Michael Bay's map fail

In the new Transformers movie, one of the endless impossible-to-follow chase scenes takes place in Washington DC. However, Illinois highway ...

Vacation in Pawnee, Indiana!

Pawnee, Indiana is the setting for NBC's hit sitcom Parks and Recreation. We're taking a bit of a summer break here at Lost States, ...

Sudan's split is looking ugly

It's just a matter of days now until Sudan splits into two nations, and the divorce is looking ugly. The problem is that the south has ...

Surprising policy difference between Obama and Lincoln

Check out the remarkable thing President Obama said Tuesday about Puerto Rico. In his speech, he stated (regarding the island's future a...

Puerto Rico: more like Hawaii? Or Philippines?

There are two ways to handle Puerto Rico. The Hawaiian way or the Philippines way. Both Hawaii and the Philippines (like Puerto Rico) are is...

Which 51-star flag do you like?

Which 51-star flag design do you think the USA should adopt when Puerto Rico becomes a state? Given the president's trip to Puerto Rico ...

Why Republicans should support Puerto Rican statehood

Pres. Obama with 51-star flag favored by many Puerto Ricans Tomorrow, president Obama goes to Puerto Rico—putting statehood into the nationa...

Sarah Palin's birth of a nation

On July 9th, South Sudan becomes the world's newest nation. That same day, Sarah Palin plans to visit South Sudan. I can't decide if...

New country born July 9, 2011

Your globes and wall maps will be obsolete in just 30 days! That's because on July 9, a new independent nation enters the world. It'...

Don't walk - especially in Florida

In what state is a pedestrian most-likely to get hit by a car? Florida, by far. But when I read the full report on pedestrian danger, I not...

There's no state named "Rhode Island"

It's true. There is no state named "Rhode Island." The actual name of the smallest state is "State of Rhode Island and Pr...

Nationhood for Scotland

Just the name "United Kingdom" implies that at one time the kingdom was not so united. Even casual observers know that many folks ...

Puerto Rico - 11 days to statehood?

Just 11 days from now, Puerto Rico will get its first presidential visit in 50 years—reigniting the question of whether the island should be...

Strange Maps Point

Over at the terrific blog Strange Maps, Frank Jacobs recently pointed out some weird American exclaves. By "exclave" he means pla...

Wall Drug - before the interstate

Wall Drug, in Wall, South Dakota, is among of the most interesting (and most kitschy) places in the west. It remains a "must-stop"...