Which US state is closest to Africa? It's not Florida

Get the Full StoryWhich state is closest to Africa?

It's gotta be Florida, right?

The Sunshine State's easternmost point, a place called Singer Island outside of West Palm Beach , is about 4,085 miles from Guerguerat, a small village in Western Sahara.

Google Maps Tech InsiderBut Florida is not the closest point to the African continent by almost 1,000 miles.

Maybe it's North Carolina, whose Cape Hatteras juts out into the Atlantic? It's closer, but at 3,625 miles from Tarfaya, Morocco, it's still not the closest.

Google Maps Tech InsiderSo it's gotta be Cape Cod, Massachusetts, right? Also wrong.

The eastern edge of the cape is closer than Cape Hatteras, 3,332 miles from El Beddouza, Morocco, but still isn't the closest.

Google Maps Tech InsiderWe'll cut to the chase: The title of "closest US state to Africa" belongs to Maine and, specifically, a peninsula called Quoddy Head.

Google Maps Tech Insider

Its quaint, little lighthouse, the Quoddy Head Light, is located at the easternmost point of the United States. It's also the point closest to Africa, about 3,154 miles from El Beddouza.

Google Maps Tech Insider

So if you're ever inclined to take a nice long swim over to the sand-swept shores of northwest Africa, you might want to want to start up in Maine.NOW WATCH: Here are the shores you're actually facing when you look out to sea

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