# Where in the world are we? Americans don't know. **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [November 22, 2002, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-in-the-world-are-we-americans-dont-know/138215 "2002-11-22T19:48:57Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![OxyMoron](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/e9a140/32.png) [@OxyMoron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OxyMoron)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2002, 10:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-in-the-world-are-we-americans-dont-know/138215/81 "2002-11-23T22:11:10Z")
I’m wondering if the low results for the Pacific Ocean question might be partly attributable to the NG’s choosing to use a projection focused at 0 degrees - thus splitting the Pacific in half. Or maybe I’m stretching… BTW, **Biggirl** , you’ve got more than enough reason to brag about your (smart, charming) children. _inserts pin in **Zoltar’s** skull to stop the swelling…_ 😉 ---
**Author:** ![OxyMoron](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/e9a140/32.png) [@OxyMoron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OxyMoron)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2002, 10:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-in-the-world-are-we-americans-dont-know/138215/82 "2002-11-23T22:17:52Z")
And re: presidents. Might be time to dust off a classic (not the best reproduction, but it was what I could find): [The World According to Ronald Reagan](http://www.csc.calpoly.edu/~bfriesen/images/reaganposter.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![chula](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a4c791/32.png) [@chula](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chula)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2002, 11:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-in-the-world-are-we-americans-dont-know/138215/83 "2002-11-23T23:35:04Z")
A more modern version: [The World According to America](http://www.welfarestate.com/map/) ---
**Author:** ![Muffin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muffin/32/4341_2.png) [@Muffin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Muffin)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2002, 12:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-in-the-world-are-we-americans-dont-know/138215/84 "2002-11-24T00:05:58Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by tomndebb \* > \*\*So, when did I emigrate? \*\* About three weeks ago. I take it that you have not received the paperwork yet. ---
**Author:** ![Arcangues181](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/cab0a1/32.png) [@Arcangues181](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arcangues181)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2002, 12:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-in-the-world-are-we-americans-dont-know/138215/85 "2002-11-24T00:59:02Z")
I only got the conflict over Kashmir question wrong. Only 17% of Americans could find Afghanistan…sad, sad. ---
**Author:** ![tomndebb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b9e5f3/32.png) [@tomndebb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomndebb)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2002, 2:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-in-the-world-are-we-americans-dont-know/138215/86 "2002-11-24T02:19:42Z")
> [@](#): > > Only 17% of Americans could find Afghanistan…sad, sad. Nah, they know where it is, right behind the “local color” guy on the news programs whenever something “interesting” happens there. What was truly sad, however, was that fewer than half of the U.S. respondents could identify Afghanistan as the location of al Qaida and the Taliban. I can see carrying over a general inability to read a map into one’s views of the world, but to witness eight months of daily news activity (figuring that news started tapering off in May) and to never put al Qaida+Taliban+Afghanistan together for a freaking multiple guess quiz? _That_ is sad. ---
**Author:** ![Muffin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muffin/32/4341_2.png) [@Muffin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Muffin)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2002, 2:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-in-the-world-are-we-americans-dont-know/138215/87 "2002-11-24T02:37:13Z")
Any chance that the easy availability to the internet in the USA might have led to younger American respondents than non-American respondents, resulting in such odd results? Then again, comedian Rick Mercer has made a name for himself in Canada by doing man-on-the-street interviews of Americans on non-American geography. Thus silliness as Ivy league professors criticizing the Sasketshewan seal hunt, and Bush supporting Prime Minister Jean Poutine. ---
**Author:** ![Neurotik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/91b2a8/32.png) [@Neurotik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Neurotik)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2002, 2:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-in-the-world-are-we-americans-dont-know/138215/88 "2002-11-24T02:50:09Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by tomndebb \* > \*\*I can see carrying over a general inability to read a map into one’s views of the world, but to witness eight months of daily news activity (figuring that news started tapering off in May) and to never put al Qaida+Taliban+Afghanistan together for a freaking multiple guess quiz? _That_ is sad. \*\* Maybe. My friend got that one wrong (one of two he missed, along with the religion one) and when I asked him what the heck he was thinking his response was that he knew that al-Qaeda was not indigenous to Afghanistan and that Osama was Saudi and a lot of the top guys were Saudi, and that they had camps/schools in many countries, especially Pakistan. He figured based on that, that Afghanistan wasn’t the answer, since he thought that al-Qaeda was just using Afghanistan as a temporary way-station. Furthermore, he said that he remembered reading that the Taliban were getting a lot of financial support from the Pakistani government and had been getting a lot of recruits from Pakistan. Well, since Pakistan was one of the choices, he figured that it made sense to choose Pakistan. Essentially, he took a bunch of bits of info and over-analyzed them. Not just bare ignorance. ---
**Author:** ![Neurotik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/91b2a8/32.png) [@Neurotik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Neurotik)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2002, 2:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-in-the-world-are-we-americans-dont-know/138215/89 "2002-11-24T02:56:23Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Muffin \* > **Any chance that the easy availability to the internet in the USA might have led to younger American respondents than non-American respondents, resulting in such odd results?** I don’t think this internet quiz was how they administered the test. > [@](#): > > \*\*Then again, comedian Rick Mercer has made a name for himself in Canada by doing man-on-the-street interviews of Americans on non-American geography. Thus silliness as Ivy league professors criticizing the Sasketshewan seal hunt, and Bush supporting Prime Minister Jean Poutine. \*\* Isn’t that just a rip-off of Jay Leno’s “Jaywalking” sketches? It’s not hard to do, they just keep interviewing people until they get ridiculous answers and edit out the people that know what’s going on. The difference is Leno does it by quizzing them on American issues and history. Good times. ---
**Author:** ![Muffin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muffin/32/4341_2.png) [@Muffin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Muffin)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2002, 3:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-in-the-world-are-we-americans-dont-know/138215/90 "2002-11-24T03:03:46Z")
But Bush thinking Cretien is Poutine? ROTFLMAO ---
**Author:** ![Raygun99](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Raygun99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Raygun99)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2002, 3:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-in-the-world-are-we-americans-dont-know/138215/91 "2002-11-24T03:19:34Z")
It’s more than that really. Jay Leno just asks general knowledge questions that people should know. Mercer is creating the most ridiculous statements that he can think of and getting people to buy into them. Everytime he goes out he thinks, “OK, this one’s too stupid, no one will fall for it”, but they always do. It’s apparently something in the nature of Americans to always comment even if they don’t know anything about it, where a Canadian wouldn’t neccesarily. One of the better ones was when he went to Columbia University (I think – it was Ivy league, anyway) and approached one group of people with a petition that was protesting the Russian bombing of Saskatchewan (a key comedy word, apparently). One man happily signed, proclaiming his disgust at this action and that he knew of the effects it was having. Mercer asked him what his major was. “Russian history”, the man said. Then there was the time he got the Arkansas governor to proclaim his support for support for Canada’s national igloo. The things people will believe if the person telling them has a microphone and camera. And, in contrast to what Jay Leno does, he has shown at least one incident where he was caught; of course, it was an 8-year old child to point out that Canada has provinces, not states. ---
**Author:** ![WSLer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/a6a055/32.png) [@WSLer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WSLer)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2002, 3:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-in-the-world-are-we-americans-dont-know/138215/92 "2002-11-24T03:42:46Z")
I got 20 out of 20 correct.😃 ---
**Author:** ![Gadarene](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47c2d/32.png) [@Gadarene](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gadarene)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2002, 3:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-in-the-world-are-we-americans-dont-know/138215/93 "2002-11-24T03:49:39Z")
Nineteen out of twenty–said Islam instead of Christianity. **Bob Scene:** > [@](#): > > Even so, I think if we can ever figure out where Sweden is, the U.S. should invade them and kidnap all their geography teachers and bring them back here to teach some of us where **we** are. Heh. ---
**Author:** ![Muffin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muffin/32/4341_2.png) [@Muffin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Muffin)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2002, 6:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-in-the-world-are-we-americans-dont-know/138215/94 "2002-11-24T06:51:24Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Bob Scene \* > \*\*Even so, I think if we can ever figure out where Sweden is, the U.S. should invade them and kidnap all their geography teachers and bring them back here to teach some of us where **we** are. \*\* That was done quite a few decades back concerning Minnesota, which is why today it is one of the more advanced states. ---
**Author:** ![Liberal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/848f3c/32.png) [@Liberal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Liberal)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2002, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-in-the-world-are-we-americans-dont-know/138215/95 "2002-11-24T15:23:33Z")
Advanced in what, hypothermia? ---
**Author:** ![Helen\_s\_Eidolon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/8edcca/32.png) [@Helen\_s\_Eidolon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Helen_s_Eidolon)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2002, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-in-the-world-are-we-americans-dont-know/138215/96 "2002-11-24T17:31:02Z")
I have to admit, I got 19/20. No I didn’t miss the religion one, I knew that. I, umm… uhh… okay, I fucked up the westernmost city one. How embarassing. I didn’t look at the top bit of the map 😮 ---
**Author:** ![Muffin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muffin/32/4341_2.png) [@Muffin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Muffin)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2002, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-in-the-world-are-we-americans-dont-know/138215/97 "2002-11-24T19:01:28Z")
Probably a Quebec thing. A. Dispute about being a Canadian or not, and B. generally ignoring the west. ---
**Author:** ![yabob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yabob/32/2821_2.png) [@yabob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yabob)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2002, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-in-the-world-are-we-americans-dont-know/138215/98 "2002-11-24T19:02:47Z")
Hmmm. 19/20, missing the religion one. What’s interesting is my thought process which made me miss it: Obviously Christian or Islam, I don’t know which off the top of my head … Christian’s the obvious answer … too obvious, they wouldn’t think it a significant fact, if that’s the answer … Islam. It was the second question, and I hadn’t adjusted my thinking to the extreme simplicity of the questions yet. Later on in the series, and I would have probably answered “Christian”. ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2002, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-in-the-world-are-we-americans-dont-know/138215/99 "2002-11-24T20:16:24Z")
I got twenty, and the major reason I got the religion one right is because I hang out here at the SDMB. The subject has come up in Great Debates numerous times, and the supporting cites have made me very confident in the accuracy of the answer. ---
**Author:** ![Azure\_Eternity](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f05b48/32.png) [@Azure\_Eternity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Azure_Eternity)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2002, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-in-the-world-are-we-americans-dont-know/138215/100 "2002-11-24T20:55:10Z")
I’m fifteen, American, never taken a geography class, and got 20/20. In my classmates’ defense, geography would not necessarily be part of a school’s curriculum, so learning about it would have to be done independently. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-in-the-world-are-we-americans-dont-know/138215.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-in-the-world-are-we-americans-dont-know/138215.md?page=6)