this post was submitted on 17 Nov 2025
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CartographyAnarchy

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[–] nocturne@slrpnk.net 50 points 3 days ago (4 children)

We have our own in New Mexico.

[–] Skua@kbin.earth 16 points 2 days ago (2 children)

Today I learned that there's a river called "Canadian River" half a continent away from Canada I guess

[–] captainlezbian@lemmy.world 3 points 2 days ago

We used to really like them. Now only some of us do

[–] Shave_MyBeever@lemmy.world 1 points 2 days ago (1 children)

There's also the Columbia River, that starts in Canada and flows through the PNW US, but nowhere near Columbia ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

[–] Skua@kbin.earth 4 points 2 days ago (1 children)

Nowhere near Colombia with a second O, but it's in British Columbia and also in Columbia as in the poetic name for the USA. It's actually what British Columbia is named after!

[–] Shave_MyBeever@lemmy.world 1 points 2 days ago (1 children)

I s'pose you're "technically correct" lol I should take my meds

[–] Skua@kbin.earth 3 points 2 days ago

Well hey, you should be doing that regardless of who was right. Take care of yourself, Beever

[–] Texas_Hangover@lemmy.radio 4 points 2 days ago

Oklahoma is a pox on us all.

[–] snooggums@piefed.world 6 points 3 days ago (1 children)

I didn't know about either of these and my day is now in ruins.

[–] snooggums@piefed.world 4 points 3 days ago

Oh no, the Montana, Wyoming, and South Dakota connection is goofy too!

Gonna go lie down.

[–] RememberTheApollo_@lemmy.world 1 points 2 days ago (1 children)

If you zoom in on it on a map app it’s all kinds of messed up at the tri-state corner. Like all the borders were a little off and they drew the lines to the point as they got closer.

[–] billwashere@lemmy.world 1 points 2 days ago

The crop circles are kinda neat

[–] ordnance_qf_17_pounder@reddthat.com 43 points 3 days ago (6 children)

Meanwhile in Belgium and the Netherlands

[–] _stranger_@lemmy.world 12 points 2 days ago

What's so bad about that, the blue line is slightly crooked?

Oh that's a road.

What are all these black lines and squares?

Oh.

oh no.

[–] Hagdos@lemmy.world 9 points 2 days ago (1 children)

You mean in the Netherlands in Belgium in the Netherlands?

[–] sawdustprophet@midwest.social 7 points 2 days ago (1 children)

"You got some Netherlands in my Belgium!" "No, you got some Belgium in my Netherlands!"

[–] Trainguyrom@reddthat.com 1 points 2 days ago

Why does this sound like a bit from Map Men?

[–] SomethingBurger@jlai.lu 5 points 2 days ago

The existence of this alone is proof that the entire concept of borders is absurd.

[–] SubArcticTundra@lemmy.ml 3 points 2 days ago

Cartographers needed job security

[–] Horsey@lemmy.world 2 points 2 days ago

Actually a really cool place to walk around for a day. Buy fireworks then take the NS to Tilburg and get a joint in the same afternoon lol.

[–] quinkin@lemmy.world 19 points 2 days ago (3 children)

Ok, this is worse.

[–] toholio@lemmy.world 5 points 2 days ago

This isn’t zoomed in enough to show that the squiggly border is the middle of the river between SA and Vic. but the south bank of the river between NSW and Vic.

[–] sugar_in_your_tea@sh.itjust.works 2 points 2 days ago (1 children)

Looks like it follows a river, so I'll give it a pass. The Michigan one is just dumb.

[–] toholio@lemmy.world 3 points 2 days ago (1 children)

It follows the middle of the river for part of it and the southern bank for the rest.

[–] sugar_in_your_tea@sh.itjust.works 2 points 2 days ago (1 children)

Wait, why the southern bank?

[–] toholio@lemmy.world 4 points 2 days ago

There was a legal case involving the wrongful death of someone in a boat that needed the boundary better defined for jurisdictional reasons and some older documents said “the whole watercourse” was part of NSW: https://www.austlii.edu.au/cgi-bin/viewdoc/au/cases/cth/HCA/1980/11.html

[–] Agent641@lemmy.world 11 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago)

Zoom out and look at the border between Western Australia and Restern Australia. Satisfying.

Then zoom in on the intersection of Western Australia, South Australia and Northern Territory.

There's a story to it, I can't decide if it's malicious compliance, feature-not-bug or "not my fucking job".

[–] Godric@lemmy.world 10 points 2 days ago (1 children)

Please don't post *hio without a trigger warning, thanks

[–] pinball_wizard@lemmy.zip 6 points 2 days ago

This is the Internet. You can swear all you want, but thank you for censoring mentions of you know where.

[–] CobblerScholar@lemmy.world 16 points 3 days ago (2 children)
[–] midribbon_action@lemmy.blahaj.zone 13 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago) (1 children)

The Toledo Strip is in the picture, but the reason this got fucked up in the first place is actually Indiana just demanding Congress give them access to Lake Michigan, a couple decades before the war. If Indiana didn't have access to the lake federally recognized, the Toledo Strip dispute would have extended all the way across Michigan's border, because it was based on competing surveys.

EDIT: I should clarify for everyone who isn't in the picture, Indiana is the lower left state that touches the lake in its northwest corner. Ohio, bottom right, actually 'won' the war and contains the Toledo Strip, and that actually made the jagged edge less fucked up, but Michigan got a giant mountain full of iron as a compromise, which is why all of America's early car manufacturers ended up in Detroit, making it a city.

[–] BakerBagel@midwest.social 7 points 2 days ago

And then Indiana ruined that lake access by slapping Gary there

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[–] anomnom@sh.itjust.works 6 points 2 days ago

But the bump is more to the right and pretty much only fits Toledo. Fuck Toledo.

[–] Squibbles@lemmy.ca 5 points 2 days ago

I looked at this on google maps and even better, when you zoom in on that top right corner of Indiana the east-west border there isn't even a straight line. It bends slightly when it reaches the road a few hundred yards to the west

[–] Wilco@lemmy.zip 5 points 2 days ago

I hate this! Reeeeeeeee!

[–] M1ch431@slrpnk.net 9 points 3 days ago (1 children)
[–] snooggums@piefed.world 5 points 3 days ago (3 children)

"Am I a joke to you?"

-Colorado

[–] Skua@kbin.earth 5 points 2 days ago (1 children)
[–] snooggums@piefed.world 6 points 2 days ago

Congress defined the borders of Colorado as a geospherical rectangle, stretching from 37°N to 41°N latitude, and from 25°W to 32°W longitude.

Congress declared it was a rectangle. Take that, reality!

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[–] UnderpantsWeevil@lemmy.world 6 points 2 days ago (1 children)
[–] ArsonButCute@lemmy.dbzer0.com 3 points 2 days ago

The joke goes that Ohio lost, and that's why they're stuck with Toledo.

Guessing there is a huge Walmart there that got in the way

[–] captainlezbian@lemmy.world 4 points 2 days ago (1 children)

Yeah but let the people of ft Wayne live with that discomfort. They know what they did

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[–] Lemminary@lemmy.world 2 points 2 days ago

Thanks, I hate you.

[–] AllNewTypeFace@leminal.space 4 points 3 days ago

That’s not very kentucky.

[–] criticon@lemmy.ca 2 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago)

I'm ok with that in exchange of the UP

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