Geography and Places Archives - Page 2 of 4

Geography and places is a broad category that includes all natural and manmade locations. It’s two broad subdivisions are Physical Geography (naturally occurring geography) and Human Geography (man made geography).

Toilets Flush Backwards in Australia Myth

Despite the Coriolis Effect, toilets don’t flush backwards in Australia (or on the other side of the world, or in different hemispheres, or on one side of the equator).

Switzerland Requires Citizens to Own Guns Myth

Switzerland doesn’t require its citizens to own guns. Guns are regulated in three classes and there is mandatory military service for able-bodied men.

Air Spins Differently in the Northern and Southern Hemispheres Fact

The Coriolis Effect causes air to spin different directions in each Hemisphere. This can only affect large systems like wind and ocean currents.

A Mountain Goat is a Goat Myth

Mountain goats aren’t goats, these close relatives of the goat are actually goat-antelopes. Oddly, they aren’t true antelopes either.

Organized Noize Popularized Atlanta Hip Hop Fact

Organized Noize, a music collective founded in 1992, helped popularize Atlanta-based “dirty south” hip hop via their work with OutKast, Goodie Mob, TLC and more.

The University of Al Quaraouiyine is the Oldest University Fact

The University of Al Quaraouiyine in Fes, Morocco is the oldest, still operating, degree granting university in the world. It was founded in 859 by Fathima Al-Fihri (a Muslim woman).

There Was a “Golden Age” of Islam Fact

The Islamic Golden Age lasted from roughly the 8th – 13th century. In this time, Islam helped spread, persevere, and advance science, wisdom, reason, and learning.

There is a “Plastic Garbage Island” in the Ocean Myth

There is no visible “plastic island,” or “garbage patch” in the ocean. Instead, large low-density patches of plastic particles are caught in the ocean’s major gyres below the water’s surface.

State Universities Began Charging Tuition in the 60’s Fact

A series of social and legislative changes in the 60’s ended an era of tuition-free state universities in the US and started the current student loan crisis.

The Earth Isn’t Flat Fact

The Earth is not flat; the Earth is an oblate spheroid (a bumpy sphere with a fat equator and skinny poles). There are many ways to prove the earth’s geometry.