We live in an age of information, but what if some of the things we believe most confidently about travel are wrong? Welcome to “Fact or Fiction: The Travel Edition,” where we debunk common travel myths.
It never snows in the Sahara Desert.
They say it never snows in the Sahara, one of Earth’s hottest and driest places. But in 1979, it happened, and it happened again in 2022. In the Algerian town of Ain Sefra, red sands were briefly covered in a surreal snowfall.
Egypt has the most pyramids.
Egypt may be the land of pharaohs and pyramids, but it doesn’t have the most. That honor goes to Sudan, which has over 220 ancient pyramids in the Nubian desert — twice as many as Egypt.
Uluru is the largest rock in Australia.
Uluru, Australia’s iconic red monolith, is not the largest rock. Mount Augustus, located in Western Australia, is nearly double the size of Uluru.
San Francisco has the steepest street in the world.
San Francisco’s Lombard Street may be the most photographed, but the steepest street is actually Baldwin Street in Dunedin, New Zealand. Its incline hits a gravity-defying 34.8%.
The Great Wall of China can be seen from space.
You’ve probably heard this one, but it’s a myth. In 2003, Chinese astronaut Yang Liwei said he couldn’t see it from orbit because the wall’s earthy tones blend too well into the landscape.
Toronto is the capital of Canada.
Toronto is Canada’s biggest city, but its capital is Ottawa. This quiet, colder city is located 280 miles northeast of Toronto.
The Statue of Liberty is in New York.
Lady Liberty is an eternal icon of New York, but there’s a twist: she stands in New Jersey waters. While New York has jurisdiction, the statue’s geography belongs to New Jersey.
Amsterdam is the cycling capital of the world.
Amsterdam is a cycling paradise, but it’s Utrecht — just next door — that claims the crown. With over 420 km of cycleways and half its population biking daily, Utrecht is the real champion.
There are 24 time zones.
It seems logical, but it’s not true. Thanks to half-hour and 45-minute offsets, there are actually 38 defined time zones.
The Mississippi River is the longest in the US.
The Mississippi River has shaped America’s history, but the title of longest river belongs to the Missouri. It winds over 2,500 miles from the Rocky Mountains to its confluence north of St. Louis.
Norway is the northernmost country in the world.
Svalbard in Norway feels like the edge of the world, but Greenland’s Kaffeklubben Island lies even closer to the North Pole, just 443 miles away. Since Greenland is part of Denmark, it’s Denmark, not Norway, that is the northernmost country.
The Canary Islands are named after the birds.
The tiny yellow birds took their name from the islands, not the other way around. The name “Canary” comes from “canines” and was given by Roman explorers who found large animals, possibly dogs or monk seals, on the islands.
English isn’t the most spoken language in the world.
Mandarin reigned for years, but in 2023, new data revealed a shift. When counting both native and second-language speakers, English now tops the global list with 1.5 billion speakers.
Only Russia and Turkey are on two continents.
Russia and Turkey are Eurasian bridges, but they’re not alone. The Transcaucasian nations — Georgia, Armenia, and Azerbaijan — also lie on that same continental divide.
The Nile is the world’s longest river.
For decades, the Nile held the crown. But in 2007, an expedition traced the Amazon’s source, possibly making it longer by several hundred kilometers.
Route 66 is the longest highway in the US.
Route 66 is iconic, but at 2,448 miles, it’s over a thousand miles shorter than US Route 20. The real longest highway stretches 3,365 miles from Oregon to Massachusetts.
Mont Blanc is Europe’s highest mountain.
Mont Blanc is famous, but Mount Elbrus, an ancient volcano in the Caucasus, rises higher. At 18,510 feet above sea level, it is the true roof of the continent.
England and the UK are the same place.
This is one of the world’s most common confusions. England is only a part of the UK, which also includes Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland.
Holland is a country.
Most people say Holland when they mean the Netherlands, but Holland is just two provinces: North and South Holland. The Netherlands is the full nation.
Walt Disney built a secret suite within Cinderella Castle.
A secret suite exists inside Cinderella Castle, but Walt Disney didn’t build it. He passed away before construction began. The suite was added in 2007 for a Disney campaign and is never open to the public unless you win your way in.
Greenland is bigger than Africa.
On many maps, Greenland looks enormous and nearly rivals Africa. However, that is a trick of the Mercator projection, and in truth, Africa is 14 times larger.
Keep questioning. Keep exploring.