Da li su Amerikanci geografski nepismeni?

They say that travel broadens the mind. Visiting new places not only provides the opportunity to immerse yourself in a new culture and learn new things, but can also motivate the interest and urge to keep learning a wealth of new information.

When it comes to international travel, it is a long standing, and perhaps unfair, stereotype that American tourists are geographically illiterate.

Other reports ponder whether Americans should feel embarrassed about their general geographical knowledge (or lack thereof, apparently) …

This perception may be changing in post-COVID times, as international destinations long for American tourists, but how do Americans quantify their geographical knowledge within their own borders? 

Travel industry analysts quizzed 3,013 people to determine if the country’s proficiency in well-known world landmarks is up to scratch.

The quiz revealed that overall, Americans scored 47% when tested on their knowledge of global geographical landmarks. 

Taken in isolation, it is hard to interpret this result, however, when broken down by state, the experts were able to identify where the most ‘worldly wise’ Americans reside in the country.

Rhode Islanders emerged in 1st position with a brilliant score of 89%, which was the highest in the nation.

Comparatively, however, Louisianans and North Dakotans both emerged in last (50th) position with a dismal 23% score. 

When asked the following questions, respondents picked some interesting answer options: 

In which country is the island of bali nalazi?

47% of people answered this correctly: Indonesia.
But 32% incorrectly thought the island is off India.
5% thought it was off Iran (which is, in fact, a largely landlocked country!)
Lastly, 16% incorrectly answered Italy.

Through which continent does the Amazon River flow through?

59% of people answered correctly with: South America.
5% incorrectly thought it was in Europe.
And 25% even believed it runs through Africa (wrong!)
Finally, 11% incorrectly assumed the Amazon flows through Asia.

Which city is home to a landmark designed by Gustave Eiffel?

59% got this question right. The answer is of course, Paris.
While 10% incorrectly thought the answer was Rome.
8% wrongly answered: Berlin.
Perhaps concerningly, almost 1 in 4 (23%) thought the correct answer was New York.

Which one of the following countries does the Mekong River flow through?

A tougher question – 41% knew that the correct answer was Cambodia.
However, 13% thought it flowed through Hungary.
28% wrongly answered: South Korea.
Finally, 18% identified the Mekong River as flowing through Brazil. 

Where are the Pyramids of Giza?

Fortunately, 79% of respondents answered this correctly: Egypt.
But 10% hilariously thought the pyramids were located at the Luxor in Las Vegas!
5% thought the answer was Mexico, which wasn’t a bad guess, given the country is home to numerous Mayan pyramids.
And 6% incorrectly answered: Morocco.

On a more local scale: Which River formed the Grand Canyon in Arizona, SAD?

57% of people answered correctly: the Colorado River.
However, 8% incorrectly thought it was the Mississippi River.
And 4% wrongly answered: the Arkansas River.
31% were wrong in thinking it was the Rio Grande River.

How each state scored (% correct):

1    Rhode Island 89
2    South Dakota 79
3    Vermont 75
4    Delaware 69
5    Alaska 67
6    Colorado 67
7    Kansas 65
8    Nevada 65
9    Maryland 61
10  Washington 61
11   Connecticut 59
12   Arizona 56
13   Massachusetts 54
14   Idaho 53
15   Montana 53
16   Ohio 52
17   Florida 51
18   Hawaii 51
19   Nebraska 51
20 Wisconsin 51
21   Texas 49
22   New Hampshire 48
23   North Carolina 48
24   California 47
25   Maine 47
26   New York 47
27   New Jersey 46
28   Minnesota 45
29   Oklahoma 45
30   Oregon 45
31    South Carolina 45
32    Pennsylvania 44
33    Utah 44
34    Georgia 43
35    Tennessee 43
36    Virginia 43
37    Kentucky 42
38    Alabama 40
39    Missouri 40
40    Illinois 39
41    Michigan 39
42    New Mexico 39
43    Iowa 38
44    Indiana 36
45    West Virginia 36
46    Wyoming 36
47    Arkansas 35
48    Mississippi 33
49    Louisiana 23
50    North Dakota 23