Geographical Odds And Ends Of This World

It’s a big, wide, wonderful world we live in. If you don’t believe that, just look at these facts offered by the people who bring you Merriam-Webster’s Geographical Dictionary:

To find the world’s most active volcano, you need not leave the United States. That volcano is Kilauea, in Hawaii.

Angel Falls in Venezuela lives up to its name: At 3,212 feet, it is the world’s highest waterfall.

Dunmow Village in England is famous for awarding a side of cured bacon to couples who have not quarreled during the first year of their marriage.

Illinois is home to the world’s only “Chicago.” (We’ll be expecting a “that’s not so” letter from somewhere like Chicago, Slobbovia.)

The Earth’s lowest point is the Dead Sea. Its surface is 1,312 feet below the level of the Mediterranean.

Lake Webster in Worcester, Mass., also goes by the catchy name of Lake Chargoggagoggmanchauggauggagoggchaubunagungamaugg.

Rugby, N.D., is the geographical center of the continental United States. (And those who disagree may take their arguments directly to Merriam-Webster. We’ve already been through that one.)