Manolis Tzortzakis

Posts by Manolis Tzortzakis

• Mercator Projection: Why Greenland Looks as Big as Africa

  Updated November 7, 2026·10 min read

  The Mercator projection is a cylindrical map projection that keeps angles and local shapes correct by stretching the map more and more toward the poles. That stretch is why Greenland, about one fourteenth the size of Africa, looks just as large on most world maps and on the web maps in your phone.

• US States by Population (2025): Full Ranked List of All 50 States

  Updated November 6, 2026·11 min read

  California is the most populous state with 39,355,309 residents on July 1, 2025, and Wyoming is the least populous with 588,753, according to the Census Bureau's Vintage 2025 estimates. This list ranks all 50 states and DC with change since the 2020 Census, share of the national total and population density.

• Daylight Saving Time 2026: Start and End Dates, Rules and the Years Ahead

  Updated November 6, 2026·9 min read

  In the United States, daylight saving time 2026 began at 2:00 a.m. on Sunday, March 8 and ended at 2:00 a.m. on Sunday, November 1; the next change is March 14, 2027. This guide gives the dates through 2030 computed from the federal rule, lists the places that never change their clocks, explains where the Sunshine Protection Act stands, and shows the weeks when the US and Europe are out of step.

• How Many Miles Around the Earth? Circumference at the Equator and Poles

  Updated November 5, 2026·8 min read

  The Earth is 24,901 miles (40,075 km) around at the Equator and 24,860 miles (40,008 km) around through the poles, because it bulges slightly at the Equator. This guide shows where those numbers come from, the radius and diameter, how Eratosthenes measured the planet around 240 BCE, and how long a trip around it takes.

• How Many Time Zones Are in the US? 6 for the States, 9 by Law

  Updated November 4, 2026·8 min read

  The 50 states use six standard time zones, and federal law defines nine once Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, American Samoa, Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands are included. This guide lists every zone with its offsets, maps them, explains which 14 states are split between two zones, and sorts out why some sites say four, eleven or twelve.

• Largest and Smallest US States by Area: All 50 Ranked

  Updated November 3, 2026·10 min read

  Alaska is the largest U.S. state at 665,725 square miles of total area, and Rhode Island is the smallest at 1,545 square miles. This guide ranks all 50 states by total, land and water area using the Census Bureau's 2026 Gazetteer, and sets each against its population rank.

• Four Corners States: Where Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico and Utah Meet

  Updated November 3, 2026·9 min read

  Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico and Utah are the Four Corners states, and the Four Corners Monument is the only place in the United States where four states touch. This post maps the corner, explains how 19th-century surveyors placed it, and shows why the claim that the monument is 2.5 miles off comes from using the wrong prime meridian.

• How Many Counties Are in the US? Counts for Every State

  Updated November 2, 2026·9 min read

  There are 3,144 counties and county equivalents in the 50 states and the District of Columbia, according to the Census Bureau's 2026 Gazetteer. Texas has the most (254) and Delaware the fewest (3); this guide lists every state's count and explains parishes, boroughs, independent cities and Connecticut's planning regions.

• Map Projections Explained: Types, Properties and Which One to Use

  Updated November 2, 2026·9 min read

  A map projection is the mathematical rule that turns latitude and longitude on the curved Earth into x and y on a flat map, and every projection distorts area, shape, distance or direction somewhere. This guide explains the three families, the four properties a projection can keep, compares the projections you actually meet, and shows how to pick one.

• Highest Point in Each State: All 50 State High Points

  Updated November 1, 2026·10 min read

  Denali (Mount McKinley) in Alaska is the highest point of any state at 20,310 feet, and Florida's Britton Hill is the lowest state high point at 345 feet. This table lists every state's highest and lowest point from USGS data, with notes on why published elevations differ by a few feet.

• States That Border Mexico and Canada: Full Lists, Border Lengths and Map

  Updated November 1, 2026·8 min read

  Four states border Mexico (Texas, Arizona, New Mexico and California) and thirteen border Canada, from Alaska to Maine. This post lists both with official border lengths, the Mexican states and Canadian provinces across the line, and explains why published totals disagree.

• How Far Is the Horizon? Distance by Eye Height, With the Formula

  Updated November 1, 2026·10 min read

  For an adult standing at the water's edge, the horizon is about 3 miles (5 km) away, and the distance grows with the square root of eye height. This guide gives the formula in miles and kilometers, a computed table from beach level to a jet at 35,000 feet, the effect of atmospheric refraction, and how to tell whether a distant ship, island or tower should be visible.

• Largest Counties in the US by Area (and Population)

  Updated October 29, 2026·11 min read

  The largest county in the United States is San Bernardino County, California, with 20,068 square miles of land, unless you count Alaska's county equivalents, in which case Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area (145,768 sq mi) is seven times larger. This guide ranks the largest, smallest and most populous counties from Census Bureau data.

• Geographic Center of the United States: Kansas, South Dakota or Missouri?

  Updated October 29, 2026·9 min read

  The United States has three widely quoted centers: near Lebanon, Kansas, for the contiguous 48 states, north of Belle Fourche, South Dakota, for all 50 states, and in Wright County, Missouri, for the 2020 population. This post explains where each is, how it was calculated, and why our own recalculation lands within about 20 miles of the official figures.

• What Is a Census Designated Place (CDP)? Unincorporated Areas Explained

  Updated October 28, 2026·8 min read

  A census designated place (CDP) is a named community without its own municipal government that the Census Bureau defines so it can publish statistics for it. This post explains how CDPs differ from incorporated places, unincorporated areas and townships, lists the largest CDPs, and covers what living in one means for taxes, services and your mailing address.