So You Think You Know Your Geography, Eh?

Okay, Smart Guy, so go ahead and scroll down and try to answer these questions... hehehe.

Question Number One

• What is the largest state in the United States?
  1. Vermont
  2. Texas
  3. California
  4. Canada
  5. Alaska
  6. All of the above

Okay, okay, I admit that one was easy.

Alaska is so big, it is one fifth the size of the rest of the country. That means that if the USA were a birthday cake cut into 6 pieces, Alaska would get one piece and you 49 other guys could fight over the rest.

Heck, we were thinking of splitting Alaska in half and making Texas the third largest state.

Put that in your hat, Bub.

Question Number Two

• What is the westernmost state in the Union?
  1. Hawaii
  2. California
  3. Washington
  4. Mexico
  5. Alaska
  6. All of the Above

If you said California, Washington, or Mexico...Well, DUH!

If you said Hawaii, well keep on swimming, Tomato Breath.

From the far western edge of the furthermost lonely and uninhabited atoll of the state of Hawaii, you would need to swim almost another thousand miles to reach as far west as Alaska's most western shore.

Question Number Three

• What is the Easternmost state in the Union?
  1. New York
  2. New Hampshire
  3. New Jersey
  4. New Guinea
  5. Alaska
  6. oh yeah, Maine

If you said New York, New Hampshire, New Jersey or New Guinea then go get some New Glasses before you next look at a map!

If you said Maine, well Maine Shmaine. Brain drain.

The end of the Aleutian Islands in Alaska consisting of the islands of Attu, Agattu, Kiska, and Amchitka among others extend so far west, they cross the 180 ° Meridian putting them not in the Western, but in the Eastern Hemisphere, thus making them the most Eastern point in the United States.

In fact, the International Date Line was moved just to keep everybody in the same day. The people on Attu and Amchitka claimed the rest of the country was living in the past. They shouldn't have complained. Now they are, too.

And the Last Question

• Where would you be if you went one mile south, 3 miles east, and one mile north and arrived back exactly in the same spot?
  1. North Dakota
  2. North Carolina
  3. the North Forty
  4. the North Pole
  5. Alaska

Okay, Penguin Head, if you said Alaska, then one fresh bucket of moose nuggets for you. I'm glad you don't teach math or geography at my kids' high school.

The answer is the North Pole.

Okay, So Let's Review

• Alaska is the biggest state
  1. It's our birthday cake and we get the biggest piece.
  2. Pipe down, all you Texans, or you'll be 3rd.
• Alaska is the westernmost state.
  1. when Horace Greely said "Go west, young man" he had no idea...
  2. With another 3 million years of plate tectonics, Hawaii might just catch up.
• Alaska is the farthest east of all the states.
  1. It's further east than Maine, Europe Africa and almost every other country on the planet.
  2. Being further east than China, Japan, Korea, Viet Nam or Thailand, I guess we can safely say Alaska is more Orient than the Orient.

Okay, class. What are we going to do with all of this new found knowledge? Pass it around. Amaze your parents. Bore your kids. Or maybe show your boss how knowledgable you are.

For more information about Alaska, come on up and ask a local!

This information is brought to you by the Alaska Council for Litteracy Literracy Good Readers.

© early evening