Earth’s greatest minds have known that our world is round since the day Pythagoras made his calculations in ancient Greece over 2,000 years ago.
But as you might have guessed from arguments with family members and old friends on Facebook, a whopping 10 percent of Americans still believe the Earth is flat, according to survey data collected in 2021.
If you’re offline looking for a place to get away from conversations about the “Flat Earth” conspiracy theories (or perhaps where to go to join your fellow believers), a new analysis of Google searches in all 50 US states.
Die-hard “Flat Earthers” may want to join forces before moving to Alaska, where residents sought the most information about the widely discredited theory.
And those who want to leave the “Flat Earth” debate entirely behind may want to find a spot in the populous state of New Jersey, which had the lowest interest per 10,000 in online research on the topic.
Find out below if you live in a ‘flat state’ or a ’round state’.
Despite experiencing the famous “midnight sun” and other seasonal phenomena that confirm the round shape of the Earth, Alaskans have proved most curious about the “flat Earth” theories. Last year alone, there were 23,040 searches for the flat earth, or 314.33 searches per 10,000 inhabitants.
According to a 2021 survey, as many as 10 percent of Americans still believe the Earth is flat
The map was created using data from the Google Keyword Tool, specifically the number of searches by state for the terms “flat Earth,” “flat Earthers,” and “the Earth is flat” over the past 12 months, from August 2022 to August 2023. .
Because the population varies in each state, the total number of searches is adjusted to reflect the total number of searches per 10,000 residents in each state.
Despite experiencing the famous ‘midnight Sunand other seasonal phenomena that directly confirm the round shape of the Earth, Alaskans proved most curious about the “flat Earth” theories: Residents typed Last year alone, 23,040 flat-Earth-related searches were conducted 314.33 searches per 10,000 inhabitants.
Colorado residents came in a close second with 183,000 searches, or 311.83 per 10,000 residents, followed by Wyoming (third), Washington (fourth), and Hawaii (fifth)—all, curiously enough, states west of the Mississippi River .
East of the Mississippi, New Jersey residents ranked highest in the debate over the shape of the Earth, though some were still curious. About the past year 165,120 “Flat Earth” searches were conducted in the Garden State, which equates to approximately 178.40 queries to Google per 10,000 Jersey residents.
Similarly, skeptical Americans in Mississippi, Kansas, Wisconsin and Virginia made their states competitive in the evidence-based bottom five.
The number analysis was performed by Bet Kentucky: a new information service that emerged afterwards the passage of House Bill 551 in the Blue Grass State earlier this year, allowing the state’s horse races to become licensed sports betting sites.
“For those interested in Kentucky’s rankings,” the BetKentucky staff added, “the state ranks 37th on our list.”
“Maybe Bluegrass State residents are more focused on Kentucky’s new sports betting apps,” they suggested, “than on outlandish theories.”