Comments on: The Coldest Places on Earth

By: Seven

Seven — Thu, 18 Dec 2008 11:41:53 +0000

Hi
It is 3:42am on 18th December 2008.
Just woke up as the house was a little chilly. Outside temp right now is -45 C no wind at all. Pipes just froze. I am super heating the house right now in hopes that they will thaw.
Whitehorse, Yukon Territory
Canada.

By: Alex

Alex — Fri, 25 Jan 2008 09:11:43 +0000

You missed Versoix, Switzerland, Miss C!

And what’s up with all these comments about Canadia, our mysterious neighbor to the North?

By: aware

aware — Fri, 25 Jan 2008 02:27:23 +0000

i want to see a video of the frozen breath left behind in the air…

By: ted

ted — Fri, 25 Jan 2008 00:45:58 +0000

Saying “Toronto, Canada” or “Montreal, Canada” isn’t so bad, because those are familiar enough, almost like Chicago, Miami, and Dallas.

But how many people ever heard of “Snag”? That’s like saying, “Springfield, USA”.

By: Sid Morrison

Sid Morrison — Thu, 24 Jan 2008 21:57:12 +0000

@billy-
I think the (ahem) American perception of Canadians depends on whom you poll and where they live. I live in upstate NY, with Toronto as the nearest major city (getting to NYC would take 2x as long), so my own view is a bit skewed. I’ve travelled in Canada a lot and know the differences among the maritime provinces, Quebec, southern Ontario, the Plains, the western provinces, &c. are like night and day. I doubt most (ahem) Americans realize the distinctions, though.

By: billy

billy — Thu, 24 Jan 2008 21:02:38 +0000

sid
i’m guilty of only thinking about this stuff re: canada / united states. (the hijacking of the term ‘america’ is a whole other topic!)
i wonder what the perception of canada is in the usa due to this practise…? the country is large and diverse in culture and geography. i feel this practise homogenizes canada. or maybe i’m reading way too much into it !

By: Sid Morrison

Sid Morrison — Thu, 24 Jan 2008 20:06:35 +0000

@billy-
I’m not a Canadian, but that has always irked me as well. It seems odd that on American game shows, Canadian contestants are usually described as being from “Montreal, Canada” or “Toronto, Canada” instead of the respective provinces. For large cities like these, one would suppose that they should leave off the “Canada” in fact (and probably the province as well, but maybe that is asking a lot). It just sounds REALLY dumbed down for the lowest common denominator viewer.

For European readers, is the practice of identifying one’s place of origin via “city & state” (or province) mostly a North American one? How does it compare in the UK or continental Europe? e.g. I suppose someone from a well-known city like Frankfurt might just say “Frankfurt” rather than “Frankfurt, Hesse”, “Frankfurt, Deutschland” or “Frankfurt, Hesse, Deutschland”, but what about for a little town? Would a German tell a Frenchman he hails from “Kleinstadt, Hesse” (fictional little town) or “Kleinstadt, Deutschland”? Is the state so important as it is in North America? I dunno… I suppose it all depends on the history of the nation and the autonomy of the varied “states” (or whatever they call divisions in that country.

By: billy

billy — Thu, 24 Jan 2008 17:53:34 +0000

miss cellania, you are a scholar and a gentleperson !

By: Miss Cellania

Miss Cellania — Thu, 24 Jan 2008 17:48:28 +0000

It’s even worse than that, billy, we say Chicago, Miami, and Dallas without mentioning the state, much less the country. And I read British sites and have no idea how to frame place names so people will understand. When I worded this, I figured there would be readers in Europe or South America or elsewhere who wouldn’t know what country Yukon is in -and the linked article made it clear. I’ll fix it.

By: billy

billy — Thu, 24 Jan 2008 17:39:36 +0000

thanks sid.

i guess my tiny peeve is with americans never mentioning which province but always mentioning which state.

who says anchorage, usa

montreal, quebec has kwazy extremes in temperature. -35 C with wind chill factor in the winter, 35 C with humidex in the summer….up and down all around.

By: Sid Morrison

Sid Morrison — Thu, 24 Jan 2008 15:54:08 +0000

Snag is in Yukon Territory, far western Canada, very near the border with Alaska. Latitude = 62°23′.

I’ve been in Kapuskasing, Ontario in January when it hit -40F (or -40C … same thing) That was “cold enough” for me.

One of my relatives in involved in the military and frequently spends time in both Greenland and Antarctica. Brrr. He sent me a picture postcard from Antarctica and I get cold just looking at it.

By: billy

billy — Thu, 24 Jan 2008 15:47:58 +0000

is Snag, Canada like Vancouver, Canada or Moncton, Canada or Yellowknife, Canda ?????
Pls, Canada is big. more specifics !

By: neenjha

neenjha — Thu, 24 Jan 2008 15:47:54 +0000

I woke up and was complaining about walking in the five degree weather, but now…I feel suddenly warm.

By: Wendy Piersall

Wendy Piersall — Thu, 24 Jan 2008 15:46:17 +0000

Surprised it’s not Chicago. Today, at least.