Living (and loving) Life
If were asked you to name the easternmost and westernmost U.S. states, you would probably answer Maine (easternmost) and Alaska (westernmost).
And why not? All it takes is a quick glance at a map of the United States to arrive at that seemingly obvious conclusion.
But guess what? Your answer would only be half right…
It’s quite obvious that Alaska extends farther west than any other U.S. state.
But truth be told, geographically Alaska also lies farther east than any other state.
How is that possible, you ask?
Well, the westernmost part of Alaska (just barely) crosses over into the Eastern Hemisphere, which technically places that tiny part of the state farther east than any other U.S. state, including Maine.
Of course for the purposes of travel and other practicalities, it simply makes sense to consider Maine to be the easternmost U.S. state, but geographically, it isn’t even close to earning that distinction.
Pretty mind-blowing stuff, right?
If you enjoyed reading this post, you night also enjoy the short video below that discusses several other strange facts about U.S. Geography.
Note: As always, you can watch the video at full screen by clicking the “square” icon that will pop up in the lower-right corner of the video after it begins playing.
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