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There’s a certain baseline for geographical facts that we expect from the people we meet. Like knowing that New Zealand has millions of inhabitants and is not an uninhabited island. Understanding that Spain, Italy, and Greece are a part of Europe. And realizing that Africa and Hong Kong are not in South America. It sounds ridiculous when you say it out loud that someone would believe the opposite. Right..?

Well, hang on to your thinking caps and cling tight to your sanity, dear Pandas—we’re about to dive deep into our sad reality where public education has failed so many people. Bored Panda has collected some of the most egregious geography mistakes that folks have shared over on the r/facepalm subreddit, a giant online community of over 6 million.

If you know even the basics of geography, then odds are that you might find this list very painful, dear Pandas. Scroll down for some truly awful geographical mixups, and remember to upvote the pics that made your inner critic cringe the most. Got your adventuring gear ready? Good, it’s time to head into the lush jungles of This Hurts To Read.

Bored Panda got in touch with Patrick McGranaghan, the founder of another massive subreddit that unites nearly 2 million map lovers around the world. He was kind enough to share his thoughts about ignorance about geography and why it's important to make the subject exciting and not teach it in isolation.

#1

Someone Failed Geography

Someone Failed Geography

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DDmaybeandor
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

This is sarcasm. Yes, there are Americans who don’t know those countries are in Europe, but they are the same people who don’t know Greece is a country.

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In Patrick's opinion, geography has a negative reputation among some students. What's more, geographic education isn't prioritized in many schools.

"I think that a lot of geography ignorance comes from the lack of geographic instruction in schools. Schools have an increasingly long list of subjects that must be taught and geography is losing its share," he told Bored Panda.

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    #2

    And I Thought Americans Only Knew American Geography

    And I Thought Americans Only Knew American Geography

    SpinalElephant Report

    #3

    It's Basic Geography *sigh

    It's Basic Geography *sigh

    DM_ME_YOUR_PASSWORD Report

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    "Geography has this reputation of rote memorization of things like countries and capital cities. This is not exciting to most students," Patrick pointed out that many students don't get hooked on geography because of the associations the subject has. That's why it's vital to change people's perspectives on it.

    "The way to encourage geographic learning is to make it exciting," Patrick shared with us.

    #4

    Geography Is Important, Kids

    Geography Is Important, Kids

    regian24 Report

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    Caro Caro
    Community Member
    3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Don't you need brains for a mental breakdown? Amsterdam??? Do they have cheese there? Asking for a friend ;)

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    #5

    Looks Like Someone Failed Geography

    Looks Like Someone Failed Geography

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    Susie Elle
    Community Member
    3 years ago

    We're proud though

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    "This may be by including geography lessons in learning about different cultures around the world. Geography is a component of current events and there needs to be an emphasis on how these events are occurring in a geographic context. Geography should not be taught in isolation, it should be tied to some context such as history, the physical Earth, culture, or travel," he explained that the entire approach to the subject should be altered.

    #7

    Bye!! America See You... Never!

    Bye!! America See You... Never!

    DOMINOEP Report

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    Chinmayee Kalghatgi
    Community Member
    3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    What kind of world does this person live in? Is education that bad in some schools in the US?

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    #9

    Geography Wasn't Their Strongest Suit

    Geography Wasn't Their Strongest Suit

    DeificClusterfuck Report

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    Look, nobody saying that everyone’s born knowing every tiny part of the globe. Education, learning, collecting knowledge—they’re all processes. Everyone makes mistakes, everyone learns at their own pace. We get that.

    Some of us have made really embarrassing geography slip-ups, too: for some reason, yours truly got it into their head since they were a kid that New Zealand was northeast of Australia, instead of southeast, where it actually is. However, natural curiosity, a willingness to be humble, and fixing our mistakes means that, eventually, we get to correct our geography fails. Or, well, some of us do.

    #10

    Statistics Are Hard. So Is Geography

    Statistics Are Hard. So Is Geography

    beerbellybegone Report

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    Firefoxy3121
    Community Member
    3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Dogs are not inherently vicious. They respond to treatment by their owners. Pitbulls are pretty nice dogs depending on the owners, same with most breeds

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    #11

    How Many People Failed Element School Geography

    How Many People Failed Element School Geography

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    #12

    Spotted On Twitter

    Spotted On Twitter

    KTthemajicgoat Report

    Some of the most embarrassing geography fails and facepalms happen when news presenters end up having to stand in front of error-filled maps. Or when high-profile figures get their info mixed up. Maybe someone made an honest mistake. Or maybe someone is actually incredibly ignorant. Whatever the case might be, these are the moments that end up being photographed, screenshotted, and shared for years and years on the internet.

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    It’s very hard to recover from a public fail like this. On the other hand, acknowledging the fact that we made an embarrassing mistake opens us up to a lot of growth potential. And it can actually win us the respect of our peers.

    #13

    Geography...

    Geography...

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    Marco Conti
    Community Member
    3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    You don't really want to say "German patriots" too loud. The last bunch sort of left a mess.

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    #14

    Geography Is African Hard Subject

    Geography Is African Hard Subject

    PM_ME_UR_KNEE Report

    #15

    Geography Fail

    Geography Fail

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    Mona Lisa
    Community Member
    3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    I've been stuck inside a museum for most of my life an even I know Geography better than these dumbos!

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    Recently, Bored Panda spoke about accepting our flaws and those of others with psychologist Lee Chambers, from the UK. 

    “As humans, we are a wonderfully unique mix that is personal to each one of us. It can always be difficult to find peace with our flaws Whether they [the flaws] be physical, mental, intellectual, or social, many of us will at some point in our childhood been bullied or singled out for our differences,” he told us.

    “It can be easy to ignore them [the flaws], and pretend they don't exist, but the real power comes in accepting them, embracing them, and realizing that some flaws we can change, and others might not be flexible,” the mental health expert said.

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    #16

    3 Different Geography Fails Along With Some Ebola Panic

    3 Different Geography Fails Along With Some Ebola Panic

    Plowbeast Report

    #18

    They Didn't Get An A In Geography! One Facebook Poster's Point About People Mourning The Death Of Cecil The Lion Who Was Killed By A Hunter In Zimbabwe Was Somewhat Lost

    They Didn't Get An A In Geography! One Facebook Poster's Point About People Mourning The Death Of Cecil The Lion Who Was Killed By A Hunter In Zimbabwe Was Somewhat Lost

    Elitetimeline7 Report

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    Luther von Wolfen
    Community Member
    3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Geographical knowledge has nothing to do with being upset about a lion getting killed.

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    According to Lee, we can lead a high quality and rewarding life when we adopt a growth-oriented mindset. He said that the point is to develop in other ways and have amazing strengths despite our flaws. In short, messing up with geography or anything else isn’t the end of the world if you don’t let it be. But owning up to your fail and learning from it all can be very powerful.

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    #19

    European Airline Failed Geography

    European Airline Failed Geography

    Your_one_man_ Report

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    #21

    Geography Is Tough

    Geography Is Tough

    imgur.com Report

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    Chinmayee Kalghatgi
    Community Member
    3 years ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    These people seem to be homeschooled by uneducated parents. Any 7 year old would know that it is Africa

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    “The beauty is that sharing our flaws helps us to become more human and connect with others, as we all have weaknesses, and being vulnerable and open will have others seeing you as authentic, honest, and courageous,” the psychologist said.

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    #22

    Geography Probably Isn't Their Strongest Subject

    Geography Probably Isn't Their Strongest Subject

    NemesisCR Report

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    #24

    Someone Needs To Go Back To Geography Class...

    Someone Needs To Go Back To Geography Class...

    howdopeoplemakethese Report

    “The process of taking ownership of your flaws is powerful as it also makes us more accepting of the flaws of others and less worried about fitting in. For as long as we don't embrace our flaws, we will be running from them and be more judgemental of others, less tolerant of differences, and more controlling.”

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    #26

    East Virginia

    East Virginia

    LightningMcqueer1 Report

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    Fishy Squid
    Community Member
    3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Why is south Virginia above Virginia? I’m Australian am I correct that that south Virginia doesn’t even exist?

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    Which of these geography fails did you think were the worst of the bunch, dear Readers? Do you think that geography classes should be given a higher priority in schools everywhere? What have been your own biggest geography mixups or mistakes? Share your thoughts with all the other Pandas in the comments. We can't wait to read what you have to say!

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    #28

    Geography Class Aint Gonna Go Well

    Geography Class Aint Gonna Go Well

    Tiny_Monkey113 Report

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    Commander OwO
    Community Member
    3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Most Maldivians can’t point to where Maldives is in a map, mostly because it’s not even there in a lot of maps!

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    #29

    So... Came Across This Excellent Lesson In Geography On My Insta Feed Today

    So... Came Across This Excellent Lesson In Geography On My Insta Feed Today

    Devajeetd Report

    #30

    So I Guess She's Never Learned Geography Either

    So I Guess She's Never Learned Geography Either

    firefighter_82 Report

    #31

    Some American Level Geography Skills From My Friend (Who Isn’t American)

    Some American Level Geography Skills From My Friend (Who Isn’t American)

    swishswooshSwiss Report

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    #32

    I Think They Didn't Pass Geography Class

    I Think They Didn't Pass Geography Class

    regian24 Report

    #33

    Throwing Darts At The Map Would Be More Accurate

    Throwing Darts At The Map Would Be More Accurate

    consultum_ultimum Report

    #35

    Someone Skipped Geography Class...

    Someone Skipped Geography Class...

    LoginPuppy Report

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    Unni Panda
    Community Member
    3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Maybe they're predicting the future, the way things are going in the US...

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    #36

    I Love The State Of Canada

    I Love The State Of Canada

    yoofles101 Report

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    Nadine G
    Community Member
    3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    I know we're America Lite, but we still have clear distinctions; like the f*****g border you have to cross to get here, poutine and murder geese.

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    #39

    Geography 100

    Geography 100

    aayush_aryan Report

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    #40

    Geography Is Hard

    Geography Is Hard

    ARK_133 Report

    #41

    “College Geography”

    “College Geography”

    Benboy0222 Report

    #42

    Try Taking A Geography Course

    Try Taking A Geography Course

    Wipeoutjack7 Report

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    #44

    Travel Blog Really Knows Their Geography

    Travel Blog Really Knows Their Geography

    reddit.com Report

    #45

    R.i.p. Geography!

    R.i.p. Geography!

    uranonfraand Report

    #46

    Geography Is Not Their Strong Suit

    Geography Is Not Their Strong Suit

    unabenjaminson Report

    #47

    Geography Is Hard

    Geography Is Hard

    pjm9 Report

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    Mr Zipperface
    Community Member
    3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    But the whole planet (and Canada) competes in the World Series...

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    #48

    I Can't Tell Whether This Is Satire Or Not But They Should Have Looked Up The Geography Of The UK Before Claiming Racism

    I Can't Tell Whether This Is Satire Or Not But They Should Have Looked Up The Geography Of The UK Before Claiming Racism

    21stCenturyDelphox Report

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    Scagsy
    Community Member
    3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Wait til they hear about Blackpool, Blackburn and Prejudiceville.

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    #49

    Up Is Down, North Is South, Chaos Ensues

    Up Is Down, North Is South, Chaos Ensues

    ThisCommentIsSarcasm Report

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    Susie Elle
    Community Member
    3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    I didn't even see north and south were swapped as I was looking at the map trying to figure out what was wrong and I questioned my own existence there for a second

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    #50

    When You Don’t Understand Geography

    When You Don’t Understand Geography

    Lazyredditor683 Report

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    Laura Mende (Human)
    Community Member
    3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    But question though: What is about Yugoslawia in the 90s? Wasn't that a war too? Or am I stupid?! Ukraine is the first war in Europe since '45? That can't be right...

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    Note: this post originally had 86 images. It’s been shortened to the top 50 images based on user votes.

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