There are Mercator projection maps with the Americas in the center and Japan on the left edge of the map.

Most maps, regardless of projection used, cut the world through the pacific because there’s barely any land. World maps centering the Americas cut through Central Asia, making them less practical for many applications.

All map projections try to flatten a curved surface. That only works with cuts and distortions. They are all trade-offs between conserving area, angles, shapes, distances. It’s impossible to to all of that.

美國 can be very 美, politics aside

Time Square and the surrounding area is cool, although it make me anxious as fuck since I'm an introvert and because 嗰時咁細個喺外國，英語當時亦唔係幾好, so I kinda have to stay very close to 父母 to feel safe, but its just amazing how so many people can fit in such a tiny island (Manhattan, that is)

唐人街 in 曼克頓 is a reminder that I'm not alone is this place, last I checked, there are 5 Million of us here, it's always a good reality check when faced with the constant news of political problems and the government constantly threatening to deport people.

My mom always said “唔洗怕，如果係排華唔會淨係趕你一個人” (You won't be the only one to be deported, we'd all be together) lmao

I remember 啱啱來到美國嗰時 we'd use the subway a lot, but when we cross from Booklyn, where we lived, to Manhattan, the subway goes above ground to cross the water separating the two 區 on a bridge. That was the coolest scenes, just crossing the bridge, looking outside of the window of the subway. This place is so big.

I remember in 廣州, 住喺嗰啲樓，the apartment unit was 好窄好邋遢

嗰時喺布碌崙租嘅個間單位 (its a townhouse in suburban area, not a apartment building)，雖然亦係覺得好窄，但係覺得好似比較新，現代，like... it's just 睇落去好好多，睇落去順眼 know what I mean?

There are just so many cool places like there's 好多公園 and 好多樹 where 廣州到冇咁多 greenery，空氣冇咁好

It really is a beautiful country, but then you have these politicians trying to ruin it... and also um... 你知啦... foreign policy... 👀

The continent of America is called 美洲, as in "the beautiful continent"

They just picked some characters that sound like 'Canada'. It probably means something nonsensical like Greedy Purple Turtle

Interesting thought

I don't think the other nations are too bothered by it in most cases.

The country that comes to mind first is Germany. They call it Deutschland. I never looked into why we as English speakers call it "Germany". I just do it because everyone else does.

I haven't heard of Germans getting upset about it. If they were legitimately offended, I'd start calling it Deutschland, no problem.

The real issues come in when there's a historical context. Like, if the name contains a slur for the people in that nation. Or if you mix up the names of neighbouring Balkan countries.

It's been changing a bit with British English in a few places. I remember when the Netherlands was more commonly referred to as Holland, which is no longer that common at all anymore.

Netherlands isn't exact with the native name being Nederlands and is instead more of a "sound-a-like" translation as if we had it spelled in it's native way you know the lamen would instead just call it the Nedderlands.

That its in the middle of the world... which doesn't exactly make sense once I started realizing the fact that the Earth is round, so there is not really a "center" like a hypothetical flat earth would have.

Neutral, 以色列 doesn't exactly make me think of anything in particular. I also learned about isrsel in the English language before I looked for the transliterated characters, so maybe that subconcious thing didn't apply.

The Chinese characters for Norway didn't have much of a impression, maybe because I first learned of Norway like very late into teenage years when I already used English as primary language. I already have "they treat prisoners very well" and "social welfare" into my mind, before I looked up the characters for Norway.