Misconceptions

Some common geographic mental misplacements

John Nelson

*Geopolitical curiosities & troubled lands* | Part 1

Misconceptions often seem to have a life of their own.

If learned early on, a foundationally incorrect view of the world can perpetuate, as students naturally build knowledge in light of a past, incorrect, understanding. Something as basic as our assumptions about the relative locations of Earth's continents is an interesting, and actually sort of fun, example of how we can get things wrong right off the bat. Ultimately, everything is learned, but some curious geographic errors tend to persist more than others.

So what are some tantalizing locational mistakes that seemingly come pre-installed in American students’ minds that geography teachers wrestle to overcome?

So glad you asked! Here is a cherry-picked handful of examples that we’ll dive into…

The northiness of Africa
The northiness of Europe
The eastiness of South America

A F R I C A

In the mental map of students, and many used-to-be-students, the continent of Africa is positioned much farther south than it really is...

The continent of Africa is massive. It is home to vast deserts, tropical savanna, and many dense jungles–features American students naturally associate with subtropical Southern-Hemisphere climes.

While Africa does straddle the equator, many are surprised to learn how far north it extends.

This northiness is apparent when seen in the context of the Equator.

Two thirds of the continent lie north of the equator, a fact that comes as a surprise to many.

Africa and South America could easily be assumed to lie parallel to each other in the minds of many.

The northern coast of Africa, however, reaches a latitude as far north as Norfolk, Virginia, in the United States.

The southern tip of Africa is roughly parallel to Buenos Aires, Argentina; South America extends yet another 1,400 miles south.

Speaking of places that are farther north than we give them credit for...

E U R O P E

The Mediterranean climate of Europe is reasonably comparable to climates found in the United States. Students, therefore, generally misjudge just how far north Europe actually is...

Not really a physical continent, but rather a cultural geographic construct, Europe resides north of Africa in the Northern Hemisphere...

...but just how far north tends to come as a surprise to American assumptions, particularly when compared to other familiar northern locations.

In fact, parts of Nordic nations extend well north of the Arctic Circle, similar in latitudinal extent to Alaska.

Rather than situated due east across the pond from the United States, where it sits in the minds of many, Europe is closer in its overall northiness to Canada.

The climates of European cities are analogous to many cities in the United States, inviting some unexpected comparisons.

Venice, Italy, for example, is as far north as Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Here are some other cities with perhaps surprising latitudinal parity...

Edmonton | Dublin
Calgary | London
Vancouver | Paris
Chicago | Rome
New York | Madrid
Indianapolis | Valencia

Weird, right? Our mental images of these places don't seem to line up. But line up, they do.

Lastly, we'll take a look at the continent of South America.

S O U T H A M E R I C A

South America's name has much to do with its misplacement. What could be clearer than the location of South America? Certainly it's south of North America, no? Well, yes, but...

South America lies predominantly in the Southern Hemisphere. No surprise there.

By the way, South America is home to one of two countries named after a geographic line. Do you know which?

Because of the binary naming of North and South America, these continents are assumed, in the minds of many American students, to naturally situate directly above and below each other.

But many are surprised to learn that South America is far to the east of its conventionally assumed location.

The entirety of the South American continent actually lies to the east of Jacksonville, Florida.

In fact, South America is closer to Africa, its neighbor to the east, than it is to Houston, Texas.

And that concludes our whirlwind tour of the globe and how it may or may not square with our impressions of place.

In the day-to-day teaching of physical geography, a number of misconceptions seem to resurface again and again. What is the point of sharing a list of geographic gotchas? So we can arm ourselves with a stack of trivia to (also mistakenly) entertain others with surprising tidbits? Only partially...

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?