The Top 10: Geographic Anomalies
This list was proposed by David Mills, when Nato rejected the application of Qatar, saying only European countries could be members, on this side of the Atlantic. He began with Israel and Australia in the Eurovision Song Contest, and Berwick Rangers (from Berwick-upon-Tweed) playing in Scottish football leagues.
1. Bristol is further east than Edinburgh. Nominated by Dan Jackson. There are plenty more of these. Carlisle is also east of Edinburgh (Bruno). Chile is east of New York (Omer Lev). Reno, Nevada, is west of Los Angeles, California (Archibald Carmichael). South of Detroit is Canada (Robert Wright).
2. Maine is the closest US state to Africa. From Callum Taylor. It’s true.
3. The Atlantic end of the Panama Canal is further west than the Pacific end. Ian Blandford and Robert Wright.
4. The Church is disestablished in parts of England. Sam Korn said when the Church of England in Wales was disestablished in 1920, becoming the Church in Wales, breaking the link between church and state, “there were parishes that were on both sides of the border. They held polls to decide which side they should go on. There is a tiny corner of Shropshire which is disestablished, and several bits of Wales that aren’t.”
5. North Parade in Oxford is to the south of South Parade. “Niche”, said Alan Beattie.
6. The Sovereign Military Order of Malta (in full, the Sovereign Military Hospitaller Order of Saint John of Jerusalem, of Rhodes and of Malta) is a sovereign entity under international law with UN observer status and diplomatic ties with 107 states – yet has no territory, in Malta or anywhere else. Nominated by Mark Worgan.
7. Swansea and Cardiff play in the English Football League. Conversely, Shrewsbury has won the Welsh Cup six times. From our association football correspondents David Robinson and James Mendelsohn.
8. Little Diomede Island is two miles from Big Diomede Island but 21 hours away. The Diomede islands in the Bering Strait between Alaska and Siberia are divided by the international date line. Little Diomede, or Ignaluk (US), has a population of 135; Big Diomede, or Tomorrow Island (Russia), is uninhabited. Thanks to Damian Counsell.
9. Surrey County Council HQ is not in Surrey. County Hall, opened in 1893, is in Kingston upon Thames, which was in Surrey before the creation of the London County Council four years earlier in 1889. Nominated by Patrick Hennessy and David Webster.
10. France has a border with the Netherlands; “not in Europe, but on the Caribbean island of Saint Martin/Sint Maarten (the one where the planes land over the beach)”, said Geoffrey Mamdani.
In the “there’s always one” category: Derek Connor for this: “Ayr Town Centre – nowhere near Brazil.”
Next week: Demolished Buildings, such as the Roman temple, or “stone house”, from which Stenhousemuir takes its name
Coming soon: Countries That Used to be “The”, such as The French Territory of the Afars and the Issa, now Djibouti.
Your suggestions please, and ideas for future Top 10s, to me on Twitter, or by email to top10@independent.co.uk
