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Antarctica has no time zones -

Incorrect! Antarctica, Earth's fifth-largest, southernmost, and least-populated continent, has in fact nine different time zones in use.

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You can't see Russia from Alaska -

Actually, you can. Well, sort of. Weather permitting, you can see the Russian island of Big Diomede (right) from the US island of Little Diomede (left) in Alaska. Both lie in the Bering Sea.

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The Statue of Liberty is in New York -

Any self-respecting resident of New Jersey will tell you that despite the US Geological Survey having placed Liberty Island in New York's 8th Congressional District, the island actually resides in New Jersey waters, and is much nearer to NJ's mainland than the Big Apple's.

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Greenland is an independent country -

No, it isn't! Greenland is actually an autonomous territory of the Kingdom of Denmark, and has been so since 1814 when it was transferred to the Danish crown.

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The Nile is the world's longest river -

It certainly looks like it seen from space, but numerous studies suggest that the Amazon, with its tributaries and multiple channels, is longer. But only by a whisker at 4,225 miles (6,800 km), as opposed to the Nile's 4,160 miles (6,695 km), according to National Geographic.

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The Matterhorn is Europe's highest mountain -

The Matterhorn is certainly one of the most recognized peaks on the continent, but Europe's highest mountain is actually Mount Elbrus in the Caucasus Mountains near the Russia-Georgia border. It rises 18,510 feet (5,642 m).

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Holland and the Netherlands are the same thing -

They are most definitely not. The Netherlands is a nation in Europe. Holland is a geographical region and former province on the western coast of the country.

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Maine is the easternmost state in the US -

Before 1959, Maine was indeed the easternmost state in the United States. Today, it's Alaska. How so? Parts of Alaska stretch so far west they cross over the 180th meridian, which means that the islands on the far side of the line are technically in the farthest eastern longitudes of the world.

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Toronto is the capital of Canada -

Despite being Canada's largest and arguably best-known city, it's not the capital. That honor belongs to Ottawa, a title bestowed on it by Queen Victoria in 1857.

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Mount Everest is the closest mountain to space -

You'd think so given that Everest summits at 29,031 ft (8,848 m). But the correct answer is Mount Chimborazo in Ecuador. Despite peaking at 20,702 feet (6,310 m), Chimborazo sits on the equator where the Earth bulges out, thus lifting it nearer to the cosmos.

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Norway is the northernmost country in the world -

Nope! Russia, Canada, and Greenland (Denmark) all reach closer to the North Pole, leaving Norway trailing in fourth place. For the record, Greenland's Kaffeklubben Island is the world's most northern land.

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Great Britain and the United Kingdom are one and the same -

No, not true. Great Britain consists of England, Scotland, and Wales. The United Kingdom is a sovereign nation in Western Europe that includes England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland. Therefore, Great Britain is part of the UK.

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Egypt is entirely in Africa -

Egypt is not entirely in Africa. Technically, it's a transcontinental country, as the Suez Canal serves as a dividing line between Africa and Asia. Egypt's Sinai Peninsula lies on the side of the canal that is still formally known as Asian.

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Cape Town is the sole capital of South Africa -

Cape Town is actually one of three capital cities in South Africa. It serves as the legislative capital. Meanwhile, Pretoria is the administrative capital of South Africa, while Bloemfontein is the judicial capital.

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Krakatoa is east of Java -

The 1968 disaster movie 'Krakatoa, East of Java' would have you think so, but in actual fact Krakatoa lies off the west of Java. Now extinct, the volcano erupted so violently in 1883 it literally blew itself apart, creating the loudest sound ever recorded on Earth, according to the American Academy of Audiology.

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Deserts are hot -

Well, yes, true. But nighttime temperatures in the Sahara, for instance, can dip below 25°F (4°C). More intriguingly, did you know that Antarctica and the Arctic are officially classified as deserts? And besides experiencing little or no rainfall, these places tend to be jolly cold year round!

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Mexico is south of the US border -

Lots of people think it is. But look closely at a map and you'll count no less than 11 US states that have land further south than the northernmost point of Mexico.

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Kashmir may not be part of India -

And you may be right. Or wrong. India claims this geographical region as its own, based on an instrument of accession signed in 1947 after partition. However, Pakistan argues that the area's Muslim majority is enough for it to claim sovereignty. On the other hand, China declares the largely uninhabited regions of Aksai Chin and the Shaksgam Valley as being under the control of Beijing.

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The Earth is a perfect sphere -

The Earth is actually not perfectly round. This is due to physics. Our planet's diameter bulges at the equator due to the centrifugal force created by the Earth's constant rotation. It's therefore technically an oblate spheroid—a sphere that is squashed at its poles and swollen in the middle.

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Iceland is covered in ice -

Bits of it are, for sure. But Iceland is a nation that boasts ice-free coastal regions even in the middle of winter. The 'ice' part of the name comes from Iceland's 250-plus glaciers that cover roughly 11% of the whole country.

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Afghanistan is in the Middle East -

No, it isn't. Afghanistan is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. In fact, it's often referred to as being the "Heart of Asia."

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Rhode Island is the least populated state -

Rhode Island is the smallest US state by area, so it stands to reason that it's the least populated. Well, think again. Wyoming in the west-central United States has a population of just over 584,000, according to a 2023 census published by Macrotrends.

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Lagos is the capital of Nigeria -

It used to be. Lagos was the national capital of Nigeria until December 1991, before the government's decision to move their capital to Abuja. As well as its political capital, Abuja also serves as the nation's administrative center.

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The Mississippi is the longest river in the US -

The mighty Mississippi River has been written about and sung about. But it's the Missouri that is the nation's longest river, at 2,341 miles (3,767 km) in length. That's 139 miles (223 km) longer than its rival.

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Mount Whitney is the highest mountain in the US -

What's the tallest mountain in the US? Well the answer depends on geography. In the contiguous United States, that is the 48 states that share a common border, Mount Whitney in California wins. But the highest mountain peak in all of North America is Mount Denali in Alaska, which summits at 20,310 feet (6,190 m).

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Florida is the closest state to Africa -

Glancing at a map, you'd be forgiven for thinking so. Florida is, after all, the southernmost US state. But it's not the closest state to Africa. Instead, pinpoint a place called Quoddy Head, a peninsula off the coast of Maine. It's just 3,154 miles (5,075 km) from El Beddouza, Morocco. By comparison, the closest point in Florida to Africa is over 1,000 miles (1,609 km) further.

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Route 66 is the longest highway in the US -

While it's certainly the most celebrated US highway, Route 66 (I-40) has nothing on Route 20. This mother road runs for 3,365 miles (5,415 km) from Newport, Oregon, to Boston, Massachusetts.

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Puerto Rico is a country -

Not true. Puerto Rico is in fact an unincorporated territory of the United States. You'd be forgiven for thinking it was an independent Hispanic nation, though.

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The South Pole is in Antarctica -

We conclude this list as we began, in Antarctica. So, is the South Pole located here? Yes, of course it is. But wait a minute! There are four different south poles on the continent: the Geographic South Pole, the Inaccessible South Pole, the Geomagnetic South Pole, and the Magnetic South Pole. Furthermore, the Earth's magnetic north and south poles are constantly shifting. Enough said!

Sources: (Reader's Digest) (Sporcle) (National Geographic) (Macrotrends) (American Academy of Audiology)

See also: Discover 60 extreme points of Earth

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