European Latitude Paradoxes

There aren’t any great research efforts or revelations today, just some interesting observations about various lines of latitude in western Europe. I spend a lot of time simply looking at maps, at the patterns, and the logical contradictions that aren’t always apparent in our conventional thoughts. These are a few that have made me smile lately.

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Iceland

Reference the black line on the map. No other nation has a southernmost point further north than Iceland. The other Scandinavian nations would be logical contenders but none of them comes close. Greenland, when it gains independence, will fall well short too. Iceland’s southern extreme is 63°17′ North. Interesting enough, it’s not found on the island of Iceland proper but on an offshore island called Surtsey. Even so, that’s farther north than Anchorage, Alaska.

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England and Sweden

Reference the two blue lines. There is a part of England that is further north than a corner of Sweden, and conversely there’s a part of Sweden further south than some of England. I’ve discussed northernmost England before. Indeed, the residents of Berwick-upon-Tweed are among the lucky few who live at a higher latitude than some Swedes. People of Sweden who live farther south than England’s Berwick-upon-Tweed include the nearly 300,000 residents of Malmö.

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The Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland

Reference the red line, where I focus on mainland Ireland. The northernmost point in Ireland is not in Northern Ireland. It seems somewhat odd but the northernmost point on the Irish mainland is actually in the Republic of Ireland. It is located in County Donegal’s Inishowen Peninsula at Banba’s Crown (although some say it’s at nearby Malin Head). This reminds me of the situation in the United States where part of Virginia is farther west than any point in West Virginia. It would never have raised an eyebrow had Northern Ireland chosen a different name.

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France and the Netherlands

Reference the two green lines. There are people in France who live further north than some residents of the Netherlands, and in return, some people in the Netherlands live further south than residents of France. This one seems a contradiction because Belgium sits directly between the two nations, and the Netherlands is generally considered “north of Belgium.” However, France angles to the northwest and the Netherlands has an appendage hanging down from its southeastern lands. French cities in its northwest corner include Calais and Dunkirk (Dunkerque). Its Dutch counterpart includes Maastricht.

Not on this map, but also of interest, lots of French citizens live farther north than those of the Netherlands on the island of St. Martin.

None of these observations are earth-shattering, just some fun points to ponder. Do you know of any similar situations?