Quiz: How Fast Can You Identify These Countries by Their Borders?

Many people find geography difficult. In middle school, I memorized the countries and capitals of Africa, Europe, and South America. But I was the only person in the class to do so, even though it was required for a grade!

Geography isn't really a priority in U.S. schools, but it is important to understand the other countries in the world and international relations. Knowing geography can also enhance our understanding of politics and current events. If you think you know the countries of the world well enough to guess them by their borders, take the quiz below!

Did you get 10/10, or do you need to grab a globe to refresh your memory? If you'd like to test your knowledge of geography and other trivia, check out our quiz section. And if you've wondered about something, but felt foolish for not knowing the answer, try looking at our big questions section.

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Why Are So Many People Bad at Geography?

Geography is a common topic for street interviewers and content creators, specifically because they love showing how little people know about the subject. Late-night TV shows and TikTok videos alike show how many people cannot name just one country. Though some of it might be due to performance pressure, it also makes those of us in the audience feel some secondhand embarrassment.

Students in the United States are often known to be bad at geography, but there is a reason for that. The U.S. does not have a national standard for geography learning. It is up to the individual states to determine how much geography will play a part in their curriculum. And, it often gets lost in the midst of history and social studies lessons. But that isn't a problem solely for the United States.

Other countries, like those in the UK, deal with a lapse in thorough geography learning, even though it is required.

Countries With the Strongest Geography Curriculum

Finland and Sweden have some of the strongest geography curricula, believing that it has an important role in students' understanding of the world. Finland teaches geography as a science, along with biology, chemistry, and physics because they see it as learning about the natural world. Sweden teaches it as a social science, along with history, but makes it an obligatory part of learning.

Other countries with strong geography curricula are China and Japan. These Asian countries see the importance of their students knowing the different lands that make up countries and continents. They teach geography in terms of disaster preparedness and safety. With the amount of earthquakes and typhoons these areas experience, it makes sense to teach geography with this emphasis.

Whatever the reason, these countries see geography as an important part of education. Maybe the US could learn a little something from these countries and work to establish a national curriculum. It would benefit our students to know more about the world they live in.

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