Twelve Mile Circle – An Appreciation of Unusual Places

Twelve Mile Circle

  • From Britain to Iceland by Automobile

    Certainly one of the more pressing questions of our time is whether someone can use an automobile to travel between Britain and Iceland. By “pressing” I mean of importance to me naturally, because the questions that press upon my mind are rather simplistic. Maybe you are feeling a little curious too. Can someone drive from…

  • Geography as Pitcher Plant

    A pitcher plant feeds carnivorously on unsuspecting insects. Bugs crawl, fly or fall into the plant. They cannot escape. Soon victims drown and slowly dissolve into a soup absorbed by the plant for nutrition. The Situation I read a great article in the Washington Post over the weekend that is still available online: “Drunk Drivers…

  • 13 (No, 14!) of the United States are Split by Time Zones

    I keep getting hits on my website looking for the list of “13 states split by time zones.” There must be some kind of trivia quiz, scavenger hunt or homeschooling assignment in progress. Otherwise it’s all too oddly coincidental to contemplate. So I am going to provide an answer as a public service. Regular readers…

  • To Hel and Back

    Poland’s Hel Peninsula is an odd strip of sand jutting 35 kilometres into the Baltic Sea (map). It cradles the Bay of Puck along its inward side. At its widest point near the tip it reaches perhaps 3 kilometres. However, it slims down to a diminutive 300 metres or less across much of its length.…

  • Longest Place Names in Canada

    Geographers have an unusual sense of humor that they like to slip it into official online publications. Previously I reviewed an instance of that provided by the government of Australia. Now I would like to focus on Canada. So let’s talk about Natural Resources Canada. It’s a government organization that maintains a database of Canadian…

  • San Francisco Chronicle Geography Quiz

    I’ve been holding this one in reserve for awhile in case I needed an “easy” topic, and I really need one today for reasons I’ll explain later. The San Francisco Chronicle has been holding a geography quiz for several years. There aren’t any prizes, just matters of pride, and it’s a lot of fun figuring…

  • Florida’s Southern Keys, Part II

    We’ll be wandering our way back up the Florida keys later this morning. Then we’ll head home in a couple of days, after one more stop. My internet access will be sporadic so I’ll post this entry a little early and get back to my normal schedule when I return. Notably, I am not a…

  • Florida’s Southern Keys, Part I

    I’ll start off by saying that there’s a special place in heaven for those who leave unsecured WiFi connections open and available for public use. I thought I’d be totally disconnected from the outside world except for an occasional traipsing down to an Internet cafe but for an unknown Good Samaritan. Thank you stranger. You’ve…

  • Likoma and Chizumulu

    Examine the international boundaries that run through Lake Malawi (or Lake Nyasa as it’s also known) in Africa. Something odd will appear. No, it’s not the disputed border between Malawi and Tanzania which perhaps I’ll save for another day. Rather, notice the small circles of Malawian territory within the territorial waters of its neighbor Mozambique.…

  • Canadian Border Anomalies

    I’ve discussed border anomalies between the United States and Canada before. Previously I focused on little areas of the U.S. separated from the rest of the country such as Point Roberts, the Northwest Angle and Alburg, Vermont. Here I give equal time to the Canadians. I’ll outline a couple of instances where citizens of that…

Latest Comments

  3. Osage Orange trees are fairly common in Northern Delaware. I assumed they were native plants. As kids we definitely called…

  4. Enough of them in Northern Delaware that they don’t stand out at all until the fruit drops in the fall.…

  5. That was its original range before people spread it all around. Now it’s in lots of different places, including Oklahoma.