Study: Geography Greek to young Americans

[China]

Study: Geography Greek to young Americans

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- After more than three years of combat and nearly 2,400 U.S. military deaths in Iraq, nearly two-thirds of Americans aged 18 to 24 still cannot find Iraq on a map, a study released Tuesday showed.

The study found that less than six months after Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans and the Gulf Coast, 33 percent could not point out Louisiana on a U.S. map.

The National Geographic-Roper Public Affairs 2006 Geographic Literacy Study paints a dismal picture of the geographic knowledge of the most recent graduates of the U.S. education system.

"Taken together, these results suggest that young people in the United States ... are unprepared for an increasingly global future," said the study's final report.

"Far too many lack even the most basic skills for navigating the international economy or understanding the relationships among people and places that provide critical context for world events."

The study, which surveyed 510 young Americans from December 17 to January 20, showed that 88 percent of those questioned could not find Afghanistan on a map of Asia despite widespread coverage of the U.S.-led overthrow of the Taliban in 2001 and the political rebirth of the country.

In the Middle East, 63 percent could not find Iraq or Saudi Arabia on a map, and 75 percent could not point out Iran or Israel. Forty-four percent couldn't find any one of those four countries.

Inside the United States, "half or fewer of young men and women 18-24 can identify the states of New York or Ohio on a map [50 percent and 43 percent, respectively]," the study said.

Click on the link for the full article

Test your geographic knowledge of the US: Place the states in a map of the US

Game originally posted by Bofluid

[PokerPacker]

if you ask me, its because in history/social studies classes, teachers will only give you a printout of the immediate area. the never point to it on the map of the globe so there is almost nothing to reference

[DarkLadyRaven]

I think the issue is not alot of time is spent on Geography in General so people just never learned it in school. We had a test on the countries in Latin and Central america when I was in high school and failed because I am not good at being given a hand out and expecting to memorize with little classroom instruction. On the states extra credit "freebie" Wyomie and Colorado confused people !

[China]

OK, did you try the state placement game I posted at the end?

[Enter Apotheosis]

OK, did you try the state placement game I posted at the end?

Yep. Got an 84% in about 3 minutes. It was easy as hell but just hard to place the states that are not along the border EXACTLY when you don't have any frame of reference.

[Redskins Diehard]

Maybe these teachers should focus on teaching geography, instead of their own political philosophy.

[dreamingwolf]

I think that test sucked, I would rather be given the name of the state and pick out its outline. I missed a couple just cause I was off by a little bit, do they expect everyone to be expert carteographers and be able to place a state in its exact location without any relative aides. Sure coastal and border states are easy, but if they throw a random in the middle state without any of the other states arround its easy to miss.

[ashburnskinsfan]

The CNN article posted a geography quiz with six questions about identifying states and world countries from a map. My 12 year old got all six correct, and he's not looked at a geography book outside of class.

I can't believe people could be this bad ... cable news and weather shows use maps all the time to support their stories. :doh:

[redskins4life234]

i got a 70% on the game, the east and wast coast was easy the idwest was ahrd and about 5 of them i got the right area but was off my like a milimeter so it marked wrong.

Also, Whoeber cant point out Iraq is an idiot.

[cjcdaman]

OK, did you try the state placement game I posted at the end?

43 out of 50. I think it was like 27 miles off in total.

[MissU28]

Maybe these teachers should focus on teaching geography, instead of their own political philosophy.

Geography is the first social studies lesson we teach in the 5th grade.

I got 88% only because you have to be so precise...but i know all my states and all my capitals

[DarkLadyRaven]

Maybe these teachers should focus on teaching geography, instead of their own political philosophy.

Way too much history on the SOL to cover ( Geo not really tested on the SOL) due to time crunch only so much to cover

[Pete]

My daughter competed in the state finals for the National Geographic Bee. She finished in the 40's, but there's always next year. It's a hell of a lot more then state capitals and such.

[Major Harris]

1. it's funny how quick people are to bash teachers.

2. i got hawaii wrong on that test. :dunce:

[Bang]

2. i got hawaii wrong on that test. :dunce:

Dang West Virginians..

I did it with my son (9). he knew where they should all go, and we got a 90 in 245 seconds. The hardest ones were some of the midwest states that came up when the midwest section was empty,, i tried to estimate but, came up a few milimeters off in some. He knew the general area, tho. His worst flub was gettin New Hampshire and Vermont backwards, and he had Rhode Island under the SW corner of Mass, as opposed to the SE corner.

One way to improve geography and general social studies scores.. subscribe to the National Geographic. As a kid i found it fascinating and a terrific resource for school, and now so does my son. Every month it has maps and posters in it, and he decorates his walls with them. He's learning whether he knows it or not.

National Geographic is a standard in my house, and has been for 3 generations. In fact, my uncle is on the masthead.

~Bang

[Mr. S]

Maybe these teachers should focus on teaching geography, instead of their own political philosophy.

please clarify. Maybe in college teachers do this, and somewhat in high school. In elementary school, I doubt teachers do this at all, or middle school. It's pointless to force it down when the kids won't really think in that broad sense.

There is some teaching of geography in elementary and middle school, but hardly any. Most kids won't remember it. Unless they take geography courses of their own accord, they probably will not remember much.

[The 12th Commandment]

Believe it or not Geography is actually a real degree (it's mine :cool: ) now a days. And it includes so much more than finding things on a map. There are basically four disciplines within Geography.

Physical - how people interact with the landscape. Basically why there are concentrations of people in particular places relating to the land, ie farming communities being located where there is water and good soil. And what physical forces created different landscapes.

Cultural - how people behave differently in different places due to what's available to them with regard to religion and cultural practice.

Economic - which was my discipline. how people interact with man made features in the landscape. I study why properties are valued differently with respect to issues like road capacity, connectivity to other markets and demographics in general. The folks who decide when to locate a new "big box" retail outlet in a growing area and where to locate it are practioners of economic geography. It's called site selection.

Political - The separation of places into countries and resulting characteristics of the populations within them.

Obviously all four of these are related. But they result in very different paths of study.

I find that it is a little disturbing that so many kids don't know where things are on a map. But I get those wrong on occasion, not the states I know them, but eastern Europe and Africa in particular would give me trouble. Really, I think that's what books are for. It's far more important to recognize that the differences in people from place to place is due in part to differences in the places where these people live.

94% 8 Miles 325 Seconds

[Major Harris]

Dang West Virginians..

~Bang

i sincerely hope you knew i was joking. how could you miss hawaii?

i did miss alaska, though. :dunce:

for the comedic impaired, that, too was a joke. i scored a 90% on that test.

[Zguy28]

I find it disturbing in todays age of learning and technology that kids are so ignorant of geography. I just don't understand it, but maybe its because my parents gave me some puzzle maps when I was 6 of the US states...

Score:94% Avg Error: 13 miles Time: 247 Secs.

47 out of 50 perfect.

[Bang]

i sincerely hope you knew i was joking. how could you miss hawaii?

:laugh: I know, I'm just goofing around.

~Bang

[vinva]

84%, AVG Error: 73 miles, 297 seconds

The midwest just screws me up.

[Thiebear]

I thought they taught Human Geography now...

[Prosperity]

Broad generalization:

It isn't that Americans are getting bad education, I mean geography might be the easiest thing in the world to learn, it is just memorization, it is that American kids (or adults for that matter) don't care or know anything about the rest of the world. Maybe it is because historically the US has been fairly isolated here in North America. As for placing the states, well that is pretty useless. The Mid West states ruin the whole thing.

[The 12th Commandment]

Broad generalization:

It isn't that Americans are getting bad education, I mean geography might be the easiest thing in the world to learn, it is just memorization, it is that American kids (or adults for that matter) don't care or know anything about the rest of the world. Maybe it is because historically the US has been fairly isolated here in North America. As for placing the states, well that is pretty useless. The Mid West states ruin the whole thing.

Please read my post above.

[Prosperity]

Please read my post above.

I did, and I still largely agree with my generalization, especially when it comes to the people and the places. Economics.... well when you get to resources and their effects on the people and places then it gets more interesting, but I highly doubt that is what the article is referring to. The article is referring to the people that don't know where country X is, the culture of Xians.