Misconceptions

Some common geographic mental misplacements

Geopolitical curiosities & troubled lands | Part 1

W h a t N o w ?

These examples can serve as a handy first step in challenging students, and others, to question the existence of their notions and to understand if or why they might be inaccurate. Dispelling myths is an engaging introduction to the use and value of visual explanations. What could be a better visual explanation than a model of our world in the form of a map or a globe? Geography has some unique and interesting misunderstandings. But we also happen to have unique and interesting tools to inform and foster a framework for understanding.

What could be better?

Interested in more geographical oddities? Visit Part 2 of this series,  Enclaves & Exclaves , or jump ahead to  Part 3: Bruised Borders .

This story was created by John Nelson using ArcGIS StoryMaps. It replaces an identical story that had been created with the classic Story Maps Cascade template. For more information about this next-generation storytelling tool, visit the  ArcGIS StoryMaps product page .

The story is based on an excerpt from a publication by Burton Nelson, Robert Aron, and Mark Francek of Central Michigan University: Clarification of Selected Misconceptions in Physical Geography.

Interested in more geographical oddities? Visit Part 2 of this series,  Enclaves & Exclaves , or jump ahead to  Part 3: Bruised Borders .