National Geographic’s International Survey of Geographic Knowledge November, 2002

1. National Geographic’s International Survey of Geographic Knowledge November, 2002 Prepared by Jack Bovee Collier District Schools Naples, FL

2. The Survey In November, 2002, an international survey was conducted for the National Geographic by RoperASW. The results are based on face-to-face interviews with at least 300 men and women aged 18 to 24 in Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Sweden, Britain and the United States. Fifty-six questions were asked of participants and the results of twenty are given here.

3. Compare your wits against young adults from across the world in the slides that follow. The button will give you the answer and data as to the correct score for each nation. The button will advance you to the next question. The button will return you to the previous slide.

4. Question 1 Which of the following ranges contains the correct population of the United States today? Answer • Between 10 million and 50 million • Between 150 million and 350 million • Between 500 million and 750 million • Between 1 billion and 2 billion • I don’t know Next

5. Question 2 Which of the following religions has the largest number of followers worldwide? Answer • Christianity • Islam • Judaism • Hinduism • I Don’t Know Next

6. Question 3 The Taliban and al Queda movements were both based in which country? • Iraq • Pakistan • Israel • Albania • Afghanistan • I don’t know Answer Next

7. Question 4 Which of the following organizations endorses the euro as the common currency for its members? • World Trade Organization (WTO) • North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) • European Union (EU) • Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) • North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) • I don’t know Answer Next

8. Question 5 Which region of the world is currently the largest exporter of oil? Answer • Middle East • Southeast Asia • Latin America • Australia • I don’t know Next

9. Question 6 Which two countries have had a longstanding conflict over the region of Kashmir? Answer • Israel and Egypt • India and Pakistan • China and Russia • Iran and Iraq • I don’t know Next

10. Question 7 Periodically, drastic changes in ocean temperature cause weather changes around the world. What is the name of this occurrence? Answer • El Nino • Tornado • Gulf Stream • Global Warming • I don’t know Next

11. Question 8 Which of the following has the highest percentage of its population infected with HIV, the virus that causes the disease AIDS? • North America • Central America • South America • Europe • Africa • Asia • Australia • I don’t know Answer Next

12. Question 9 Pick the only two countries that have populations of over one billion people? Answer • China and the United States of America • China and India • India and Indonesia • Brazil and India • Russia and China • I don’t know Next

13. Question 10 Take a minute and look at the map below. What is the westernmost city on this map? • City A • City B • City C • City D • City E • City F • City G • I don’t know Answer Next

14. Question 11 Take a minute and look at the map below. The United States of America is shown by what number of the map? Answer Next • 10 B. 15 C. 46 D. 25 E. I don’t know

15. Question 12 Take a minute and look at the map below. Russia is shown by what number of the map? Answer Next • 27 B. 46 C. 55 D. 12 E. I don’t know

16. Question 13 Take a minute and look at the map below. Japan is shown by what number of the map? Answer Next • 5 B. 11 C. 17 D. 26 E. I don’t know

17. Question 14 Take a minute and look at the map below. Mexico is shown by what number of the map? Answer Next • 10 B. 11 C. 19 D. 21 E. I don’t know

18. Question 15 Take a minute and look at the map below. Italy is shown by what number of the map? Answer Next • 1 B. 5 C. 34 D. 38 E. I don’t know

19. Question 16 Take a minute and look at the map below. Sweden is shown by what number of the map? Answer Next • 5 B. 11 C. 43 D. 54 E. I don’t know

20. Question 17 Take a minute and look at the map below. The Pacific Ocean is shown by what number of the map? Answer Next • 30 B. 40 C. 50 D. 60 E. I don’t know

21. Question 18 Take a minute and look at the map below. Afghanistan is shown by what number of the map? Answer Next • 23 B. 34 C. 41 D. 46 E. I don’t know

22. Question 19 Take a minute and look at the map below. Israel is shown by what number of the map? Answer Next • 16 B. 22 C. 45 D. 58 E. I don’t know

23. Question 20 Take a minute and look at the map below. Argentina is shown by what number of the map? Answer Next • 12 B. 22 C. 32 D. 42 E. I don’t know

24. Some highlights from the Survey • Despite the age (18-24) when young Americans would be in college or at prime military age, the typical American’s lack of knowledge was shocking. • Americans had the MOST inaccurate estimate of their own nation’s population. • Americans had the MOST inaccurate location of the nation that formerly harbored al Queda terrorists and was ruled by the Taliban. Next

25. Some highlights from the Survey • Despite the daily bombardment of news from the Middle East, Central Asia, and other world trouble spots, roughly 85 percent of young Americans could not find Afghanistan, Iraq, or Israel on a map, according to a new study. • Only 51 percent of the Americans surveyed could find New York, the nation's third most populous state. • Less than half (only 42%) of the Americans could locate Japan Next

26. Some highlights from the Survey • nearly 30 percent of those Americans surveyed could not find the Pacific Ocean, the world’s largest body of water • more than half—56 percent—were unable to locate India, home to 17 percent of people on Earth Next

27. Recent Geographic News Reports Read the Survey’s Summary Results Report Survey Reveals “Geographic Illiteracy” Read the article “Young Adults Lagging in Geographic Knowledge” Read the article “American Kids Flunk Geography” Next

28. Some questions to ponder • What possibly can account for the dismal knowledge of current events and geography among our college age young adults? • Does this ignorance pose a problem for the future of our nation? • What steps should be taken to reverse this rising tide of mediocrity among Americans? Next

29. Top Games of Geographic Literacy from National Geographic Go West with Lewis and Clark - http://www.nationalgeographic.com/west/main.html Fantastic Forest http://magma.nationalgeographic.com/ngforkids/0201/adventures/ Pony Auction! http://magma.nationalgeographic.com/ngexplorer/0204/games/game.cgi Monterey Bay: Deepworker Submarine http://www.nationalgeographic.com/monterey/ax/primary_fs.html National Geographic ONLINE ADVENTURES ! http://www.nationalgeographic.com/geographyaction/backyard/games.html#oladv Next

30. Next More Sites of Geographic Literacy from National Geographic! Geospy Gamehttp://www.nationalgeographic.com/geospy The GeoSpy Agency needs you. Help us identify continents, countries, states, and provinces and you’ll earn full GeoSpy agent status! Xpedition Hall: Geography’s Fun Housewww.nationalgeographic.com/xpeditions/hall/Climb a mountain, hover over the Earth, visit an archeological dig, and more in our interactive geography museum. Kids Home Pagewww.nationalgeographic.com/kidsCheck in here to find all our fun kid stuff—games, postcards, quizzes, science experiments, and more!

31. Next Student Activities Teachers should make the power point – with the hyperlinked readings available to students. Students may be provided with the two-page handout “National Geographic Survey Summary Results for convenience. Distribute and have students complete the attached activity sheet.

32. The End

33. Question 1 Which of the following ranges contains the correct population of the United States today? ANSWER - “B” - Between 150 & 350 Million Return

34. Question 2 Which of the following religions has the largest number of followers worldwide? Answer “A”- Christianity Return

35. Question 3 The Taliban and al Queda movements were both based in which country? Answer “E”- Afghanistan Return

36. Question 4 Which of the following organizations endorses the euro as the common currency for its members? Answer “C”- the European Union Return

37. Question 5 Which region of the world is currently the largest exporter of oil? Answer “A”- Middle East Return

38. Question 6 Which two countries have had a longstanding conflict over the region of Kashmir? Answer “B”- India and Pakistan Return

39. Question 7 Periodically, drastic changes in ocean temperature cause weather changes around the world. What is the name for this occurrence? Answer “A”- El Nino Return

40. Question 8 Which of the following has the highest percentage of its population infected with HIV, the virus that causes the disease AIDS? Answer “E”- Africa Return

41. Question 9 Pick the only two countries that have populations of over one billion people. Answer “B”- China and India Return

42. Question 10 Take a minute and look at the map below. What is the westernmost city on this map? Answer “G” Answer Return

43. Question 10 Take a minute and look at the map below. What is the westernmost city on this map?Answer “G” Return

44. Question 11 Take a minute to look at the map below. The United States of America is shown by what number on the map? Answer “B”- Number 15 Return

45. Question 12 Take a minute to look at the map below. Russia is shown by what number on the map? Answer “A”- Number 27 Return

46. Question 13 Take a minute to look at the map below. Japan is shown by what number on the map? Answer “C”- Number 17 Return

47. Question 14 Take a minute to look at the map below. Mexico is shown by what number on the map? Answer “D”- Number 21 Return

48. Question 15 Take a minute to look at the map below. Italy is shown by what number on the map? Answer “A”- Number 1 Return

49. Question 16 Take a minute to look at the map below. Sweden is shown by what number on the map? Answer “C”- Number 43 Return

50. Question 17 Take a minute to look at the map below. The Pacific Ocean is shown by what number on the map? Answer “A”- Number 30 Return