Why are Americans so bad at geography? Do they teach it at school?

Question

Is it also true that most American politicians don't have a passport

You seem to have missed the point Buffy S. I ask the question because during my recent visit to the US i became aware of American's poor geographical knowledge on nymerous occasions. Eg. whilst staying in the Circus Circus Hotel in Las Vegas a head waiter suggested i visit the Luxor as he thought that Egypt was near to England and it would be nice for me to see how my part of the world was being themed!

Answer 1

Please note that my comments are not meant to be a gratuitous criticism of America's educational system. But since most of my closest blood relatives are American I naturally take a personal and professional interest (I'm a former college lecturer) in the educational achievements of the younger members of my US family. Over the years I've often been surprised at their apparent lack of knowledge of World (and US) geography. This seems to be an area in which American school curricula lacks depth and clarity. (I should add that this gap in my relatives' education has not stopped several of them gaining college degrees and attaining professional status in their chosen fields!)
However, lack of geographical knowledge is not, it seems, confined to young Americans. Following the 9/11 attacks, I was in conversation with a smarly suited Brooklynite, en route to Mahhattan on the subway, who suggested that the best thing America could do was (quote) "Nuke the whole of the Middle East". I asked him where he thought Israel was located, but he hadn't a clue. When I enlightened him he was very sheepish! And the answers given by some potential Senate committee members recently, showed that even those aspiring to high office are somewhat clueless. But since only around 20 percent of US citizens have a passport, how can the great majority of them get a feeling for countries outside their borders? They just don't travel enough - which is a shame when you think how important it should be to have a well informed populace involved in electing the government of the leading Western power. It's no wonder that we in the outside world worry about GWB's possible next move. Let's hope that there's not a small town in America called 'Tehran', because it's unfortunate citizens might soon find they are on the target list 'to be nuked'!!

[What a weighty topic to be writing about after a good Christmas lunch - but at least I've escaped having to do the dishes! Enjoy the rest of your day, wherever you might be.]

Answer 2

As a geo teacher for the past 4 years I can only speak for myself and my own methods but I can definitely say that Geography is taught in all Middle School's that I have come across. It's not just American geography or Western Geography either. I currently teach a course on Eastern Hemisphere geography and culture which I feel is pretty in depth. I feel that the problem lies not solely with the schools but with Americans isolationist attitude that "why do we need to learn this stuff I'm never going to go there anyway". I can't tell you how many times I hear that from students and parents. It's no wonder that when I give a pretest at the beginning of the year I get students who label Japan as Ohio.

Answer 3

It's not just the Americans...I was amazed to see a program on British TV which showed British children being asked questions on Geography. A very large % could not:
1) Point out Brazil, Spain and Japan on a globe.
2) Name common capitals like Rome,Lisbon,Berlin let alone La Paz, Bogota and Lima.
3) Point to places like Edinburgh,Cardiff,Newcastle, Bristol and Norwich on a map of Britain.
I think it has a lot to do with the Geography curriculum which asks silly questions like "Write about a day in the life of an Argentinian gaucho or a French winemaker. Do n't blame the kids blame the syllabus setters.

Answer 4

Apparently a majority of American's can't even point out their own country on a world map. A majority think that there are 52 states (not the actual 50). And a majority think that it is a safer world when everyone carries a gun. (They don't apply this latter principle to nuclear weapons,it seems). It is not suprising that educational standards in the U.S. come in for criticism when it is possible to do a degree in the language of Klingon, is it?
But, in fairness, there are well-educated Americans, many of whom have a fine mastery of English and an expansive global and cultural knowledge. The problem is that our media prefer to put morons, of whatever nationality, on our tvs, rather than intellectually and emotionally developed people. This is why the president is on more often than Truman Capote, or Woody Allen.
I think the main reason why there is a genuine poverty of education in the U.S. is that you don't need an education to make a buck. Sadly, money seems to be the main driving force behind many an American, leaving knowledge for knowledge's sake, largely redundant.

Answer 5

They of course teach it at school, but education is a state responsibility so it differs slightly, but not much, from state to state. I never had a "geography" class until university, but I had social studies, civics, history, etc. in which geography was of course taught.

There is no easy answer but rather a number of factors influencing Americans' acquisition of geographical knowledge about the world.
1) Unlike European nations, the US is huge, with one big country to the north and one big country to the south, and major oceans on each side. (This is general for the sake of time.) Many, many Americans do not have the luxury of travelling to Europe or Asia or elsewhere because it's just so far and expensive. The US is the third largest country in the world. That's big, and it's true many Americans can't think beyond their own borders, because they will never leave here and not much else in the world matters to them.
2) Parents, and not teachers, are those first responsible for educating their youth, and providing them with knowledge about the world. Sadly, many parents are not so good at this. When parents don't respect education, can you really expect their kids to respect their teachers and schools?
3) People equate standardized test scores with true knowledge. Unlike educators in other countries, US educators typically expect students to demonstrate understanding, while memorizing some, but not alot, of information along the way. Answering A,B,C, or D does not demonstrate the ability to USE knowledge. Many US educators could really care less about how much their students memorize, and they really do care if students can apply what they have learned. Face it, US students aren't good memorizers. Thank goodness. Ask some students from other nations -- those who ace standardized tests -- for an original answer, and they falter, because they learn to give the right answer but not to think for themselves. In many, many US universities, you graduate with a degree because you learn to explain your answers, not because you get A,B,C,or D correct. The more you study, the more explaining and less memorizing you have to do. In that way, US schools really differ from some schools in other parts of the world, where you are just expected to spit back out whatever your professor told you to.

Answer 6

Yes, they do, but its really terrible. You spend a lot more time learning about the U.S. then you do learning the world. I wish that they would focus on the world more, because I hate it when my friends don't know where Romania or Greece is...or other countries like that.

I had to learn about the different countries of this world on my own time. The class I took my freshman year just wasn't enough.

Answer 7

To be quite honest, it has a lot to do with the americentric attitude that they teach in schools. Years are taken to teach American history and geography, then one semester for the rest of the world.

Ironic in light of the relatively short history of the US to the rest of the world, and even though the country is large, still the rest of the world is larger.

Even more ironic, is the fact that they spend years teaching American geography, and like 60% of adults don't even know where the states of the union are!

Answer 8

i dont think its just america. the geography taught in british schools is pretty bad. i wouldnt even call it geography as you dont learn about countries but about how rivers and volcanoes are formed,abit like another science lesson. one of my friends who is 16 thought hollywood was a state in america.

Answer 9

They teach it.... it is up to the kids to learn it though

I bet kids know GTA geography better than the geography they teach in school.

Answer 10

Really don't know if they still teach geography in school any more,but most don't really seem to care about it unless it has some effect on their lives.