Oxford University Press's
Academic Insights for the Thinking World

Geographic illiteracy

Based on the results of a survey released this week by the National Geographic Society, young people in the United States continue to struggle with geography and demonstrate a lack of understanding about our world. The consequences of this deficiency in education are serious when you consider the rising level of interconnectivity between nations and peoples. We are not alone. Unfortunately, geographic illiteracy isn’t limited to a lack of knowledge about foreign countries–only about half of the 18-24 year olds surveyed could find Mississippi on a map–not an insignificant state in terms of our history and one of several places in the southeast covered extensively by the news media following Hurricane Katrina.

These findings should be a wake up call to parents as well as teachers, and encouraging children and teenagers to read more, study a language, and travel should be a mission to adopt immediately. I’m inclined to linger on the first of these objectives and to point out the value of a good atlas. There is simply no better tool to foster map reading and evaluation, useful talents to anyone who plans to take a trip, hold down a job, or one day own property. Developing these skills at home as well as in the classroom needn’t consist of boring memorization exercises (although a certain familiarity with state capitals is still important), and in fact, can be easily tailored to engage the interests of a curious son or daughter. Plus, there’s plenty to learn about right in our giant backyard. Fascinated by falcons? Take a look at a map of bird migrations, or study a map of national parks and wildlife refuges. Bonkers for baseball? Try plotting the locations of the major league baseball fields. Itching for ice cream? Find the major dairy farming regions on a map and talk about land use. The cartographic possibilities are truly endless and endlessly rewarding.


Ben Keene is Editor of the atlas program at Oxford University Press. The brand new Atlas of the United States is on bookshelves now.

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