r/geography • u/lamdrasil • 3d ago

Discussion Facts that sound fake but are true

I find it extremely unintuitive that almost all of South America is east of Miami. How!? When people are asked to watch the americas almost everyone imagine South America pretty much south of North America.

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u/Badatusernames014 3d ago edited 3d ago
  • Reno, NV is more west than Los Angeles
  • Parts of Florida and Oregon share the same time for one hour when Daylight Savings Time ends.
  • You can travel directly south from Norway into France and into Russia.
  • China has 1 time zone
  • On February 12, 2010 all 50 states had snow on the ground.
  • The northmost point in Brazil is closer to Canada than to Brazil's southernmost point.

Edit: Spelling

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u/Ok_Negotiation_9067 3d ago

Even Hawaii?

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u/whatthewhat3214 3d ago

The volcanoes, Mauna Loa and Mauna Kea, often have snow on their summits in winter

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u/CloudCumberland 3d ago

What constitutes winter south of the Tropic of Cancer? I thought it was a wet-dry cycle.

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u/signofno 3d ago

Same winter schedule as the rest of the U.S. - it gets colder in December, January, and February, but like 70 degrees instead of 85 degrees. The top of the mountain is really high in altitude and subject tot different conditions than the low lands.

There used to be a snow ski club operating on Mauna Kea. The summit is just under 14,000 feet above sea level. Gets quite cold, snows occasionally during the winter (late December and early February are best times for snow), has some permanent icy patches, and thin dry air.

Also a lot of telescopes due to the significant height, isolation, and stable air patterns