The size of Chicago...

I heard a news report a few days ago about the large Rim fire near Yosemite in California. The newscaster was describing the area now engulfed in flames by saying, "It is an area the size of Chicago."  Later I saw a headline, "California battling a wildfire the size of Chicago."

Why Chicago?  Do any of us really have a sense of how big Chicago is?  What is included in this area...the city limits?  The metropolitan area?  Does this really help us grasp the size of the fire?

And, who decided on this comparison?  Did they have a list of cities by area and went through looking for one roughly 225 square miles in size?  What else is that size?   According to Wikipedia, Tucson Arizona is roughly the same size, why not use that for the comparison?  I have no better sense of the size of Tucson than I do of Chicago...or twice the size of Tampa, Florida...or half the size of Los Angeles, California.  At least LA is in the same state.

We often use these geographic comparisons.  Belarus is about the size of Minnesota.  Does that help me visualize Belarus?  Maybe a little...at least I know it is smaller than the U.S.

Given the extreme lack of geographic knowledge most of us have, myself included, I'm surprised we rely on these geographic comparisons so often.