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.
This post may include affiliate links.
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.
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
Oh my God… what fresh hell is this?! Please don’t tell me she homeschools her children.
Wow, never knew Alaska and Hawaii were neighbors nor is Hawaii near a state called Flordia. And Canada looks so small lol.
Canada being small - and a state in the USA apparently. 😆
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Nice of them to show us where the beach is, though. Maine doesn't get one.
Maine's beach probably got carried off by the mosquitoes, the state bird
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They use asbestos for snow. Very realistic but lethal...
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What happened to Michigan and the Great Lakes? Did we get wiped off the map?
Can I join you in nonexistence? I’m in Colorado
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On the plus side she spelled 5 states and Canada correctly… can someone tell me what N8 in the top right and AF in the bottom right mean? And how can she spell New Mexico correctly but not Mexico… And just so people know, there are Americans that can name every state, know where they are, know the continents (we’re taught 7 in the US which apparently is not what’s taught world wide) and where they are, know what’s a country and what’s a state, know a majority of the counties in Europe and could locate them, I couldn’t label more than a few countries in Africa, more in Asia but not a lot. And I HATED geography, world and us history, social studies, etc. Just, please… not all of us are this stupid…
Haha I love that we have to defend ourselves as Americans bc.... Well, other Americans. My fav is when they realize some of us are actually smart and they are amazed bc it seems like it's like genius level compared to what they thought.
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Probably Kansas, which she thinks IS the entire Midwest
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Oh yes, Illinois in the Pacific NW, Oregon in the middle of the Mojave... I don't see anything wrong with this /s
Many people were surprised to discover that Alaska was actually an island to the south of Mexico all along.
Alaska is usually depicted on the lower left in maps, as is Hawaii, to save space. Never thought someone would take it literally though.
Load More Replies... At first I thought, well the shape isn't too far off if I just threw a general shape out there ignoring the fine details....until I started reading and realized that bump in the middle bottoms IS NOT Texas....and almost everything else written isn't just a little off but TOTALLY off....
Inspired by old stretched-perspective map illustrations showing a biased cross-country look from an urban viewpoint. Remember some NEW YORKER covers?
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Lol, and she gets to vote. I see why the Republican party has crazy Representatives.
How? Sure, our public school systems are an abysmal mess, but the South is famous for their chain restaurants that always have US map placemats.
So many questions...I guess my biggest is - what are the large gaps between the states? I'm assuming some sort of Mad Max wastelands where travelers are attacked and pillaged.
I went back to look at the map and started laughing even harder remembering this comment about the mad mad wastelands and now my stomach hurts from laughing. Good call though. I think you may be correct!
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I like people this dumb. They remind me that even though I think I'm stupid, I am so much smarter than lots of people
This map reminds me of Ernest T Bass trying to get his diploma so he could impress his darlin' Romeena... Andy: That's right. Now the United States is bounded on the north by Canada, on the south by Mexico, on the east by the Atlantic Ocean and on the west by, uh, would, uh, you happen to know that? Ernest T.: (thinks) Old Man Kelsey's woods. Andy: No. All the way to the edge – big body of water. Ernest T.: Old Man Kelsey's crick. Andy: Ocean. Ernest T.: Old Man Kelsey's ocean!
Good lord, Canada isn’t a state, the whole thing looks so weird, Rhode Island is not an island, D.C isn’t in the country, Mexico isn’t a state. I’m sorry that some of my people are so dumb.
you've seen worse???? please tell us where, so we can go point and laugh. 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
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Um, I’m from Australia, but is that Arizona next to DC? If I had known they were that close before my trip I would have hired a car instead of flying. Lol
It's just a very accurate map of Pangea, from quite a few million years ago.
Well… I mean, Florida is kind of… I mean… Well, it’s kind of on the right-ish side of the continent, right?
Canada is a... tiny American state? Wtf? Imagine being this confused...smh.
Most of the borders in the us are straight (compared to other countries)
what is the large white space above Flordia? What is Peach on Floridia's west coast? Why is NB separate from Canada? Why is Canada a small ... oh, never mind!
According to this map D.C. is just a short drive from my Wisconsin home...or it became part of Wisconsin at some point.
Whoo!! I now live between Oregon and Texas!! Now I won't need plane tickets for vacations!! ☺☺
This reminds me of the Andy Griffith show when Ernest T Bass was trying to get his diploma to impress his darlin' Romeena... Andy: That's right. Now the United States is bounded on the north by Canada, on the south by Mexico, on the east by the Atlantic Ocean and on the west by, uh, would, uh, you happen to know that? Ernest T.: (thinks) Old Man Kelsey's woods. Andy: No. All the way to the edge – big body of water. Ernest T.: Old Man Kelsey's crick. Andy: Ocean. Ernest T.: Old Man Kelsey's ocean!
To fail this bad, I don't think any school system could have helped her.
Canada looks very, very small. Isn't that one of the largest countries in the world, area-wise? Oh, and one can understand why she thinks Alaska is down there, as it's usually put there in maps of the US... But, there is no beach south of Mexico; Middle America is stuck between Mexico and South America. Last time I checked, Florida is much smaller than Mexico, and Texas for that matter. The Atlantic is to the east of the US, and the Pacific is to the west. (I'm Swedish, not American.)
Sorry, but this made me laugh. So many people think Alaska and Hawaii are just under or beside the mainland US because that's where most maps of the US place them for convenience.
I'm glad she indicated the beaches to us. Otherwise we would have thought it's still mountains.
oh. my. god. she has 2 kids and thinks canada is a tiny sliver on top of the us?! im 20 w/ no kids and even I know what the us looks like!
The school system didn't fail her. She failed herself. She was taught what it looked like at one point and then forgot. If she wants to know she now has a responsibility to teach herself. Stop thinking teachers are responsible for everyone's faulty memories and education INTO THEIR THIRTIES.
Washington state is in New England now? Damn I’m going to miss the cherry trees.
Compared to most Americans understanding of geography. I would give her a D minus. I spent a decade training OTR truck drivers on U.S. interstates. Most of the people I trained had never been more than 50 miles from home. Some had never driven on interstate. Most didn't know a state existed until they drove into it
Wow🤯 Somehow Oregon is connected to Ohio, which is mysteriously now on the southwest portion of the country instead of the northeast. Texas has become some amalgamation of Oklahoma & Kansas. Lordy, Washington state is also on the wrong side, and now my home country, Canada, is the District of Columbia and all of Canada (beaver, moose, mosquitoes, geese and all) has been squished into Maine 🤣🤣 I'm not even gonna touch anything else. Wow this is frightening.
As Alaska moved towards the Equator, the ice melted, the sea levels rose, and the Atlantic joined the the Pacific. Makes sense.
Canada? You okay?... also the Pacific... that is where i live. in NZ. almost half way across the world....
Honestly I also suck at reading maps. I paid attention during geography but it didn't stick in my brain.
I'll hold my hands up... I couldn't do much better... although I'd have put Alaska north
This isn't even about the public school system though. There are maps posted everywhere. EVERYWHERE. All she had to do was register it somewhere in her brain. Assuming she has one. People simply don't pay attention, to anything, ever. The information is everywhere, it just doesn't get in somehow.
she failed herself here. My God, everyone (just about) on the planet has internet -- how about Google "map of the USA"
Mexica??? WTF so the Atlantic and pacific are now the same ocean (maybe she should have used a hyphen) and what is the AF next to her bahamas???
She also thinks Canada is an American state/territory??? (Upper right corner).
Oof, my brother and I both left the nc public school system-- me to catholic school, him to homeschool.
Failed her!? She did a great job despite any attempts to school her.
To be fair while this is terrible, drawing the whole map from memory is tough
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?
