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PACIFIC
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ANTARCTIC OCEAN
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TLANTIC
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WHERE
IN THE WORLD...
?
by
Keith W. Stump
Geographic illiteracy is a disease of epidemic proportions! Here's how you can avoid it.
R
ECENTLY,
the world of
educators received the
shock of their lives.
The Gallup organ ization ad–
ministered a nationwide test on
world geography. Here are just
a few of the many "i nterest–
i
ng"-bu
t
i
ncorrect- answers
supplied by American 17 and 18
year ol ds:
The Sinai Desert is in Vietnam.
Angola is in the Philippines.
French and Latin are the mos t
widely spoken languages in Latin
America. Africa is lhe world's most
populous nation. Mcxico and Cana–
da were the lasl two states admitted
lo the United States.
1t
would appear that sorne high
school studenls are a bit
con-
August 1982
fused-to
say the least.
Appalling Jg nora n ce
The same study also revealed that
only 23 percent- fewer than one
out of four- had any idea of the
distance between New York and
San Francisco. Only 28 percent
could guess clase to the U.S. popu–
lation. Only 15 percent could iden–
tify Ottawa as the capital of Cana–
da. And 41 percent didn't know
lhat China is lhe world's mosl
heavily populaled nation.
Olher governmenl studies and
prívate surveys among American
high school and college students
show that:
• Only one out of 25 could give
the world's approximate popula–
tion.
• More than half thought Eng-
land is localed on the European
continent.
• More than one in four thought
the Rocky Mountains lay
east
of
lhe Mississippi River.
• More lhan one out of lhree
could nol locate Alaska.
Even more amazing, a govern–
ment-funded study of American col–
lege studenls lasl year revealed that
many were even confused
aboutjust
where the United States is!
Asked lo
circle the region of the world where
they were born, sorne ci rcled the
words Central America or South
America. As it turned out, those who
had circled Central America had
been born in the Midwest, and those
who had circled South America were
from Tennessee, Georgia and olher
southeaslern slates!
In view of lhis, lhere are no
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