When looking at the map, I realized that the United States seems to be positioned quite far north on the globe, especially when you consider that the entire United States, besides Hawaii, is nowhere near the equator.
Another observation I made is that the continents in the southern hemisphere aren’t nearly as close to the south pole as I thought. I found that many portions of the United States are closer to the north pole than the southernmost points of Africa and South America are to the south pole.
I thought it might be fun to see how far north the United States is relative to countries in the southern hemisphere. Surprisingly, I found that:
The southernmost point of Africa is as far south as Huntsville, Alabama, is north,
The southern most point of Australia is as far south as Boise, Idaho, is north,
And the southernmost point of South America is only as far south as Wrangell, Alaska, is north.
Here is a quick list of the states by average latitude compared to a country in the southern hemisphere whose average latitude is roughly as far south of the equator as the state is north of the equator:
| State (Average Latitude) | Country (Average Latitude) |
|---|---|
| Hawaii (21.09ºN) | Botswana (22.34ºS) |
| Florida (27.77ºN) | South Africa (28.58ºS) |
| Texas (31.05ºN) | Lesotho (29.62ºS) |
| Louisiana (31.17ºN) | Uruguay (32.56ºS) |
| Mississippi (32.74ºN) | Uruguay (32.56ºS) |
| Alabama (32.81ºN) | Uruguay (32.56ºS) |
| Georgia (33.04ºN) | Uruguay (32.56ºS) |
| Arizona (33.73ºN) | Uruguay (32.56ºS) |
| South Carolina (33.86ºN) | Uruguay (32.56ºS) |
| New Mexico (34.84ºN) | Argentina (37.10ºS) |
| Arkansas (34.97ºN) | Argentina (37.10ºS) |
| Oklahoma (35.57ºN) | Argentina (37.10ºS) |
| North Carolina (35.63ºN) | Argentina (37.10ºS) |
| Tennessee (35.75ºN) | Argentina (37.10ºS) |
| California (36.12ºN) | Argentina (37.10ºS) |
| Kentucky (37.67ºN) | Argentina (37.10ºS) |
| Virginia (37.77ºN) | Argentina (37.10ºS) |
| Nevada (38.31ºN) | Argentina (37.10ºS) |
| Missouri (38.46ºN) | Argentina (37.10ºS) |
| West Virginia (38.49ºN) | Argentina (37.10ºS) |
| Kansas (38.53ºN) | Argentina (37.10ºS) |
| Colorado (39.06ºN) | New Zealand (40.53ºS) |
| Maryland (39.06ºN) | New Zealand (40.53ºS) |
| Delaware (39.32ºN) | New Zealand (40.53ºS) |
| Indiana (39.85ºN) | New Zealand (40.53ºS) |
| Utah (40.15ºN) | New Zealand (40.53ºS) |
| New Jersey (40.30ºN) | New Zealand (40.53ºS) |
| Illinois (40.35ºN) | New Zealand (40.53ºS) |
| Ohio (40.39ºN) | New Zealand (40.53ºS) |
| Pennsylvania (40.59ºN) | New Zealand (40.53ºS) |
| Nebraska (41.13ºN) | New Zealand (40.53ºS) |
| Connecticut (41.60ºN) | New Zealand (40.53ºS) |
| Rhode Island (41.68ºN) | New Zealand (40.53ºS) |
| Iowa (42.01ºN) | New Zealand (40.53ºS) |
| New York (42.17ºN) | New Zealand (40.53ºS) |
| Massachusetts (42.23ºN) | New Zealand (40.53ºS) |
| Wyoming (42.76ºN) | New Zealand (40.53ºS) |
| Michigan (43.33ºN) | New Zealand (40.53ºS) |
| New Hampshire (43.45ºN) | New Zealand (40.53ºS) |
| Vermont (44.05ºN) | New Zealand (40.53ºS) |
| Idaho (44.24ºN) | New Zealand (40.53ºS) |
| Wisconsin (44.27ºN) | New Zealand (40.53ºS) |
| South Dakota (44.30ºN) | New Zealand (40.53ºS) |
| Oregon (44.57ºN) | New Zealand (40.53ºS) |
| Maine (44.69ºN) | New Zealand (40.53ºS) |
| Minnesota (45.69ºN) | New Zealand (40.53ºS) |
| Montana (46.92ºN) | Falkland Islands (51.96ºS) |
| Washington (47.40ºN) | Falkland Islands (51.96ºS) |
| North Dakota (47.53ºN) | Falkland Islands (51.96ºS) |
| Alaska (61.37ºN) | The South Sandwich Islands (56.84ºS) |
Are the countries of the southern hemisphere closer to or further from the equator than you thought?
Onward American 