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appear that sorne high scbool stu–
dents are a bit
confused-to
say
the least.
Appalling lgnorance
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
el
ose 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
that China is the world's most
heavily populated nation.
Other government studies and
prívate surveys among American
high school and college students
have shown that:
• Only one out of 25 could give
the world' s approximate popula–
tion.
• More than half thought En–
gland is located on the European
continent.
• More than one in four thought
the Rocky Mountains lay
east
of
the Mississippi River.
• More than one out of three
t::ould not locate Alaska on a blank
world map.
• Nearly half could not find Los
Angeles.
Even more amazing, a govern–
ment-funded study of American
college
students revealed that many
of them-like their younger broth–
ers and -sisters-are also confused
about
just where the United States
is!
Asked to circle the region of the
world where they were born, sorne_
circled the words Central America
or South America. As it turned
out, those who had circled Central
America had been born in the Mid–
west, and those who had circled
South America were from Tennes–
see, Georgia and other southeastern
states!
It's laughable-or is it?
For decades now, pollsters have
had a field day documenting the
geographic illiteracy of higb
school and college students. Wbat
disturbs pollsters the most is the
incredible lack of knowledge
about the vitally important con–
ceros of the day-issues that are
widely reported and discussed in
the news media.
During the Vietnam War, for
example, many American students
10
could not even come near to locat–
ing Vietnam on a world map!
Many had not even heard of
Laos.
A government survey just a few
years ago showed that an amazing
40 percent of American high school
seniors thought Israel was an
Arab
country! And that the late Golda
Meir had been president of
Egypt!
In another study, a majority of
students at a major university did
not know that war-torn El Salvador
is in Central America! At another
university, 42 percent
ofgeography
students
couldn't find London on a
map!
Unbelievable?
Now more than
ever before, it is time to
watch world
news-and watch
it with
understanding!
Not really.
Even more disturbing are the
revelations of recent years about
the ignorance of basic geography at
high levels in the U .S. govern–
ment.
In one widely publicized inci–
dent, a newly appointed ambassa–
dor to an Asían country had no
idea that there were two govern–
ments on the Korean peninsula–
one in communist North Korea
and one in noncommunist South
Korea. Nor did
thi~
person know
the capital of Australia (Canber–
ra)- or even recognize the name
when he heard it!
Sorne years earlier an embar–
rassed nominee for ambassador to
Ceylon admitted to a senate com–
mittee that he had no idea of the
name of the capital of the country
for which he was being considered!
(The capital of Ceylon- now called
Sri Lanka-is Colombo.)
A well-read l 0-year-old in many
countries could have easily set
these individuals straight!
Cellar Posltlon
Americans today know dangerously
little about the world. For many
Americans, the world stops at the
edge of town.
This hazy knowledge of the
world beyond America's doorstep is
a continua! source of amazement to
foreign-born students studying in
American colleges and universi–
ties.
Geography was one of the first
basic subjects to be relegated to a
cellar position in the American
high school and college. Today,
nine out of 1O graduating high
school and college students have
not been exposed to
even one
course in the subject!
The average high school student
in the United States today takes 30
percent less geography than stu–
dents a generation ago. And a gen–
eration ago students took precious
little!
The vast majority of high schools
no longer teach world geography as
a separate subject. Geography has
either dropped out of the currícu–
lum completely, or has been
lumped in with "social studies"–
an amalgam of history, economics,
government, sociology and related
subjects. And even social studies as
a whole are being slighted.
"Certainly, there are many rea–
sons for this [geographic] illitera–
cy," observes Dr. Aangeenbrug of
the Association of American
Geographers. "But the main reason
is simply that geography is just not
taught in this country [the United
S tates]. This is the only major
nation in the world where geogra–
phy is not required in many curric–
ulums." He adds that part of the
problem is that teachers themselves
are not well educated in geogra–
phy.
Educators
used to
believe that a
person was not educated if he was
ignorant of the world in which he
lives.
Not so today!
Notice the contrast:
Among the questions asked in an
1875 U.S. high school
entrance
Th•
PLAIN TRUTH