Within A Degree

Rank the following world cities, from the furthest north to the furthest south:

New York City, United States
Madrid, Spain
Istanbul, Turkey
Beijing, China

Answer: New York is 40° 42’ 52” north. Madrid is 40° 25’ north. Istanbul is 41° 0’ 19” north. Beijing is 39° 54’ 16” north. So the correct order is: Istanbul, New York, Madrid, Beijing.

Now, rank the following U.S. cities, from the furthest east to the furthest west:

New Orleans, Louisiana
Jackson, Mississippi
Memphis, Tennessee
St. Louis, Missouri

Answer: New Orleans is 90° 4’ 14” west. Jackson is 90° 11’ 6” west. Memphis is 90° 2’ 56” west. St. Louis is 90° 11’ 12” west. So the correct order is: Memphis, New Orleans, Jackson, St. Louis.


Which city is further west, Boston (United States) or Santiago (Chile)?

Answer: Boston is at 71° 3’ 35” west. Santiago is 70° 34’ west. Boston is to the west of Santiago.

Precise city locations were calculated using the locations given for each city by Google Earth.