Submitted by Dearfield t3_1059jux in todayilearned
herbw t1_j3estdq wrote
Reply to comment by OptimusPhillip in TIL Colorado is actually a hexahectaenneacontakaiheptagon, meaning it has 697 sides. by Dearfield
Earth is spherical. Round not a rectangle which is 2D. There lies the disparity. Longitude is NOT 2D.
OptimusPhillip t1_j3fdntg wrote
Okay, fair enough. The shape bounded by four lines of latitude and longitude on one hemisphere of a circle is not a rectangle. Even in a non-Euclidean spherical plane, it's not a rectangle (since latitude lines aren't great circles). That said, OP described Colorado's true shape as a polygon, so they're quite clearly referring to the imperfect survey thing, and not the fact that Colorado can't be a Euclidean rectangle.
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