News

National Geographic commissioned the Roper survey recently to poll more than 3,000 young adults, ages 18-24, on their knowledge of worldwide geography and current events. Participants from the United States, Canada, France, Germany, Great Britain, Italy, Japan, Mexico and Sweden completed the survey.

The survey was conducted with the goal of determining if, in the post-September 11th world, young people were knowledgeable about current events and where countries are located throughout the world.

The survey is a follow up to a previous geography survey commissioned by National Geographic in 1988. In that study, Americans 18-24 years old scored last compared to the participants in the other countries. Almost a decade and a half-later, geographical knowledge has not substantially improved with young Americans coming second to last in this survey. Top scores went to respondents from Sweden, Germany and Italy.

Highlights of the survey can be found here.

How Well Would You Do?

Drop by the 2002 National Geographic-Roper Geographic Literacy Survey site to take the survey yourself and see how well you would do.

You can also play GeoSpy to test your geographic knowledge by identifying continents, countries, states, and provinces against the clock.

For more geographic fun try Where's Sherlock Bunny? at Kids' Turn and see if you can figure out where Sherlock Bunny has travelled around the world.

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