Return of the Geography Quiz!!

chumley · Post by **chumley** » May 04 2009 6:36 pm

Geography Quiz:
Which landlocked US State has the greatest difference between its highest and lowest points?
I actually don't know the answer for sure, but I know two that are near the top, and only separated by 400 feet. I have to double check on some other possibilities, but I'm pretty sure none others come close.

Edit:
The top two I refer to have a difference of over 12,000 feet. Two others have a difference of over 11,000 feet. Colorado isn't on the list.

chumley · Post by **chumley** » May 08 2009 9:05 am

PageRob wrote:Which state has the least lateral distance between its high and low point? And which has the greatest distance?

Without looking it up, the tiny states that big_load mentioned seem like good guesses, but I think the high point in Jersey is all the way in the NW corner, around the Poconos. Rhode Island or Delaware might be the winner.

But I'm gonna guess Hawaii. Because it actually has a really high highest point. California and Nevada have some pretty small lateral distances between very low and very high points, but the low deserts are not near the highest high points of those states.

chumley · Post by **chumley** » May 08 2009 9:07 am

hippiepunkpirate wrote:I'm going Spokane, Reno, LA and Calgary west to east

You've got the right idea, but not quite. Two of the four are in the correct position.

desert spirit · Post by **desert spirit** » May 08 2009 9:12 am

PageRob wrote:Which state has the least lateral distance between its high and low point? And which has the greatest distance?

I don't know. But California deserves some kind of special mention. This actually reminds me of a motorcycle trip a few years ago from the Sierras down to Death Valley. I think our campground in the Sierras was around 8,000 or 9,000 feet, and of course parts of Death Valley are below sea level. We left early in the morning from the mountains and I was never so cold in my life as on the back of that bike. Then just a couple hours later we were in the oven of Death Valley (and whoever named that place wasn't kidding!). I'd never experienced such a contrast before.

desert spirit · Post by **desert spirit** » May 08 2009 9:18 am

chumley wrote:
PageRob wrote:Which state has the least lateral distance between its high and low point? And which has the greatest distance?
Without looking it up, the tiny states that big_load mentioned seem like good guesses, but I think the high point in Jersey is all the way in the NW corner, around the Poconos. Rhode Island or Delaware might be the winner.

But I'm gonna guess Hawaii. Because it actually has a really high highest point. California and Nevada have some pretty small lateral distances between very low and very high points, but the low deserts are not near the highest high points of those states.

I think you're right about Hawaii. From the beach at Kona you can practically reach over and touch Mauna Kea, the highest point.

chumley · Post by **chumley** » May 08 2009 10:10 am

Nah, I just looked at the map. Its about 30 miles from the ocean to the peak. Delaware is so narrow, and squished between the Atlantic and Chesapeake Bay. I don't know where the high point in Delaware is, but at it's widest point its only 30 miles across, so it's gotta be less than Hawai'i.

desert spirit · Post by **desert spirit** » May 08 2009 10:51 am

chumley wrote:Nah, I just looked at the map. Its about 30 miles from the ocean to the peak. Delaware is so narrow, and squished between the Atlantic and Chesapeake Bay. I don't know where the high point in Delaware is, but at it's widest point its only 30 miles across, so it's gotta be less than Hawai'i.

Well, we should take into account how high that highest point is

big_load · Post by **big_load** » May 08 2009 11:39 am

chumley wrote:but I think the high point in Jersey is all the way in the NW corner, around the Poconos

I have to make a geological distinction. The Poconos are an erosional feature within a plateau (as are the Catskills in NY). High Point (NJ) is part of an actual mountain.

chumley · Post by **chumley** » May 08 2009 1:18 pm

chumley wrote:OK --- ALL NEW Geography Quiz
No maps or googling...

Place these cities in order of location (longitude), west to east:
A. Calgary, Alberta
B. Los Angeles, CA
C. Reno, NV
D. Spokane, WA

And the answer is....

C. Reno, NV
B. Los Angeles, CA
D. Spokane, WA
A. Calgary, Alberta

This one tricks most people because few realize that even though Nevada is east of California, Reno is further west than LA.

chumley · Post by **chumley** » Dec 09 2011 8:54 am

It's Friday! How about some geography fun!? : rein :

No map assistance ... be honest and work this out in your head. I'll post hints as needed and the answer by this afternoon.

How many US States are north of Canada's southernmost point?

hippiepunkpirate · Post by **hippiepunkpirate** » Dec 09 2011 9:20 am

chumley wrote:It's Friday! How about some geography fun!? : rein :

No map assistance ... be honest and work this out in your head. I'll post hints as needed and the answer by this afternoon.

How many US States are north of Canada's southernmost point?

No map assistance...I'm guessing 13: Washington, Idaho, Montana, North Dakota, Minnesota, Wisconsin, New York, Rhode Island, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine.

hippiepunkpirate · Post by **hippiepunkpirate** » Dec 09 2011 9:22 am

hippiepunkpirate wrote:No map assistance...I'm guessing 13: Washington, Idaho, Montana, North Dakota, Minnesota, Wisconsin, New York, Rhode Island, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine.

Just checked myself on the map

Al_HikesAZ · Post by **Al_HikesAZ** » Dec 09 2011 9:23 am

The entire state or just parts of the state? I've actually been to Windsor Ontario and looked north into Detroit - and thought about this

. Great place with the Casino and the Seagram's factory. From what I remember, my guess would be 2 dozen - give or take a few. About a dozen are completely north of Canada. Hard to see on a map, best to use a globe. Si vous parlez un petit français, il est beaucoup plus facile de survivre à l'Ontario

azbackpackr · Post by **azbackpackr** » Dec 09 2011 9:23 am

So, we can't look at a map? Ok here goes: Washington, Idaho, North Dakota, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Michigan, Pennsylvania, New Hampshire, Vermont, Maine. I am not certain about Illinois, Indiana, or Ohio.

chumley · Post by **chumley** » Dec 09 2011 9:41 am

Al_HikesAZ wrote:The entire state or just parts of the state?

Make it fun and provide both answers!

chumley · Post by **chumley** » Dec 09 2011 9:44 am

Fun fact/hint: The southernmost point of Canada is further south than Rome, Italy.

Jim · Post by **Jim** » Dec 09 2011 9:44 am

I say, Alaska, California, Washington, Oregon, Nevada, Utah, Idaho, Wyoming, Montana, Colorado, both Dakotas, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, New Hampshire, Vermont, Maine, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, and Connecticut. So, 24 US states. I did not use a map, but I know the southern most point is pretty far south, so it is actually many states. I think their southern tip is between 40 and 41 degrees north.

chumley · Post by **chumley** » Dec 09 2011 9:59 am

In all the above responses, I have read two states that definitely do not qualify.
And there are at least two states that have not yet been mentioned that do qualify.

chumley · Post by **chumley** » Dec 09 2011 1:17 pm

There are 27 states whose land lies north of the southernmost point of Canada!
13 entire states lie north of that point!

West to East as follows (blue for entirely north):
Alaska
Washington
Oregon
California
Nevada
Idaho
Utah
Montana
Wyoming
North Dakota
South Dakota
Nebraska
Minnesota
Iowa
Wisconsin
Illinois
Michigan
Indiana
Ohio
New York
Pennsylvania
Vermont
New Hampshire
Massachusetts
Connecticut
Rhode Island
Maine

chumley · Post by **chumley** » Dec 09 2011 1:22 pm

All-in-all, pretty good answers from people. Kudos to Jim for getting California and Nevada, which I think are pretty difficult. I think everybody got the New England states and the all upper-midwest border states. In addition to CA/NV, Ohio, Indiana, Iowa, and Nebraska seem to be the real tricky ones.

+1 to Jim for being pretty close on the latitude too: 41°40'53"N

hippiepunkpirate · Post by **hippiepunkpirate** » Dec 09 2011 1:26 pm

That was a tough one, Todd. Really makes me want to rethink how I look at maps. Of course, map projections can really wreak havoc on how we perceive these things.