30 Times People Failed At Geography So Badly, They Made The Internet Facepalm (New Pics)
Most of us have been there: you post something online that you’re 100% sure is the absolute truth, flexing those big cognitive muscles of yours… only to realize that you made a mistake. You blush. You start sweating. You realize that you’ve made an utter fool of yourself. On the internet of all places! And now, your blunder will forever live in the Internet Hall of Infamy, also known as the r/facepalm subreddit.
The online community is full to the brim with people making epic mistakes. But few of them are as painful to see as when someone boasts about their [cough] ‘deep’ knowledge of geography [cough]. For anyone even with a rudimentary knowledge of geography, the posts you’re about to see might make you lose a bit of hope in humanity. Put on your safari hats, scroll down, upvote the worst geo fails you’ve seen, and don’t forget to share your unfiltered opinions in the comments, dear Pandas! Just remember not to feed the F-grade students…
Once you’ve completed the trek through this list and if you feel like you’d love to go on another humorous adventure, then you’ll probably love Bored Panda’s previous article about facepalm-worthy geography fails. Check it out right over here.
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You Can Only Pity Such People
When You Dont Know What You’re Talking About
"And Ted, the Moderna Vaccine was partially funded by Dolly Parton!"
Blindly Playing Yourself
Detroit has a lot of abandoned homes. I took my Spanish friend to tigers baseball game and as we drove through Detroit he asked me why it looked like Europe after WWIi
Look, Pandas, we all had our favorite and least favorite subjects back in school. For instance, yours truly always enjoyed history, literature, and biology. Math, on the other hand, was a pure nightmare. For me, personally, geography fell squarely in the middle of the pack.
The subject itself was incredibly interesting. After all, who doesn’t enjoy learning about volcanoes and global cultures, and drawing maps in class? However, a lot of this enjoyment rose and fell depending on the teacher. Some were very strict and gave you awful grades for failing to memorize all of the important geographical locations around the world. Others, however, made the subject fun, relatable, and, well, not a chore.
Virtue Signalling
They Don't Teach Flags In High School Geography?
More Liberian Flag Confusion
Hm, I somehow expected the dumbest /most non-educated blogs in the top 5, but here the posts deteriorate even the more I scroll down... 🫣🙄 (PS: I posted this comment when this post was around #18... 😬)
It’s not surprising that some people are completely awful at geography. After all, the world is full of folks who fail at math, science, history, and all the other subjects that some of us know and love. You’ll never find a subject where everyone’s a pro.
Yahoo Answers Might Be Gone, But We Still Have Quora
Ah, Yeah. I Swear It's Always Us Americans Who Don't Realize There's A Country Called Georgia
It's hard to have sympathy for people bad with geography and maps when they post dumb comments on the internet that has Google earth, maps and all kinds of reference material. I used to have to walk to the library to find out information. Now even Wiki has disambiguation pages to help sort out all the Georgias.
Was a kid in the early 80s, and was so jealous of one of my friends having a full set of encyclopedias!
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There's a new restaurant opening in my area that specializes in Georgian cuisine and wine. I will admit that my husband and I had a couple of minutes of me saying no it's Georgian cuisine not Georgian cuisine you know what I'm saying? We're both extremely aware of the difference but it still took us a second to communicate it properly... (The menu looks amazing and I'm super excited to try it all)
Yes, try it all! Georgian food and wine is absolutely amazing. Especially the tkhemali (sour plum sauce), khatchapuri (cheese bread), and lobiani (bean pastry). Make sure you go hungry, because you'll definitely leave full.
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Thank you! I had never heard of Woldle. I just tried it and I love it!
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All nonsense aside, that is fascinating. Now reading about Georgia's role through the migration of early hominids into Europe. Very cool.
I've gotten so many odd looks when I list Georgian among the languages I speak. So many comments along the lines of "That's an accent, not a separate language." Now I tend to list as Kartuli, the language spoken in the Republic of Georgia.
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It's been 31 years since independence. You'd think this person would have looked at a map, cracked a book, read a website or something.
Google is your friend! I grew up way before Google was invented (I was about 30 when it started), and I had to use the encyclopedias in the book cases at home or at the library.
Americans are well versed about their country but are not educated in-depth about other countries.
Not all Americans some. Shouldn't categorize a whole nation because of a few idiots.
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it wouldn't be a problem if people just use "საქართველო" (romanized: Sakartvelo). I googled how people of this country call it. quite funny, because some of "English names for countries" are similar to original ones: La France -> France, Italia -> Italy... and then you have Germany for Deutschland or Japan for Nihon :D
At least he was right in the fact that United States is a country. Many people make the mistake of insisting that America is a country...
A good friend of mine in Germany was from Ghana. African-American soldiers were always hitting on her. Too many of them them demeaned her by calling her a dumb foreign girl from Ghana who is so poorly educated that she believes Ghana is in Africa. It's actually in South America. She used to get so infuriated by that.
Do t forget South Georgia is an island 800 miles south of the Falkland Islands
To their great surprise, some Americans discovered that there is more on this planet besides the USA 😉
It's not always about you, Americans. It is a world outside your country... Jesus Christ, it's sad how school system fail you guys so bad!
I know not everyone can be an expert at every subject, but please dear God this is just BASIC knowledge! Americans should know the names and whereabout of different countries of the world. It seems the only countries they know about are the ones they send soldiers to for battle. Even if they don't learn them in school, one would think basic curiosity would have them looking on maps or googling them. Let's face it - my ghast is flabbered....sigh
I worked with a guy during the dissolution of the Soviet Union and the term regarding the treatment of "ethnic people of Georgia" was brought up in a newscast. This mental wizard says "I didn't know that there were Black people in Russia".
Wait, humanoid tooth? Does that mean the tooth is shaped like a tiny human?
My dad helped set up the government in the republic of Georgia while working as a special agent for homeland security
Ah Yes, "Time-Zones"
However, this doesn’t excuse someone from being ignorant about basic things. You know, common sense stuff like how time zones work, what language is spoken in the United Kingdom, what the map of your country looks like, and knowing that there are currencies besides the dollar used around the globe. We all make mistakes. But it’s a bit embarrassing when you don’t have a working knowledge of the basics of geography.
Imagine Being This Uneducated
I would like to see them redo the General Lee with that flag. Also The Hazard County Bobsled Team would make an interesting sequel.
America Is The Whole Globe
Canada Is A Country In Eastern Europe! Read A Book, Bro
Nobody’s saying that you should be at the level of a PhD candidate (and even they make silly mistakes!), but you have to at least be aware of your place in society and the world at large. It’s perfectly possible to spend your entire life not knowing what’s beyond the borders of your tiny little town, but it’s debatable how much fulfillment you’d find living this way.
I Posted A Picture On Another Subreddit About A River In The Country Georgia And This Person Had A Lot To Say
And then they don't even use the American flag emoji as they declare how American they are -_-
Someone Didn’t Pay Attention In Geography Class
Where Is Ukraine?
Almost all of the r/facepalm geography fails are related either to ignorance or arrogance. Sometimes, both! People either don’t know basic facts. Or they think they know something, only to be proven very, very wrong.
In cases of extreme embarrassment, your instinct is probably to shy away and defend yourself. However, that’s really not the best approach because it may lead to deep-seated feelings of shame further down the line.
Dunno What To Say
Geography
A Girl At Work Drew What She Thinks The Map Of The USA Looks Like. She's Almost 30 With 2 Kids. The Nc Public School System Has Really Failed Her
No, the mature way to react is to lean into your embarrassment. Embrace those uncomfortable feelings. Show everyone that you do feel embarrassed. Acknowledge that you’ve made a mistake. That might actually work out in your favor and improve your reputation—through humility, you become more likable.
Someone's Geography Needs Some Upgrading
Nordic Countries Misunderstood
Getting Offended Over The Name Of A Country
Bored Panda I’m gonna need to have a serious talk with whoever decided to censor the country N***r. The COUNTRY WITH THE CAPITAL OF NIAMEY, to be clear, since it’s not letting me say it
Previously, during an interview with Bored Panda, geography and cartography expert and land surveyor Patrick McGranaghan shared his thoughts about the state of the subject. He pointed out that some students see geography in a pretty negative light. Meanwhile, geography isn’t a priority in some 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 shared with us.
I Guess He’s Half Right
Nick Adams was born in Australia. In 2010, Adams served as the PR consultant for The Halloween Institute, a march to make Halloween a public holiday in Australia. It was later revealed those who 'protested' were paid actors. Nick Adams is a top-shelf, class-A, bona-fide, full-blown idiot, and Australia does not want him back, thank you.
I Thought The USA Was The One Bad At Geography, I Swear To God, (UK Politics Subreddit)
Ah Yes, Germany Flag Fridge Magnet
"Geography has this reputation of rote memorization of things like countries and capital cities. This is not exciting to most students," the land surveyor and geography enthusiast told Bored Panda earlier. "The way to encourage geographic learning is to make it exciting.”
Geography Is Hard
Asian/Chinese Currency
i strongly recommend that you & your wife stay home, where, we all hope, that you’re safe & able to function on your own dude
Amsterdam = Country
"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.”
Peace And Harmony
Definitely The Shape And Flag Of Colorado
Countries On Map Of Africa Labelled Incorrectly On Gcse Geography Paper
Get your child a GLOBE for their room. They will grow up knowing the basics of geography.
Or at least a world map. This whole post gave me a headache.
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Would anyone like to know why my flat has a huge map of the world up on the wall? I have a daughter, she’s lived here since she was 6, she’s now 12. That map has been used for discussions about where certain foods come from, where humans originated from, where countries are that are in the news, how we travelled and discovered new peoples, y’know, stuff that helps a child learn about the world around them and helps them place themselves in it.
Same reason I have an analog clock with Roman numerals in my kitchen. I didn't want them to be forever confused because not all clocks are digital or have easy numbers.
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At what point does dumb become too dumb to run for office ..?
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When I was stationed in Hawaii (25ID) I did have a couple of tourists ask where they could get their US dollars exchanged for Hawaiian money... I almost said that "2 coconuts, 5 shells, and a lava rock was the equivalent of $20 USD but I'd give them all that for $10." but decided that since I was in uniform, that probably would have been a bad idea.
In the UK we're not actually really taught about flags and geographical locations, unless the teacher wants to buts its not as standard. And there's very little taught about America so many have no idea of American states!
Not sure where you are in the UK, but certainly in the area I grew up in Scotland it's not like that. General geography was part of the learning in primary school (projects on different countries, history etc) and mandatory as its own subject for the first 2 years of secondary school.
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These are horrifying, and I haven't gotten through them all yet. But my main concern / question..... Aren't there idiots in countries other than the US. I mean, I know we unfortunately provide a huge, sadly high number of the world's idiots. But I'd feel better if there were examples of multinational idiots interest of just ours in the US. I tire of the idiocy here, and just have a shed of hope that we're not the only one plagued with excessive stupid.
Public education has been actively degraded for decades in favor of private schools, as a political goal, and the results speak for themselves.
I have a book on Japan with some interesting geography. Geography that said stuff like "Tokyo is a country" and put city locations in the sea/ocean. If this were a challenge post, I'd literally post this.
I mean Ok you don't want to learn about the world, at least learn about your own country it's a disgrace
We have access to more information than any other time in human history. I feel disappointed.
I was asked if Germany was close to Europe by an a-grade student
I use to work with a person who was from Kansas City, Missouri in the USA. They grew up there. They did not know that the city is on the Missouri river. She thought it was the Mississippi river.
I mean, it didn't state on many of these where the posters were from, but I can assume many are 'cause the school system is failing/
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Why are people (Americans) so resolutely sure of their wrong information?
Get your child a GLOBE for their room. They will grow up knowing the basics of geography.
Or at least a world map. This whole post gave me a headache.
Load More Replies... Would anyone like to know why my flat has a huge map of the world up on the wall? I have a daughter, she’s lived here since she was 6, she’s now 12. That map has been used for discussions about where certain foods come from, where humans originated from, where countries are that are in the news, how we travelled and discovered new peoples, y’know, stuff that helps a child learn about the world around them and helps them place themselves in it.
Same reason I have an analog clock with Roman numerals in my kitchen. I didn't want them to be forever confused because not all clocks are digital or have easy numbers.
Load More Replies... At what point does dumb become too dumb to run for office ..?
Load More Replies... When I was stationed in Hawaii (25ID) I did have a couple of tourists ask where they could get their US dollars exchanged for Hawaiian money... I almost said that "2 coconuts, 5 shells, and a lava rock was the equivalent of $20 USD but I'd give them all that for $10." but decided that since I was in uniform, that probably would have been a bad idea.
In the UK we're not actually really taught about flags and geographical locations, unless the teacher wants to buts its not as standard. And there's very little taught about America so many have no idea of American states!
Not sure where you are in the UK, but certainly in the area I grew up in Scotland it's not like that. General geography was part of the learning in primary school (projects on different countries, history etc) and mandatory as its own subject for the first 2 years of secondary school.
Load More Replies... These are horrifying, and I haven't gotten through them all yet. But my main concern / question..... Aren't there idiots in countries other than the US. I mean, I know we unfortunately provide a huge, sadly high number of the world's idiots. But I'd feel better if there were examples of multinational idiots interest of just ours in the US. I tire of the idiocy here, and just have a shed of hope that we're not the only one plagued with excessive stupid.
Public education has been actively degraded for decades in favor of private schools, as a political goal, and the results speak for themselves.
I have a book on Japan with some interesting geography. Geography that said stuff like "Tokyo is a country" and put city locations in the sea/ocean. If this were a challenge post, I'd literally post this.
I mean Ok you don't want to learn about the world, at least learn about your own country it's a disgrace
We have access to more information than any other time in human history. I feel disappointed.
I was asked if Germany was close to Europe by an a-grade student
I use to work with a person who was from Kansas City, Missouri in the USA. They grew up there. They did not know that the city is on the Missouri river. She thought it was the Mississippi river.
I mean, it didn't state on many of these where the posters were from, but I can assume many are 'cause the school system is failing/
Load More Replies... Why are people (Americans) so resolutely sure of their wrong information?
