3 ms·

Is Alaska part of America? How about Hawaii?

by j16sdiz 4y ago

zinekeller 4y ago
No, this is not the equivalent question. The more appropriate one for US is Puerto Rico or even US Virgin Islands.
- DoreenMichele 4y ago
  Or Guam, among others: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Territories_of_the_United_States https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Territories_of_the_United_St...
- JJMcJ 4y ago
  Each of the territories have slightly different statuses. The Commonwealth of Puerto Rico is "closer" to being like a state than any of the others.
  - JJMcJ 4y ago
    Learned that during the GW Bush administration, the Federal Government was ordered to interact with the government of Puerto Rico, as much as with possible, in the same way as an equivalent interaction with a state government. So it is closer.
afiori 4y ago
A discussion of all the various territories of the US https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ASSOQDQvVLU https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ASSOQDQvVLU
ChrisMarshallNY 4y ago
I think Greenland is part of Denmark. Don’t forget administrative districts, like Guam, or Puerto Rico. Tokyo has a “grid-based” street addressing system, that I never fully understood. There are streets with no name, there (wasn’t that a U2 song?). I find that long/lat (don’t forget the Southern Hemisphere) is about the only universal constant. If I am writing software that has a focus on just one nation, that helps a lot, but I need to keep in mind, that I may want to expand it. Normalizing time, across the International Date Line, or Prime Meridian, is also fun (Daylight Savings makes this fun. India has a time zone that has a 30-minute component).
- a_c 4y ago
  Regarding japanese addresses, you can either see blocks as unnamed spaces between streets, or streets as unnamed spaces between blocks. https://www.ted.com/talks/derek_sivers_weird_or_just_different https://www.ted.com/talks/derek_sivers_weird_or_just_differe...
- JJMcJ 4y ago
  Greenland now has a semi-autonomous status under the Danish monarch, so not part of Denmark. So it is similar to the former Dutch colonies in the Caribbean in that respect. And there are also +45 minute time zones. Not just India. Including one zone in Australia, and Newfoundland in Canada. Here is a map: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/4b/Solar_time_vs_standard_time.png/1200px-Solar_time_vs_standard_time.png https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/4b/So... Look at it and tremble.
apendleton 4y ago
As in the article, I think it depends to some extent on what question you're asking. "What is the population of the US?" is almost definitely intended to include Alaska and Hawaii, but if someone asks "what is the geographic center of the US," they probably intend for the answer to be something in South Dakota, not the point off the coast of British Columbia that you get if you include Alaska and Hawaii, or the point out in the middle of the Pacific if you include Guam, etc.
JJMcJ 4y ago
Politically they are two of fifty states of the United States, and on an equal footing with the other 48. Geographically, Alaska is part of North America, and Hawaii isn't.

Is Alaska part of America? How about Hawaii?

zinekeller 4y ago

No, this is not the equivalent question. The more appropriate one for US is Puerto Rico or even US Virgin Islands.

DoreenMichele 4y ago
Or Guam, among others: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Territories_of_the_United_States https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Territories_of_the_United_St...
JJMcJ 4y ago
Each of the territories have slightly different statuses. The Commonwealth of Puerto Rico is "closer" to being like a state than any of the others.
- JJMcJ 4y ago
  Learned that during the GW Bush administration, the Federal Government was ordered to interact with the government of Puerto Rico, as much as with possible, in the same way as an equivalent interaction with a state government. So it is closer.

afiori 4y ago

A discussion of all the various territories of the US https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ASSOQDQvVLU https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ASSOQDQvVLU

ChrisMarshallNY 4y ago

I think Greenland is part of Denmark. Don’t forget administrative districts, like Guam, or Puerto Rico. Tokyo has a “grid-based” street addressing system, that I never fully understood. There are streets with no name, there (wasn’t that a U2 song?). I find that long/lat (don’t forget the Southern Hemisphere) is about the only universal constant. If I am writing software that has a focus on just one nation, that helps a lot, but I need to keep in mind, that I may want to expand it. Normalizing time, across the International Date Line, or Prime Meridian, is also fun (Daylight Savings makes this fun. India has a time zone that has a 30-minute component).

a_c 4y ago
Regarding japanese addresses, you can either see blocks as unnamed spaces between streets, or streets as unnamed spaces between blocks. https://www.ted.com/talks/derek_sivers_weird_or_just_different https://www.ted.com/talks/derek_sivers_weird_or_just_differe...
JJMcJ 4y ago
Greenland now has a semi-autonomous status under the Danish monarch, so not part of Denmark. So it is similar to the former Dutch colonies in the Caribbean in that respect. And there are also +45 minute time zones. Not just India. Including one zone in Australia, and Newfoundland in Canada. Here is a map: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/4b/Solar_time_vs_standard_time.png/1200px-Solar_time_vs_standard_time.png https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/4b/So... Look at it and tremble.

apendleton 4y ago

As in the article, I think it depends to some extent on what question you're asking. "What is the population of the US?" is almost definitely intended to include Alaska and Hawaii, but if someone asks "what is the geographic center of the US," they probably intend for the answer to be something in South Dakota, not the point off the coast of British Columbia that you get if you include Alaska and Hawaii, or the point out in the middle of the Pacific if you include Guam, etc.

JJMcJ 4y ago

Politically they are two of fifty states of the United States, and on an equal footing with the other 48. Geographically, Alaska is part of North America, and Hawaii isn't.