Nostr notes by OpenCage 👉🌍

16/ Geographic history requires that we award a point to ...

2026-04-24T15:29:41Z

In reply to nevent1q…r5xd
_________________________

16/ Geographic history requires that we award a point to Iván Sánchez Ortega (npub1nvk…puyd) for "Spain 🇪🇸 and Portugal 🇵🇹 ... in 1598."👏👏👏

#fridaygeotrivia

15/ [@c_dan4th](https://mstdn.social/@c_dan4th ) sticks to the ...

2026-04-24T15:28:23Z

In reply to nevent1q…227v
_________________________

15/ [@c_dan4th](https://mstdn.social/@c_dan4th ) sticks to the Americas and claims
🇦🇷 Argentina and 🇨🇱 Chile

#fridaygeotrivia

14/ and now he also bags 🇿🇲 Zambia & 🇦🇴 Angola ...

2026-04-24T15:25:59Z

In reply to nevent1q…wftq
_________________________

14/ and now he also bags 🇿🇲 Zambia & 🇦🇴 Angola
#fridaygeotrivia

13/ @npub1ah2…ej3m runs rampant in Africa and snaps up 🇳🇦 ...

2026-04-24T15:24:31Z

In reply to nevent1q…kg8j
_________________________

13/ Ciarán Ferrie (npub1ah2…ej3m) runs rampant in Africa and snaps up 🇳🇦 Namibia & 🇧🇼 Botswana and 🇳🇦 Namibia & 🇿🇦 South Africa - 2 points!
#fridaygeotrivia

12/ Well done to [@c_dan4th](https://mstdn.social/@c_dan4th ) who ...

2026-04-24T15:23:06Z

In reply to nevent1q…k3ql
_________________________

12/ Well done to [@c_dan4th](https://mstdn.social/@c_dan4th ) who gets on the board with US 🇺🇸 Mexico 🇲🇽 along the New Mexico border.

it's like you people never heard of the Gadsden Purchase
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gadsden_Purchase

#fridaygeotrivia

11/ Point @npub1ah2…ej3m This one took shamefully long to find ...

2026-04-24T15:21:38Z

In reply to nevent1q…f6sc
_________________________

11/ Point Ciarán Ferrie (npub1ah2…ej3m) This one took shamefully long to find 🇳🇦 Namibia & 🇦🇴 Angola
#fridaygeotrivia

10/ it's going to be difficult to catch @npub1ah2…ej3m ...

2026-04-24T15:20:14Z

In reply to nevent1q…jx40
_________________________

10/ it's going to be difficult to catch Ciarán Ferrie (npub1ah2…ej3m) though who discovers 🇲🇷 Mauritania & 🇲🇱 Mali
#fridaygeotrivia

9/ and now a full point to @npub1smm…g5cn for Uganda 🇺🇬 ...

2026-04-24T15:18:45Z

In reply to nevent1q…dy30
_________________________

9/ and now a full point to tlohde (npub1smm…g5cn) for Uganda 🇺🇬 Tanzania 🇹🇿 👏👏

#fridaygeotrivia

8/ @npub1ah2…ej3m is running away with it. Point for 🇸🇳 ...

2026-04-24T15:17:29Z

In reply to nevent1q…tzj7
_________________________

8/ Ciarán Ferrie (npub1ah2…ej3m) is running away with it.

Point for 🇸🇳 Senegal & 🇬🇼 Guinea Bissau
#fridaygeotrivia

7/ We will award a half point to @npub1smm…g5cn for 🇺🇸 US ...

2026-04-24T15:16:26Z

In reply to nevent1q…0w5y
_________________________

7/ We will award a half point to tlohde (npub1smm…g5cn) for 🇺🇸 US 🇨🇦 Canada. But the Alaska portion.

#fridaygeotrivia

6/ But @npub1ah2…ej3m expands his lead with 🇪🇬 Egypt ...

2026-04-24T15:14:28Z

In reply to nevent1q…4489
_________________________

6/ But Ciarán Ferrie (npub1ah2…ej3m) expands his lead with 🇪🇬 Egypt & 🇱🇾 Libya
#fridaygeotrivia

5/ point! to @npub1x3u…qqfr for Zambia 🇿🇲 and Congo ...

2026-04-24T15:13:18Z

In reply to nevent1q…0ama
_________________________

5/ point! to amᵃᵖanda (npub1x3u…qqfr) for Zambia 🇿🇲 and Congo 🇨🇩
(That bit in Northern Zambia in copper belt region)

#fridaygeotrivia

4/ and another one to @npub1ah2…ej3m for 🇺🇿 Uzbekistan ...

2026-04-24T15:11:42Z

In reply to nevent1q…6x98
_________________________

4/ and another one to Ciarán Ferrie (npub1ah2…ej3m) for 🇺🇿 Uzbekistan & 🇰🇿 Kazakhstan
#fridaygeotrivia

3/ @npub1ah2…ej3m gets on the board with 🇵🇬 Papua New ...

2026-04-24T15:07:47Z

In reply to nevent1q…nsgj
_________________________

3/ Ciarán Ferrie (npub1ah2…ej3m) gets on the board with 🇵🇬 Papua New Guinea and 🇮🇩 Indonesia
#fridaygeotrivia

2/ First #fridaygeotrivia point to @npub1khg…yj8g for Egypt ...

2026-04-24T15:05:55Z

In reply to nevent1q…5fen
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2/ First #fridaygeotrivia point to Felix Cremer (npub1khg…yj8g) for Egypt 🇪🇬 and Sudan 🇸🇩

🚨Time for #fridaygeotrivia 🚨 This month's question: ...

2026-04-24T15:01:55Z

🚨Time for #fridaygeotrivia 🚨

This month's question: Name country pairs that share at least one significant land border segment deliberately drawn along a line of latitude or longitude - a “ruler border.”

An example is the 🇺🇸 US and 🇨🇦 Canada along the the 49th parallel.

As always:
• Only one answer per toot
• You must include the hashtag #fridaygeotrivia and the emoji flag of the countries

Full rules/details of prizes on the blog: https://blog.opencagedata.com/post/geotrivia-april-2026

RE: https://mapstodon.space/@geomob/116419262767622505 Was a very ...

2026-04-17T09:12:04Z

RE: https://mapstodon.space/@geomob/116419262767622505

Was a very enjoyable evening

quoting
note1pv7…u6a4

Many thanks to everyone who joined us last night for the first Geomob Cologne.

Was a great group and interesting talks. Many thanks to Christoph Friedrich for organizing and GRAS https://www.gras-system.org for hosting us

#geomobCGN

6/ That concludes our look at geographic jokes. What did we miss? ...

2026-04-01T13:25:37Z

In reply to nevent1q…80j4
_________________________

6/ That concludes our look at geographic jokes. What did we miss?

If you liked this #geoweirdness thread you may also enjoy our look at

Geo games: https://en.osm.town/@opencage/113606413273241319

and of course "The Vaguely Rude Places Map" is always worth a chuckle
https://en.osm.town/@opencage/110524917750377747

We have many more threads about specific countries and regions, border disputes, geocoding, etc linked over on our blog:
https://blog.opencagedata.com/geothreads

5/ to close out our little thread of geographic jokes here's ...

2026-04-01T12:51:35Z

In reply to nevent1q…6ayd
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5/ to close out our little thread of geographic jokes here's a fun one from our very own mtmail (npub1dpt…5u96) and naturalist #OpenStreetMap mapping

https://mastodon.social/@mtmail/116329520012697501

"Map Like You were Born To"

#geoweirdness

4/ Another bit of cartographic fun is the long tradition of map ...

2026-04-01T11:18:02Z

In reply to nevent1q…nttc
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4/ Another bit of cartographic fun is the long tradition of map makers hiding figures in their maps

SwissTopo has a nice article with several examples from their maps:
https://www.swisstopo.admin.ch/en/hidden-images-20161221

#geoweirdness

3/ No list of geographic jokes would be complete without a ...

2026-04-01T11:09:00Z

In reply to nevent1q…gdvc
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3/ No list of geographic jokes would be complete without a discussion of the "Bielefeld Conspiracy" which makes the claim that the German 🇩🇪 city of Bielefeld does not exist.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bielefeld_conspiracy

#geoweirdness

2/ of course if fictional countries are your thing you will be ...

2026-04-01T11:06:44Z

In reply to nevent1q…g3m3
_________________________

2/ of course if fictional countries are your thing you will be aware of "Null Island" which is conveniently located at the coordinates 0,0

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Null_Island

We are pleased to say that our geocoding API supports searching for Null Island

Here's a great article by Alan McConchie (npub19fq…ufzc) about Null Island
https://stamen.com/the-many-lives-of-null-island/

#geoweirdness #nullisland

It's April Fools' Day so we thought it fitting to pay ...

2026-04-01T10:58:43Z

It's April Fools' Day so we thought it fitting to pay tribute to one of the greatest geographic jokes of all time.

In 1977 British newspaper The Guardian published a seven page supplement about the fictional nation of San Serriffe

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/San_Serriffe

#geoweirdness

6/ This historic split between the two modern countries is most ...

2026-02-08T10:49:35Z

In reply to nevent1q…km29
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6/ This historic split between the two modern countries is most vividly seen across the mightly Congo River, where their capitals, Kinshasa (DRC 🇨🇩) and Brazzaville (RC 🇨🇬), are the world’s closest capitals.

The commercial airline flight between them, which lasts about five minutes, is one of the shortest international flights in the world. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kinshasa%E2%80%93Brazzaville

#geoweirdness

3/ The political division of the Congo began during the 1880s ...

2026-02-08T10:49:35Z

In reply to nevent1q…2x3y
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3/ The political division of the Congo began during the 1880s "Scramble for Africa".

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scramble_for_Africa

The Congo River became the contested border: 🇫🇷 France’s Pierre de Brazza claimed the north bank (future RC), while King Leopold II of Belgium 🇧🇪, secured the immense south bank, which was named the Congo Free State (future DRC)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Berlin_Conference

#geoweirdness

2/ Both the Democratic Republic of the Congo 🇨🇩 and the ...

2026-02-08T10:49:35Z

In reply to nevent1q…l6lm
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2/ Both the Democratic Republic of the Congo 🇨🇩 and the Republic of the Congo 🇨🇬 draw their names from the powerful Kingdom of Kongo, a centralized state established around 1390.

The Kingdom historically spanned both banks of the Congo River, politically and culturally uniting the Bakongo people—an identity that was subsequently divided by colonial borders.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kingdom_of_Kongo

#geoweirdness

4/ The Congo Free State was owned personally by King Leopold and ...

2026-02-08T10:49:35Z

In reply to nevent1q…l0j0
_________________________

4/ The Congo Free State was owned personally by King Leopold and was not part of Belgium 🇧🇪
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Congo_Free_State

and was brutally exploited for resources
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atrocities_in_the_Congo_Free_State#

in 1908 it was annexed by Belgium due to public outcry.

Meanwhile to the north "Congo français" 🇫🇷 became part of French Equatorial Africa which also included modern Gabon 🇬🇦, Central African Republic 🇨🇫, Cameroon 🇨🇲, and Chad 🇹🇩

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_Equatorial_Africa

#geoweirdness

5/ Both Congos gained independence in 1960, but the paths taken ...

2026-02-08T10:49:35Z

In reply to nevent1q…w86z
_________________________

5/ Both Congos gained independence in 1960, but the paths taken highlighted their colonial differences.

The Belgian Congo (DRC 🇨🇩) was given hasty independence on June 30 with virtually no preparation for self-rule, resulting in the immediate Congo Crisis, civil war, and chaos.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Congo_Crisis

The French Congo (RC 🇨🇬), achieved a comparatively smoother independence six weeks later, on August 15.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_the_Republic_of_the_Congo#Road_to_independence

#geoweirdness

This time in #geoweirdness we return to Africa to consider the ...

2026-02-08T10:49:35Z

This time in #geoweirdness we return to Africa to consider the confusing case of "Congo", specifically the 🇨🇩 Democratic Republic of the Congo (aka "DRC" or "Congo-Kinshasa") and 🇨🇬 Republic of the Congo (aka "Congo-Brazzaville"

1/

Our first #OpenStreetMap interview of the year is up on the blog. ...

2026-01-09T12:28:03Z

Our first #OpenStreetMap interview of the year is up on the blog.

This time it was our pleasure to speak with some of the makers of CoMaps CoMaps - Hike, Bike, Drive (npub1854…hexw)

https://blog.opencagedata.com/post/openstreetmap-interview-comaps

On 1 Jan 2026 Bulgaria 🇧🇬 adopted the Euro € as its ...

2026-01-08T11:55:21Z

On 1 Jan 2026 Bulgaria 🇧🇬 adopted the Euro € as its official currency, which is reason enough for us to make this week's #geoweirdness thread about "the Eurozone"

1/n

🚨 Here we go, time for #fridaygeotrivia 🚨 On 1 Jan 2026 ...

2025-11-07T16:01:50Z

🚨 Here we go, time for #fridaygeotrivia 🚨

On 1 Jan 2026 🇧🇬 Bulgaria will adopt the Euro 💶 - we celebrate with this month's question - name countries that - in the last 20 years - adopted a new currency.

As always:
- Only one answer per toot
- You must include the hashtag #fridaygeotrivia and the emoji flag of the country

Full details on the blog: https://blog.opencagedata.com/post/geotrivia-october-2025

1/n

A few weeks back we covered the #geoweirdness of India 🇮🇳, ...

2025-03-15T12:33:02Z

A few weeks back we covered the #geoweirdness of India 🇮🇳, this week we'll keep going with Asian super-powers and take a look at the geographic oddities of China 🇨🇳

1/

8/ It was during the Cold War that a US 🇺🇸 military ...

2025-01-09T21:38:24Z

In reply to nevent1q…w2dt
_________________________

8/ It was during the Cold War that a US 🇺🇸 military facility, Thule Air Base, was established in the far north of Greenland 🇬🇱.

It is the site of the world's northernmost deep water port 1,210 km north of the Arctic Circle, and a territorial concession granted to the United States in perpetuity. In 2020 it was transferred to the US Space Force and renamed Pituffik Space Base 🚀

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pituffik_Space_Base

https://www.openstreetmap.org/#map=11/76.5307/-68.7281

#geoweirdness

5/ In 2022 came the exciting geographic news of the new Canada ...

2025-01-09T21:38:24Z

In reply to nevent1q…v3c7
_________________________

5/ In 2022 came the exciting geographic news of the new Canada 🇨🇦 / Greenland 🇬🇱 land border, when it was agreed to divide remote, uninhabited Hans Island.

This marked the end of the long-running and delightful "Whiskey War" in which the two sides left bottles of alcohol 🍾 for each other while taking down the other side's flag.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whisky_War

https://www.openstreetmap.org/#map=14/80.82640/-66.45874

#geoweirdness

7/ Denmark 🇩🇰 is a founding member of NATO, and Greenland ...

2025-01-09T21:38:24Z

In reply to nevent1q…fp2p
_________________________

7/ Denmark 🇩🇰 is a founding member of NATO, and Greenland 🇬🇱 played a key role in the cold war, as part of the GIUK Gap (Greenland, Iceland 🇮🇸, United Kingdom 🇬🇧) a naval choke point, critical for the containment of the Soviet Union's naval forces during the cold war.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GIUK_gap

#geoweirdness

6/ While the dispute over Hans Island was not so serious, the ...

2025-01-09T21:38:24Z

In reply to nevent1q…zmd4
_________________________

6/ While the dispute over Hans Island was not so serious, the Arctic is
increasingly becoming an area of strategic importance.

Climate change means melting ice which means the Northwest Passage, the sea route between Atlantic and Pacific, is now occasionally passable.

Greenland 🇬🇱 will sit on a key trade route.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northwest_Passage#International_waters_dispute

Canada 🇨🇦 claims these to be internal waters, while most other countries say it is an international strait.

#geoweirdness

9/ There is some precedent for Denmark 🇩🇰 selling territory ...

2025-01-09T21:38:24Z

In reply to nevent1q…p94s
_________________________

9/ There is some precedent for Denmark 🇩🇰 selling territory to the US 🇺🇸
In 1916 Denmark sold "the Danish West Indies" to the US, today they are known as the US Virgin Islands 🇻🇮

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treaty_of_the_Danish_West_Indies

As part of the deal, the US gave up any claims to Greenland 🇬🇱

#geoweirdness

We originally had a different topic planned for this week's ...

2025-01-09T21:38:23Z

We originally had a different topic planned for this week's #geoweirdness thread, but the global discussion has turned to Greenland 🇬🇱, so let's go with it.

Join us as we consider the geographic oddities of the world's northernmost territory.

1/

4/ Greenland 🇬🇱 is big, but probably not as big as you ...

2025-01-09T21:38:23Z

In reply to nevent1q…km9a
_________________________

4/ Greenland 🇬🇱 is big, but probably not as big as you think.

Most map projections, including the widely used Mercator projection, distort the size of land near the poles. As a result Greenland looks much bigger than it actually is.

A great tool for visually comparing the true size of countries is ...
thetruesize.com

https://www.thetruesize.com/#?borders=1~!MTU4OTkwMjY.MzI5ODM3MA*Mjc0NzA4MTY(OTk4MTYw~!GL*OTU3NzIwNQ.NTQ3MjY0)Mw

As this Dymaxion projection shows Greenland is "only" the 11th largest country.

#geoweirdness

2/ As we covered in our #geoweirdness thread about Denmark ...

2025-01-09T21:38:23Z

In reply to nevent1q…8uwc
_________________________

2/ As we covered in our #geoweirdness thread about Denmark 🇩🇰,
Greenland 🇬🇱 is an autonomous territory of the Kingdom of Denmark.

It has a population of only 50,000

The local government is responsible for local matters, while Denmark is
responsible for foreign policy and defence. The currency is the Danish Kroner.

3/ Denmark 🇩🇰 is part of the European Union 🇪🇺, but ...

2025-01-09T21:38:23Z

In reply to nevent1q…snus
_________________________

3/ Denmark 🇩🇰 is part of the European Union 🇪🇺, but Greenland 🇬🇱 is not, having left the European Economic Community (the EU's predecessor) in 1985. Nevertheless, because they are citizens of the Danish Realm, Greenlandic citizens have EU citizenship.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greenland_and_the_European_Union

As with most of the 32 "special territories of members of the European Economic Area", it's complicated.

#geoweirdness

Merry Christmas, Frohe Weihnachten 🎄🎁🌟 everyone. Our ...

2024-12-25T09:29:49Z

Merry Christmas, Frohe Weihnachten 🎄🎁🌟 everyone.

Our gift to you is (how could it be otherwise) our #geoweirdness thread about Christmas Island 🇨🇽

https://en.osm.town/@opencage/111641355267828290

🚨 ok, let's play #fridaygeotrivia 🚨 Name countries ...

2024-11-29T16:05:30Z

🚨 ok, let's play #fridaygeotrivia 🚨

Name countries whose currency name is unique. For example, while Australia 🇦🇺, Singapore 🇸🇬, and the US 🇺🇸 all use “dollars”, Albania 🇦🇱 is the only country whose currency is the Lek.

As always, no cheating by just searching for the answer, and you must include the emoji flag and the #fridageotrivia hashtag (otherwise hard for us to see the answer).

Full rules and details on the blog:
https://blog.opencagedata.com/post/geotrivia-november-2024

1/

2/ Alaska, AK Vast, wild and cold, Alaska is also, to put it ...

2024-10-29T14:01:59Z

In reply to nevent1q…ge6k
_________________________

2/ Alaska, AK

Vast, wild and cold, Alaska is also, to put it crudely, absolutely huge.

The great Aleutian Arc archipelago that spans outwards of the Gulf of Alaska to the Bering Sea crosses the 180° meridian, and means that Alaska is the northernmost, westernmost, and easternmost state all at once!

The state capital, Juneau, isn't reachable by road, due to surrounding mountains. As the locals say "only three ways to arrive in Juneau: plane, boat, or birth canal"

#geoweirdness

3/ Alabama, AL There is a fascinating connection between a 100 ...

2024-10-29T14:01:59Z

In reply to nevent1q…603w
_________________________

3/ Alabama, AL

There is a fascinating connection between a 100 million-year-old coastline and modern AL voting patterns. Build up of plankton and chalk formations created rich soil known as the “Black Belt”, perfect for cotton. This lead to large slave populations, which in turn affects local demographics and voting patterns to this day.

https://deepseanews.com/2012/06/how-presidential-elections-are-impacted-by-a-100-million-year-old-coastline/

#geoweirdness

5/ Arizona, AZ In this sunny state, daylight saving time isn’t ...

2024-10-29T14:01:59Z

In reply to nevent1q…8rf3
_________________________

5/ Arizona, AZ

In this sunny state, daylight saving time isn’t observed — but things get interesting within the Navajo Nation, where DST is followed, creating a time difference from the rest of the state for half the year. To make it even more complex, the Hopi Reservation, an enclave within the Navajo Nation, sticks to standard time year-round. So, travelling Route 264 means crossing time zones six times!

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Time_in_Arizona

#geoweirdness

4/ Arkansas, AR You can reach every neighbouring state by ...

2024-10-29T14:01:59Z

In reply to nevent1q…azr7
_________________________

4/ Arkansas, AR

You can reach every neighbouring state by travelling south from Arkansas.

Also, a shout-out to Texarkana, one of several bi-state cities, the name a portmanteau of Texas, Arkansas, and nearby Louisiana.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Texarkana,_Arkansas

#geoweirdness at its best!

Hey, did you know there will be an election in the United States ...

2024-10-29T14:01:59Z

Hey, did you know there will be an election in the United States 🇺🇸 next week?

Nowhere does big better than the States, so we thought in honour of the event we'd make this week's #geoweirdness thread our biggest ever; a 50 toot extravaganza covering something geo weird and wonderful from each and every state.

1/

6/ California, CA Did you know that the Golden State used to be a ...

2024-10-29T14:01:59Z

In reply to nevent1q…fkjm
_________________________

6/ California, CA

Did you know that the Golden State used to be a republic? The California Republic or the Bear Flag Republic was a breakaway state from Mexico that lasted around 25 days in 1846.

It surrounds what is now Sonoma County, CA, and it came to be after 33 immigrants rebelled and sought to break away.

The modern state flag still celebrates the rebellion.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/California_Republic

#geoweirdness

🚨 Huge - and unexpected - dependent territory news! 🚨 The ...

2024-10-03T12:03:12Z

🚨 Huge - and unexpected - dependent territory news! 🚨

The BBC reports that the UK 🇬🇧 will transfer sovereignty over Diego Garcia 🇩🇬 to Mauritius 🇲🇺

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c98ynejg4l5o

What you get when you have a free text field asking developers ...

2024-09-12T15:36:06Z

What you get when you have a free text field asking developers which programming language they use