The internet is a magical place. It’s a library, a town square, and a movie theater all rolled into one. Unfortunately, it’s also a breeding ground for some of the most face-palmingly incorrect “facts” you’ll ever encounter, and the world of geography seems to get a particularly rough deal. From long-debunked conspiracy theories to simple, widespread misunderstandings, bad geography is everywhere.

It’s time to pull on our hiking boots, get out our compass, and navigate the treacherous terrain of online misinformation. We’re busting five of the most common and cringeworthy geography takes on the internet. Let’s set the record straight.

1. The Earth is Flat

Let’s start with the big one, the undisputed champion of bafflingly persistent bad takes. Yes, in the age of GPS, satellite imagery, and space tourism, there is a vocal community of people who insist the Earth is a flat disc, likely surrounded by an Antarctic ice wall. You’ve seen the memes, the YouTube rabbit holes, and the Twitter threads that defy all logic.

The Reality Check: Where to even begin? Humans have known the Earth is a sphere for over 2,000 years. The ancient Greeks figured it out without leaving the ground. Here’s a quick-fire list of evidence:

• The Horizon: When ships sail away, they don’t just get smaller; they sink below the horizon, hull first, mast last. This is only possible on a curved surface.
• Lunar Eclipses: During a lunar eclipse, the Earth’s shadow on the Moon is consistently round. The only shape that casts a perfectly circular shadow from any angle is a sphere.
• Time Zones: If the Earth were flat, the sun would illuminate the entire surface at once. It would be daytime everywhere simultaneously. The fact that it’s 5 PM in London while it’s 12 PM in New York is proof of our planet’s rotation and curvature.
• Photos from Space: This should be the final word, but somehow it isn’t. We have countless, verifiable photos and live video feeds of our beautiful, round planet from space.

Believing the Earth is flat isn’t just a quirky opinion; it’s a rejection of centuries of science, observation, and basic physics. So next time you see this take, just remember: we’ve got the receipts, and they’re all spherical.

2. “So, you’re from the country of Africa?”

This is arguably the most common geographical blunder, and it’s one that reveals a profound misunderstanding of an entire continent. The idea that Africa is a single, monolithic country is a persistent myth, often painting a picture of a homogenous land of savannahs and safaris.

The Reality Check: Africa is not a country. It is the world’s second-largest and second-most-populous continent, and its diversity is staggering.

• Countries: Africa is home to 54 fully recognized countries, from the bustling megacity of Lagos in Nigeria to the serene landscapes of Botswana, from the ancient wonders of Egypt to the modern tech hubs in South Africa.
• People and Languages: Over 1.4 billion people live in Africa. They speak an estimated 2,000+ different languages. An Ethiopian speaking Amharic has no more in common with a Zulu speaker from South Africa than an English speaker has with a Hungarian speaker.
• Geography: The geography of Africa is incredibly varied. It contains the world’s largest hot desert (the Sahara), vast rainforests (the Congo Basin), massive mountain ranges (the Atlas Mountains), sprawling grasslands (the Serengeti), and thousands of miles of coastline.

Lumping all of this diversity into a single “country” isn’t just incorrect; it’s a disservice to the rich tapestry of cultures, histories, and economies that make up the continent.

3. “Europe is my favorite country!”

On the flip side of the “Africa is a country” coin is the tendency, particularly among some North Americans, to treat Europe as a single entity. While the European Union (EU) has created a unique political and economic bloc, it’s a far cry from a single nation-state.

The Reality Check: Thinking you can “do” Europe in a week is like thinking you can understand all of North America by visiting Orlando. The continent is a mosaic of distinct identities.

• Cultural and Linguistic Divides: Traveling from Portugal to Poland is not like driving from California to Nevada. You’ll cross multiple borders, need different currencies (if outside the Eurozone), and encounter completely different languages, alphabets, cuisines, and social norms. The 27 EU member states alone have 24 official languages.
• Political Independence: While many European nations cooperate through the EU, they are sovereign countries with their own governments, laws, and foreign policies. Just ask a Norwegian (not in the EU) or a Swiss citizen (also not in the EU) if they consider themselves part of a unified European state.

Appreciating Europe means appreciating the fiercely independent histories and cultures of France, Italy, Germany, Greece, Sweden, and the 40-odd other countries that make up the continent.

4. Massively Misjudging Size (Thanks, Mercator!)

Have you ever looked at a world map and thought, “Wow, Greenland is absolutely huge! It looks as big as Africa!” If so, you’re not alone. You’re a victim of the Mercator projection.

The Reality Check: Most of the flat wall maps we grew up with use the Mercator projection, a map created in 1569 for nautical navigation. It’s great for preserving angles and shapes for sailing, but it comes at a massive cost: it severely distorts the size of landmasses the further you get from the equator.

• Greenland vs. Africa: This is the classic example. On a Mercator map, they look roughly the same size. In reality, Africa is more than 14 times larger than Greenland! Africa is so large that you could fit the USA, China, India, Japan, and most of Europe inside it with room to spare.
• Alaska vs. Brazil: Mercator maps make Alaska look like a behemoth, comparable in size to Brazil. In truth, Brazil is more than five times larger than Alaska.
• Europe vs. South America: Europe appears larger than South America on many maps, but South America is almost twice the size of Europe.

This isn’t just trivia; it shapes our perception of the world and the relative importance of different regions. To get a better sense of reality, check out the website TheTrueSize.com, which lets you drag and drop countries to compare their actual sizes.

5. Confusing Cities, Capitals, and Countries

This final category is a grab-bag of common fumbles that mix up fundamental political and geographic units. They happen all the time and are often a source of great frustration for the locals involved.

The Reality Check: Details matter! Getting them right shows respect and a basic understanding of how the world is organized.

• “Sydney is the capital of Australia.” Nope! While Sydney is Australia’s largest and most famous city, the capital is Canberra. This was a compromise city, chosen in 1908 because Sydney and Melbourne couldn’t stop arguing about which of them should be the capital.
• “Holland is the same as the Netherlands.” This is a tricky one. The Netherlands is the official name of the country. North Holland and South Holland are two of its twelve provinces. Because these two provinces were historically the most powerful and economically dominant, “Holland” became a common nickname for the whole country, but the Dutch government has been actively trying to move away from it to promote the entire nation.
• “I’m from Washington.” “Oh, D.C.?” “No, the state…” It’s a common mix-up for Americans, but they are over 2,300 miles apart. One is the nation’s capital district on the East Coast; the other is a large state in the Pacific Northwest famous for coffee, tech, and evergreen forests.

The world is a vast, complex, and endlessly fascinating place. While the internet can sometimes feel like a vortex of misinformation, it can also be an incredible tool for learning. The next time you see a dubious geography “fact”, take a moment to look it up. You’ll not only be better informed, but you’ll also gain a deeper appreciation for the incredible diversity of our amazing (and very, very round) planet.