Do you know your basic geography?

[Babablackship]

If presented with a map of Europe could you name the countries?

Just being curious as at a recent gathering many university and phd educated people couldn’t.

Western Europe, yes, but hazy on Eastern Europe. Learned some at school (before the Iron Curtain came down, which probably explains the focus on West Europe) and picked up more from history/general knowledge. I only discovered Kaliningrad existed a couple of years ago when I was doing one of those online country identification games.

TBF, geography isn't about identifying countries and capitals, it's about the science of the Earth's surface, so kids won't be taught country and capital names by rote any more.

Also a word of caution about maps: they can't represent the size of countries accurately on a flat surface and traditionally show Europe bigger than it is and Africa and South America smaller. Seeing a Peters map for the first time is an eye opener, although that isn't perfect either. Globes are best for accuracy and I think Google Earth is pretty good for showing the vastness of the rest of the world.

Yes for European countries, not so good on American states. I like reading maps though, I can happily spend an hour going through an atlas or just looking at places on Google maps.

I had the Usborne childrens encyclopedia of the world when I was 8, and it was (and probably still is, I still have it) my favourite book.

Just did the quiz, got 98%. Got Kosovo wrong.

I get worse going east ; so hit and miss in Balkan's and reliant on luck in the old Russian states , particularly the 'stans.

I got 83% but should have got more because I was pointing in the right place but it picked up the country next door.

Bit vague around the Balkans

Have you seen a doctor?

I like exclaves. Kalliningrad Oblast confuses a lot of folk, but the best are those little bits of Belgium insde Holland and vicey versey.

I came on to say what Plexie said - geography is more of a science now, they even use calculators in exams, it's not about rote learning capital cities. Having said that, I did geography o level in 1971 and even then it was about industry, agriculture etc plus British Isles physical geography (limestone scenery, glacial valleys and all that). I think I learned where countries are from looking at a globe myself.

Borders and names of countries change, but an oxbow lake is an oxbow lake.

I was map obsessed at about 9, and memorised my DB's big school atlas, so I can tell you all about the countries from late 1980s at least! Honestly yes, I do know the borders and main cities pretty well. I still do find randomly browsing Google Earth fun.

I couldn’t, id manage a few but not very many. I’ve never been very good at geography, I can’t seem to retain any information on places, capitals etc. I don’t know most of my own town and it’s not for lack of trying. When it comes to getting around the town etc I know how to as I’ve been here over 30 years but I can’t remember street names and instead use landmarks, shops, parks etc to remember things. I can’t really place anywhere on the UK apart from a handful of places, I don’t know the distances between places. I don’t know why I can’t retain the information, I find it really frustrating especially if there’s a conversation about a place and I’ve no idea where it is, the distance to it from me etc.

I remember things like Italy because we had the wee rhyme in school (big foot Italy kicked wee Sicily into the middle of the Mediterranean sea).

Same with other places, if I visit somewhere enough I’ll remember it and how to get around but I still use landmarks to do that.

There’s an area in my town that’s basically like a giant grid and I still can’t work out how to get around there and where schools etc are in relation to other streets, I’m forever going down the wrong street there.

Yes. Recognising the countries of the world is my special skill!

I’m pretty good, albeit I struggle with the Balkan states and anywhere ending in stan.

I can, but only because of DS1s interest (he's autistic and it's his thing) in world geography and flags. Most of the former USSR countries too!

Not from school though.

DS is better than me as he had to learn all European countries, their capitals and their rivers and tributaries by heart. (He knows more about Scottish rivers than I've ever known despite never having been there).

If you ever watch any tv quiz shows, you soon realise how common lacking knowledge in geography, history and literature is. And these are people who have chosen to go on tv quiz shows!

I'm okish

Probably about 80 to 90%. Newish countries that England have lost to at football since the wall came down has had a side benefit.

One of my grandparents taught Geography for about 10 years before becoming a Head Teacher, so you can imagine how she'd feel were she alive today if I was poor at this!

One thing I learned quite recently which I’m embarrassed about it that West Berlin was marooned in the middle of East Germany. It wasn’t ‘on the west side of the border’ between them with East Berlin on the other side.

We as a family do really well but the children love football so every time we watch a match the map gets poured over -the World Cup was great as I’m ok with Europe but Africa was terrible.

As an aside I always have to explain where Albania is to British people / most place it next to Poland

Watching a tv quiz where two contestants had to name English counties.
The more they could name the higher the prize money.
They named 3
2 of these were their Home Counties.
They won £5000
Unbelievable

At school we had one teacher who would give us a blank piece of paper and get us to draw a rough map of the world and then add in as many countries, capitals, rivers, rulers/significant people etc. as we could. I still do this with my kids.

So yes, I can place and name most of the countries of the world. I struggle with ones that weren't countries in their own right in the early 1980's.

I'm a bit sketchy with Europe but know quite a lot(I'm not originally from Europe, so didn't learn much at school).

I'm excellent with Oceania (including all the little Micronesia islands)and Asia though.
Very good with world flags, partly down to ds3s obsession.

Errol, I was so disproportionately excited when I realised that the campsite I was pitched in had a real, actual oxbow lake 😂

Europe, I'm strong on... I had to catch up on the Eastern side after my 90s school years when it was changing rapidly.
Asia and Africa, decent as are the main countries of S America.
The smaller countries of Central America are a weak spot.

I had my haircut once and chatted to the hairdresser, she was about, early twenties I would guess. She said she'd only been abroad once, that was with some friends last year. She didn't know what country it was though, she said her friend booked it so she didn't know where it was.

Another one. I was talking to our builder, he said the we should never have become the United kingdom and should have just stayed Great Britain. Talking to him a bit more about this it was clear he had no idea what the United kingdom or Great Britain actually are.

I also find there are a few countries that not only can I never remember exactly where they are, but I frequently forget about and then when I hear them mentioned I am surprised all over again. (Sorry Armenia!)