list of nation state enclaves''' | ||
* | |||
* exclave = a territory or part of a country that is separated from the main country or territory | * exclave = a territory or part of a country that is separated from the main country or territory | ||
* examples | * examples |
Revision as of 23:22, 12 March 2021
Geography fun facts & oddities
page organization t.b.a.
- just a collection of facts and oddities for how
Geography fun facts[edit | edit source]
- Pitcaren Islands in Polynesia, are the least populated political entity in the world (67 residents)
- Vatican City, for example, has 825 residents
- Rio de la Plata is the widest river in the world (max width: 140 mi)
- the Rio de la Plata is considered a river, estuary, gulf or "marginal sea"
- it is fed by the Uruguay and Parana rivers at Punta Gorda ("fat point"
Geography oddities[edit | edit source]
sink holes[edit | edit source]
- Thor's Well: a sinkhole on the coast of Cape Perpetua, Oregon, that drains at high tides
Enclaves & Exclaves[edit | edit source]
- see: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enclave_and_exclave
- enclave = a country or territory that is entirely surrounded by another country or territory
- "enclave" is derived from the Latin "inclavare" for "to close with a key," meaning one property that is entirely surrounded by another proprerty
- nation state enclaves:
- Vatican City (within Italy)
- San Marino (within Italy)
- Losotho (within South Africa)
- semi-enclave states are surrounded by another states by land but also have a water border, such as:
- Monaco (surrounded by France and the Mediterranean Sea)
- The Gambia (surrounded by Senegal and the Atlantic Ocean)
- Brunei (surrounded by the Malaysian state, Sarawak, and the South China Sea)
- several other enclave states exist politically independent but are not recognized officially as independent nations
- click on EXPAND to see list of nation state enclaves
- exclave = a territory or part of a country that is separated from the main country or territory
- examples
Geographic extremes[edit | edit source]
biggest nation[edit | edit source]
smallest nation[edit | edit source]
- The Gambia is the smallest country in Africa
- The Gambia is a semi-enclave surrounded by Senegal and the Atlantic Ocean
directional extremes (north, south, east, west)[edit | edit source]
United States
- northernmost state in the continental U.S.: Minnesota
- northernmost point in the continental U.S.: Northwest Angle, Minnesota, known as "The Angle"
- when negotiating the US-Canadian border following the American Revolution (Treaty of Paris, 1783), negotiators used an inaccurate map of the border of present-day Minnesota and Canada, and thereby included the northwest portion of the Lake of the Woods as the border, while it actually lies within Canadian territory
- thus The Angle is one of six "practical exclaves" of the U.S., as it is only accessible by land via Canada
- in 2010, it's population was 119
- see: Northwest Angle (wiki)
- Click EXPAND to read more about the Northwest Angle