Almost useless facts - UK has smaller land area than Michigan

[Dave2002]

Michigan is the 11th US state by land area. 96,716 sq mi (250,493 km2)

Turns out that it's larger in area than the whole of the UK.

UK: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geogra...United_Kingdom Area = 248,532 square kilometres (95,960 sq mi)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_U.S._states_and_territories_by_area

Now who in the UK ever thinks of Michigan?

[LHC]

Michigan is the 11th US state by land area. 96,716 sq mi (250,493 km2)

Turns out that it's larger in area than the whole of the UK.

UK: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geogra...United_Kingdom Area = 248,532 square kilometres (95,960 sq mi)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_U.S._states_and_territories_by_area

Now who in the UK ever thinks of Michigan?

I think people have very little idea of the relative sizes of countries, not least because most maps use the Mercator projection to depict a 3D world in 2D. This has the effect of grossly exaggerating the size of countries in the northern hemisphere.

This map produced by a scientist at the Met Office compares countries’ real sizes to their Mercator projections, and shows how much smaller the US, Canada and Russia are than they are generally perceived to be. The most striking difference is Greenland, which in standard maps appears to be similar size to Africa, but is in fact 14 times smaller.

[gradus]

Fascinating, thank you.

[Ein Heldenleben]

Fascinating, thank you.

It’s amazing how big Africa is. It really is the heart of the world which is why it’s a very good idea not to let it overheat and turn to desert.

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

I think people have very little idea of the relative sizes of countries, not least because most maps use the Mercator projection to depict a 3D world in 2D. This has the effect of grossly exaggerating the size of countries in the northern hemisphere.

This map produced by a scientist at the Met Office compares countries’ real sizes to their Mercator projections, and shows how much smaller the US, Canada and Russia are than they are generally perceived to be. The most striking difference is Greenland, which in standard maps appears to be similar size to Africa, but is in fact 14 times smaller.

It’s true that the Mercator projection distorts the areas closest to the poles. Any attempt to include the whole of Antarctica would require a map going to infinity, as the poles can never be reached in this projection. Of equal area projections, the Mollweide is the most widely used, though it bends the shapes of land masses towards the poles, hence the Mollweide Interrupted projection that involves large splits through the oceans (the side effect being Antarctica being split into three.

The Gall project (stolen by Peters) is a rather ridiculous equal area projection that distorts shapes of land masses to an extreme extent.’

[richardfinegold]

Michigan is the 11th US state by land area. 96,716 sq mi (250,493 km2)

Turns out that it's larger in area than the whole of the UK.

UK: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geogra...United_Kingdom Area = 248,532 square kilometres (95,960 sq mi)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_U.S._states_and_territories_by_area

Now who in the UK ever thinks of Michigan?

Speaking as someone who was born and raised in Detroit, I can comfortably assure you that there are millions of Michiganders who go entire days without thinking of the U.K.

[Joseph K]

Speaking as someone who was born and raised in Detroit, I can comfortably assure you that there are millions of Michiganders who go entire days without thinking of the U.K.

... tho' not one particular household in Birmingham where I have close family.

[Serial_Apologist]

Speaking as someone who was born and raised in Detroit, I can comfortably assure you that there are millions of Michiganders who go entire days without thinking of the U.K.

And millions of non-Michiganders in the rest of the States too, I would think!

[Old Grumpy]

Speaking as someone who was born and raised in Detroit, I can comfortably assure you that there are millions of Michiganders who go entire days without thinking of the U.K.

That rather begs the question, is there such a thing as Mitchigeese?

[Serial_Apologist]

That rather begs the question, is there such a thing as Mitchigeese?

And what kinds of sauce do they use on their meals?

[Andrew]

I worked abroad in a number of countries during my time in the Civil Service, including the Democratic Republic Of Congo (A.K.A. Zaire, before that the Belgian Congo) which I was informed by the then Ambassador was bigger than the whole of the European Union! I never investigated if this was true, but looking at a map I can well believe it!

[ardcarp]

Fascinating post LHC. Sailors love the Mercator projection of course (unless they're doing huge distances, e.g. around the world) but that's an almost useless fact to most people. Mercator was a very bright chap though....working out how to represent on a flat piece of paper land and sea existing on a sphere....aaarrgh, stop.

[Petrushka]

I remember a BBC 'Holiday' programme many years ago reporting on a holiday in Australia (I forget where exactly, possibly the Coral Reef) and an internal flight that was about a millimetre on the map was said on the programme to take three hours, roughly the equivalent from London to Moscow.

Australia doesn't actually look as big as I would have thought on this particular map.

[Dave2002]

And what kinds of sauce do they use on their meals?

We once met some people with the surname "Goose". Consequently we often wondered - "were we going round to see the Gooses or the Geese?"

[Sir Velo]

Michigan is the 11th US state by land area. 96,716 sq mi (250,493 km2)

Turns out that it's larger in area than the whole of the UK.

I don't think it every changed did it? It always was bigger than the UK - so no "turns out" about it!