Got a question? Ever wondered about something related to geography? Then ask away here. Every two weeks, Joe Blanton, director of our Research Correspondence division, will post answers to three of the most interesting questions received via e-mail. Unfortunately time constraints preclude individual e-mail responses.
In search of middle America ...
Where is the geographic center of the lower 48 United States?
The concept of a geographic center is a curious one when you consider the varied shapes of continents. How do you compute the center of something with
such an irregular outline? One way is to imagine the continent as a flat plane, minus its mountains and valleys. Then picture the plane balanced on a fulcrum. The point at which the plane is perfectly balanced might be considered the geographic center.
In this context, the geographic center of the lower 48 or conterminous states is near Lebanon in Smith County, Kansas. The coordinates are latitude 39° 50 N, longitude 98° 35 W.
The geographic center of the entire North American continentlatitude 48°10 N, longitude 100°10 W
lies six miles (nearly ten kilometers) west of Balta in Pierce County, North Dakota. And the magic spot for all 50 states is at latitude 44°58 N, longitude 103°46 W, near Castle Rock in Butte County, South Dakota.
Some years ago I recall discovering that there was not, in actuality, any such thing as a white rhino, but that the term had derived from the early Dutch/German settlers word weit, meaning wide, and has, over the years, been transposed into the English word white.
I imparted this information to a friend, who promptly refuted it, claiming he had seen white rhinos on the screen. I theorized that he had either seen an albino, which is rare, or had seen the mud, in which they roll, caked and dried on the skin, giving the appearance of a white hide.
If someone on your staff could either confirm or deny my original information, I would be most appreciative.
According to the American Zoo and Aquarium Association, the white rhino, also known as the square-lipped rhino, was named for the Afrikaans word weit, which described its wide mouth. The coloration of white rhinos can vary from yellowish brown to a slaty gray.
Have you thought of putting an index to NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC here on the Web site?
Yes. In fact, weve done more than think about it. There is an index to National Geographic publications, including NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC magazine, right here at National Geographic Online.
You can access it by clicking the NGS Publications Index icon on the left side of the main menu.
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