• Pandantic
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        9 months ago

        I don’t think many western European countries would do much better.

        I would go so far as to say this is true for most European countries aside from the “Main” ones with distinct shapes.

      • JJROKCZ@lemmy.world
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        9 months ago

        Western european countries would definitely do better. Every time I see one of those videos of a guy on the street asking people geography the Americans are completely worthless but and random european is almost perfect. Americans can’t even get their states of our own country correct

        • zeppo@lemmy.world
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          9 months ago

          I know it’s a rhetorical question, but briefly. I ate a burrito in Fort Smith, stayed at a crappy motel by Fayetteville one time in the shadow of Jesus billboards, and drove through Little Rock. It was very “natural”.

            • zeppo@lemmy.world
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              9 months ago

              It was a very average burrito in a sit-down Mexican restaurant, one of those places that has a nice building and atmosphere but seems to cater to a midwestern palate. I think it was La Huerta Grill. Probably would have been better any state to the Southwest of there. Looking at the map now, if I was there again, I’d go to a pupusa place… those are always super good.

    • Ddhuud@lemmy.world
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      9 months ago

      I would like to know the context of this survey. Who in the world gets asked where is a country and points to the middle of the sea

    • Pandantic
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      9 months ago

      To be fair, I bet there is a town named Iran in the US. There’s a Cuba, Bolivia, Lebanon, and others.

      Okay, I just looked it up and no, but you can see where I coming from - lots of places named after foreign countries/cities. It probably is stupidity, but with included confusion.

      • Xusontha@ls.buckodr.ink
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        9 months ago

        Yeah, I see what you mean but the majority is still most likely stupidity (though there is probably at least one because of that)

      • jaybone@lemmy.world
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        9 months ago

        I wonder if it asked them to point out “the country of Iran.”

        Of course people also confuse cities and states. Like on the game shows, people will say things like Los Angeles when they mean California, and vice versa.

    • Ilovethebomb@lemm.ee
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      9 months ago

      A large chunk of them, well over half, had the general part of the world right. Honestly better than I expected.

      • Turun@feddit.de
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        9 months ago

        Yeah, I’d say ~50% are close enough to be considered basically correct.

        Rip Italy though.

        • Ilovethebomb@lemm.ee
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          9 months ago

          It does, yes. A lot of them are centered around the Persian gulf, so there seems to be a strong “it’s around here somewhere” approach.