British children are struggling to grasp basic geography – with many now believing the English Channel separates UK and America, a survey has found. Researchers who polled 1,500 children between the ages of five and 14 also found one in fourteen thought Australia was part of Great Britain and one in twenty thought the same of Brazil and Egypt.
Additionally, one in five children didn’t know the Pyramids are based in Egypt and nearly one in four were stumped when asked: ”What is Niagara Falls?”
It also emerged more than one in 20 believe Mount Everest to be a theme park ride.
Even more worryingly, one in three children didn’t know Wales was a part of Great Britain.
A spokesman for Travelzoo, which carried out the research to launch a new iPad app called ‘Map the World’ said:
”It’s important to be aware of the world we live in, but it seems there are a few children who don’t know some of the most basic geography.
”These results show that there are a number of children who are confused by cities, continents and the world’s largest oceans.
”Some also struggled to name some of the most well-known capital cities, including the UK’s.
”Children can get a lot out of knowing more about the world they live in. Not only that, but it will stay with them for the rest of their life.”
The study also found while the majority of the youngsters polled could pick out the seven continents, 32% thought the Pacific was one, while 26% also wrongly named the Caribbean.
The world’s five oceans also cause confusion, with 26% thinking the English Channel was a right answer, along with almost one in ten who chose the world’s longest river, The Nile.
More than one in ten also reckons the English Channel separates the UK and America.
And while three quarters of youngsters were aware of Italy’s iconic shape, one in ten believed it’s Japan which looks like a boot.
More than one in ten thought Toronto was a city in Germany, while 18% believed the Australian city of Sydney is one of America’s states.
Almost four in ten youngsters struggled to name Washington D.C as the USA’s capital, while one in twenty were even unaware that London is the capital city of the UK.
