[SW-14]

[quote:c8bdf]
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Young Americans may soon have to fight a war in Iraq, but most of them can't even find that country on a map, the National Geographic Society said Wednesday.

The society survey found that only about one in seven -- 13 percent -- of Americans between the age of 18 and 24, the prime age for military warriors, could find Iraq. The score was the same for Iran, an Iraqi neighbor.

Although the majority, 58 percent, of the young Americans surveyed knew that the Taliban and al Qaeda were based in Afghanistan, only 17 percent could find that country on a world map. A U.S.-led force attacked the Taliban and al Qaeda in Afghanistan in October 2001, and President Bush has said he is prepared to use force to rid Iraq of any chemical, nuclear or biological weapons programs.

The survey asked 56 geographic and current events questions of young people in nine countries and scored the results with traditional grades. The surveyed Americans got a "D," with an average of 23 correct answers. Mexico ranked last with an average score of 21, just three points from a failing grade.

WHERE IN THE WORLD
Among 18- to 24-year-old Americans given maps:

87 percent cannot find Iraq

83 percent cannot find Afghanistan

76 percent cannot find Saudi Arabia

70 percent cannot find New Jersey

49 percent cannot find New York

11 percent cannot find the United States





Topping the scoring was Sweden, with an average of 40, followed by Germany and Italy, each with 38. None of the countries got an "A," which required average scores of 42 correct answers or better on the 56 questions.

"Someone once said that war is God's way of teaching geography, but today, apparently war or even the threat of war cannot adequately teach geography," John Fahey, president of the National Geographic Society, said. "More American young people can tell you where an island that the Survivor TV series came from is located than can identify Afghanistan or Iraq. Ironically a TV show seems more real or at least more meaningful interesting or relevant then reality."

National Geographic is convening an international panel of policy makers and business and media leaders to find ways to improve geographic education and to encourage interest in world affairs, the society said.

Other findings from the survey:
• Thirty-four percent of the young Americans knew that the island used on last season's "Survivor" show was located in the South Pacific, but only 30 percent could locate the state of New Jersey on a map. The "Survivor" show's location was the Marquesas Islands in the eastern South Pacific.

• When asked to find 10 specific states on a map of the United States, only California and Texas could be located by a large majority of those surveyed. Both states were correctly located by 89 percent of the participants. Only 51 percent could find New York, the nation's third most populous state.

• On a world map, Americans could find on average only seven of 16 countries in the quiz. Only 89 percent of the Americans surveyed could find their own country on the map.

• In the world map test, Swedes could find an average of 13 of the 16 countries. Germans and Italians were next, with an average of 12 each.

• Only 71 percent of the surveyed Americans could locate on the map the Pacific Ocean, the world's largest body of water. Worldwide, three in 10 of those surveyed could not correctly locate the Pacific Ocean.

• Although 81 percent of the surveyed Americans knew that the Middle East is the Earth's largest oil exporter, only 24 percent could find Saudi Arabia on the map.

The international survey was conducted for the National Geographic by RoperASW. The results are based on face-to-face interviews with at least 300 men and women aged 18 to 24 in Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Sweden, Britain and the United States.

The questionnaires were in the local language, but the content was universally the same.
[/quote:c8bdf]

Who the hell were they polling, kids getting off the retard bus??? Eleven percent could not find the United States? Only 71% could locate the Pacific Ocean? That's a load of crap. I can tell you I would have gotten 100% correct on that test.

[Pfc.Green]

Hell if I asked my brothers 6th grade class those questions they would be looking for those places on other planets, our education system fucking sucks.

[SoLiDUS]

That's what they ALL said biggrin:

I'm sure the maps werent labeled which would make it THAT much more harder to find foreign countries since most of us have a "general" idea where a country is located.

As far as 1 out of 10 not being able to identify their own country....well...

ed:

[Milla]

ROFLMFAO!! 1 out of 10 omfg lol!!

[Low spark]

My seven year old daughter can find all those places, except for New Jersey.
What do you expect, thats why Bush wants to wipe Iraq off the face of the earth, because then he would have an excuse for not finding it on a map.

[Milla]

I know where all these places are even if they werent labled for fucks sake, god people are so retarted

[ninty]

I just posted this and then had to delete it cause you beat me to it.

Anyway, I don't have any trouble believing it. Although, I can't really say since I don't live there, but in general people are stupid.

There was a survey here that asked to name one part of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms and most people couldn't do that.

If you can spot iraq without lables on a map, then your one of those 13%. Count yourself lucky.

I Myself used to be a pretty big geography buff, so I know where most places are located and most US states.

Anyone who can't find Iraq needs to be either castrated, shot, tortured, or just plain raped in the ass. These fucking degenerate morons are pathetic, their parents should be killed for bieng such dumbasses. God ignorant people piss me off so fucking much.

If you say that you could or would be able to point out all those provinces and nations I'd say you're full of shit. Sorry but I would. Not a knock on anyones intelligence, but superfluous knowledge is the easiest to forget, and knowing the locations of some of these places just isn't required in anyones day to day life.

[SW-14]

[quote="The Coalition To Save ED!":8ea98]If you say that you could or would be able to point out all those provinces and nations I'd say you're full of shit. Sorry but I would. Not a knock on anyones intelligence, but superfluous knowledge is the easiest to forget, and knowing the locations of some of these places just isn't required in anyones day to day life.[/quote:8ea98]

Care to test me then? Believe it or not, we do have to take a class in high school called "World Geography."

[Milla]

I know i did in 10th grade, was an easy class to

[ninty]

[quote="The Coalition To Save ED!":f4bd6]If you say that you could or would be able to point out all those provinces and nations I'd say you're full of shit. Sorry but I would. Not a knock on anyones intelligence, but superfluous knowledge is the easiest to forget, and knowing the locations of some of these places just isn't required in anyones day to day life.[/quote:f4bd6]

Thats why I said most.

Its not that hard except for the new or smaller countries. Europs is Easy, North and South America is easy, Africa is a little harder, Asia is a little harder as well.

If you are IN HIGH SCHOOl right now, I would hope that you're retaining that information a few hours after you've learned it -

However, knowledge that sits laying around DETERIORATES. Give me a US States test while I was sitting there taking World Geography, and of COURSE I can list them all. Give it to me now, I'll of course struggle because nowhere in my normal life have I needed to use it that frequently.

what a bunch of idiots. 87 percent cannot find iraq. omfg, i knew where iraq was whn i was 6