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Looked at a map of Eastern Europe. My geographic literacy of it is comparable to my geographic literacy of Africa. Outside of big pieces I have no idea where anything is or what shape. There’s apparently a “North Macedonia” now. And Slovenia and Slovakia are not neighbors.
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Replying to
If Alexander was Macedonian, why do we sorta vaguely credit his conquests to Greece? Is there a big difference between the two? Now or historically?
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It’s actually worse. My main mental model of Eastern Europe is Syldavia vs Borduria from Tintin, Szplug! Area Man discovers Eastern Europe is not like in Tintin comics.
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At least this effect I’ve trained myself out of. In grad school I lived in a vegan coop where the common bathroom had a Peter projection (true area) world map on the wall across from the toilet. Developed intuitions of true proportions. Mercator should just be retired.
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Replying to @vgr
Another thing is a lot of maps don’t show countries at their true relative size
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My most extreme geo-illiteracy is probably the interior of China. Shanghai in south, Beijing in north, Tibet on border with India. That’s all I can tell you. The latinized place names are the second most impossible to learn, after Polish names.
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Mildly depressing to think my dad traveled to way more countries for work before he retired than I probably will. He’s been to Czechoslovakia, Poland, Australia, New Zealand. I could afford to just pay my own way now, but the game is only fun if you’re being paid to go places.
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