Q & A: Part 2 (updated)

Q: Hey Johnny! If the world were flat, would Taiwan be on the left or right side of the map?

A: It depends where you live.

This question was sent about 2 days after I became prepared to answer it. To prep for a lesson for my class, I drew a map of the world on my whiteboard. Mind you, I drew a map the way I know how, which is with England and the Atlantic Ocean in the middle, and the Pacific Ocean at the ends of the Earth, if you will:



For the most part, in Asia, the maps have the Pacific Ocean in the middle and the Americas are about as far to the right as you can get without falling off the map.


So I'm putting the finishing touches on my whiteboard map when a few of my students walk in, and to gauge my drawing skills I ask them to point out New York (keeping in mind these kids know its location very well). They went straight to the right side of the board and pointed at Japan. Confused at first, I asked them to point to Australia. They walked to South America, stared at it for a few seconds before pointing to Brazil. Taiwan? They pointed at Cuba.

So maybe I'll answer your question with another question: Where do you think Taiwan would be?


Q: Isn't America considered to be "Western civilization?" So wouldn't it be to the west of the rest of the world?

A: I'm don't know why I'm even responding to you people about this question. Can't we just accept that the world isn't flat, and you can reach the U.S. by traveling both east and west? If not, than please consult your internet browser for more information.

a hemisphere lesson with Dr. Globe
Dictionary.com's definition of "Western" (see def. 6)
Wikipedia's article on the "Western World"