Why we need to teach geography (AMERICAN REACTION) YIKES

[@sherrygarcia5708]

The one kid gets bonus points for knowing there was a tunnel under the English channel even if he did call it a bridge

[@badplay156]

Agreed he was pretty aware ... smart kid

[@tobytaylor2154]

@@badplay156 smart!!!! 🤣🤣🤣🤣, I suppose it all depends on where you are on the scale

[@reinhard8053]

@@tobytaylor2154 The one-eyed among the blinds. Well one not so sharp sighted eye.

[@tobytaylor2154]

@@reinhard8053 OK heinrich

[@skadiwarrior2495]

Well it does bridge the gap

[@angiew4544]

When I came to the US from Germany I couldn't believe how seriously lacking the education in America was in regards to geography! As a former international flight attendant/ translator I made it a point to buy an electronic globe that was a game asking about countries and major cities etc for my kids. Geography was always one of my favorite subjects. I actually just found out last year that my friend had no clue that Morocco was in Africa ! 🤫😳🤯

[@reinhard8053]

(German) My parents played a board game with me "Weltreise" (World journey) where you got destinations and had to find a route. I think I got a lot of my early knowledge from that game. And of course there was always an atlas in the living room where we would look for places mentioned.

[@Patrik6920]

stop making up fake countries..Africa is a song ofc...every 1 knows...

[@Patrik6920]

@@julietadiaz9937 ...thats an awsome recommendation... not only for americans...edit: sry not only for US Americans...

[@luisfilipe9272]

Geography, History, foreign languages........

[@marybate9600]

How sad and here are we thinking that Americans are educated.

[@littleannie390]

The channel tunnel is a railway tunnel between England and France. You can travel on the Eurostar high speed train that goes from London to Paris or in your car on the euro tunnel trains that also carry trucks. It was opened in 1994 and was a major feat of engineering.

[@catshez]

And because of the speed the Eurostar travels and the distance, it takes longer on the train between Plymouth and London than between London and Paris 😂

[@Proxima_Livion]

@@CharCanuck14 We call it the Eurotunnel.

[@tobyk.4911]

@@CharCanuck14 that seems to depend on the country. I live in Germany, and here we usually call it "Eurotunnel", or sometimes "Kanaltunnel" (which translates to "Channel tunnel") ... But I've never seen anyone here using the contractions "Chunnel" - until now, I've seen this term "Chunnel" only in some English-language KZbin comments.

[@tobyk.4911]

The Eurostar high speed train goes from London to Paris ... or to Brussels (and sometimes continues from there to Amsterdam). The travel time between Brussels and London is about 2 hours (including a stop in Lille which is in northern France)

[@nbartlett6538]

@@tobyk.4911 Only American tourists call it the “chunnel”. In England we call it the channel tunnel.

[@Margot4454]

I live in Poland - I think all of the questions about the world's geography, including USA geography like Great Lakes, were the primary school topics, then here comes no problem in answering those questions in a foreign language (English).

[@dxbxxxdddbbb]

Thats pretty good education. Considering its in a second or third language.

[@kontiuka]

I learned the other day that there are technically only 4 great lakes, not 5 since Lake Michigan and Lake Huron are connected by a strait and are at the same level.

[@agnesmeszaros-matwiejuk8783]

@@kontiuka if you would apply it like that, then a lot of lakes and seas and oceans would be redundant to name as most are connected.

[@ivoireP]

Yea, we in Czech Rep. learn the actual names of them :D

[@elizabethwallace-donnelly.2356]

Margot in Ireland We learn all about world Geography.. Capital cities in the world.. and the names of the rivers that runs through those cities.... LAKES RIVERS MOUNTAINS. Waterfalls.. The Continents The wonders of the world.... We learn all that from 5 yrs to 12 yrs...

[@lindylou7853]

Americans clearly don’t do car journeys where their parents ask random questions about everything, expecting their children to give the correct answers every time.

[@lindawilson467]

For that to work the parents need to know the answers

[@marmac83]

@@lindawilson467 Or care.

[@zammmerjammer]

@@lindawilson467 Or want to talk to their kids.

[@cireenasimcox1081]

I'm so delighted you said that: I was beginning to think we were the odd ones out because no American has mentioned it. According to what movies & tv portray kids either shout & squabble the whole time; sit in arms-crossed sullen silence, or, yeah, submerge themselves in an alternate world while the real world goes flashing by unseen. My parents and I used play games and riddles, sing silly songs, and tell stories. My kids and I did it. And now my 4-year old grandson is getting introduced to it. (At 3 years old he would have us all singing Bob Marley songs in the car. Again. And again.) But still, I remember a slow meander (in our Simca) up the East Coast from Melbourne to Brizzie when I was about 7-8 as one of the really great little chapters in my life. While a journey in South Africa which should have taken 8 hours once took my kids & I three days - and that, too, was one epic great journey we all remember as a lot of fun. And helps keep your brain alert (specially for the driver!). (We also used to holler out jingles to match a certain word...so to this day I remember every word of the iconic "We're happy little Vegemites", while I may not have the vaguest idea of where I left my glasses,).

[@aussiemiss1442]

Hey I remember road trips with booklets my mum and dad prepared with questions nd games. As we got older we each prepared games and trivia on geography , history etc. of course it was before iPads etc. Who can forget 45 versus of diarrhoea!

[@petertrabaris1629]

That was painful! We did study geography when I was in school fifty years ago. We did know the answers to these and more questions. Now that parents want to ban books they disagree with, I can't even begin to think how ignorant our future citizens will be.

[@paullewis2413]

The future for humanity is scary, I think H.G. Wells got it right in his book “The Time Machine”. Though life is sweet I’m damned glad I won’t be around to see the calamity which appears to be coming.

[@knightwish1623]

@@paullewis2413 I'm with you on that one. I'm 71 so I don't have that long to suffer the way things are going

[@deborahvretis3195]

I graduated in 1970. We did get a better education, to be sure.

[@tiggerwigger9135]

@@paullewis2413 So your're leaving earth within the next 3 months? Cuz it's already on the way they just haven't told you

[@diannalaubenberg7532]

Peter Trabaris No one wants to ban books they "disagree with; they want to remove certain books from elementary school shelves which are inappropriate subjects for elementary school students. Also, if you title a course "African American Studies, " the course should be about African American studies and not CRT or Trans issues. Common sense.

[@zwieseler]

From Australia… 5 Great Lakes. You use the word HOMES to remember their names…. I still remember that from high school geography… and I’m 67 years old now 👍

[@malagastehlaate230]

I am from the US and I did know most all those questions... but I know the Great Lakes from the song "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald" which is about a boat that was lost on one of them... that song is haunting. But then I'm much older than most those he's interviewing but yeah... it's sad.

[@MimiMa359]

😀 thanx for that "bridge" I know the names but now is even easier to remember. As an europien...

[@draculakickyourass]

@@malagastehlaate230 For a better use,as nobody seem to know their names,you should name them : Lake 1,2,3,4,5.😆

[@marianbirks6594]

I learnt the names of the Great Lakes in primary school I’m British. I lived in the US for many years and I was truly amazed by the lack of knowledge of most Americans

[@museluvr]

What's really sad, most of these 'dumbbells' have phones and computers. The info is right there, they're just too lost to find it or lack any care to their own stupidity. Truly sad.

[@martinmaltbor1290]

As a 50 year long residence and citizen of this country from Hungary I can tell you the best way to remember the name of the "big lakes" is by using the acronym HOMES. Huran, Ontario, Michigan, Erie. Superior.

[@lindalor9284]

Canadians know the great lakes because they border both Canada and the U.S.

[@martinmaltbor1290]

@@lindalor9284 based on your logic the Americans should know all the "Great Lakes" too especially the ones from the Mid-West because they live there. - I think, it is ignorance, the lack of education and the lack of IQ is the main or the only reason why don't know the name of the great lakes.

[@mattc3581]

Indeed, I knew there were 5 North American 'great lakes' and could name them when I was in school in England. The fact that Americans don't even know American geography is scary.

[@OblivionGate]

Just so you know, there's no language called British, that's derived from the British Isles, a geographical term. English is spoken in the UK and is the language of the English people, people who live in England. The English language comes from England. So the language you speak is our language, don't forget that. No such thing as the American language, its English and it comes from England.

[@mattbaigent5373]

So where does it come from?😂

[@OblivionGate]

@@mattbaigent5373 you have to put things in the simplest form and repeat it many times in order for Americans to understand, they find it hard to process any new information. It's overkill for you and me but believe me he's gonna need it repeated many times.

[@mattbaigent5373]

@@OblivionGate 😂

[@BabyWil88]

American English is quite often referred to as Simplified English. Centuries ago an American changed it to make it simpler to teach in schools (removing U in words and spelling it more like it sounds)

[@miztazed]

English comes from Saxony located in Germany the tribe also known as Anglo Saxons brougth it to the British islands and from England the language came to the US of A.

[@zeddoes]

Not only geography, but common sense also

[@tenniskinsella7768]

And history that's bad too like the American who was visiting Britain Strange how y have copied the names of our places

[@ratatat9790]

Sad thing is a lot of Americans don't even know what the term 'common sense' means.

[@traceyrhoden9808]

​​@@tenniskinsella7768it makes me laugh , you have pinched our names for towns... no America we had them first

[@stanislavbandur7355]

problem is that common sense is not common

[@spacefanatic]

The problem is your school system. In America you have multiple choice questions and you just have to tick a box. In the UK you have to know a subject and write about it, therefore you have had to learn about the subject. In the USA you could get a majority of the questions right by luck without knowing anything about the subjects.

[@dxbxxxdddbbb]

To get the majority of multiple choice answers correct, there would have to be one single choice of answers. Probability is a bitch.

[@Allaiya.]

Not necessarily. It depends on the teacher. My high school AP classes definitely required we write out paragraphs for our answers.

[@Perfectly_Cromulent351]

It’s actually the same in the US. Intellectual curiosity just isn’t a virtue in the US and we don’t see any value in educating oneself if it isn’t going to make you money.

[@lea88pu]

Never knew that 😮 Damn I would pass everything 😂

[@juliecalkins9694]

I work in a grade school in the USA. Geography is taught and it is not just tested with multiple choice questions. When the teachers I work with quiz their students they usually have them fill in a map. Also match States to their capitals. I feel that our school system is getting a bad wrap with these videos. Just because these people don't remember what they are taught doesn't mean they weren't taught it.

[@david2804me]

The aspect I found most comical of US knowledge of geography was the implication by the presenter that 'colour', spelt with a 'U' in the country where the language comes from, might be wrong. It did not seem to occur to him that, in fact, it is the US that has messed up the proper spelling just like with quite a few other words.

[@tenniskinsella7768]

David yes they changed words meanings and spelling gs just for the sake of it. Imean faucet for tap that sort of thing

[@yvetteblack9370]

And the US could never adapt to the Metric system ( unlike the rest of the world )

[@DASPRiD]

Well, to be fair, English just adopted some french words without adjusting spelling and removing silent letters, while in the US that was (partially at least) cleaned up. Overall, the entire dictionary needs a spelling overhaul, in both language variants ;)

[@david2804me]

@@DASPRiD I can’t see the connection with the spelling differences in English between two countries… but if you’re interested in the make up of English it is a combination of Anglo, Greek, Germanic, Latin and French with some Malay, Hindi and Norse thrown in.

[@tiggerwigger9135]

It's the same way Americans use to call Canada's money "funny money or Monopoly money" bc it was coloured and theirs was green. Then they finally realized their money was the "funny money" bc everywhere else in the world had coloured money but them..lol

[@ballantynemoyes8019]

I learned the names of the Great Lakes when I was in primary school in Scotland. We were even taught a mnemonic - HOMES - Huron, Ontario, Michigan, Erie, Superior. In Australia there is a newspaper called the Sydney Morning Herald so I then learned (after moving to Australia) Sydney Morning Herald Editor's Office which is a mnemonic listing them in order west to east.

[@continental_drift]

Thanks, I thought it was five but I could not remember all of their names, it's been a long time since 1967, lol

[@pavelmacek282]

Same by me - this was primary school, 5th grade (and yeah I put together only 4)

[@annienonimus5236]

Yes I spent a time at my UK school learning about the Great lakes, St Lawrence Seaway and US geography. We also studied Japan, the Soviet Union as well as Europe. I do not understand this American ignorance of the existence of the rest of the world.

[@robmartin525]

I had a Canadian teacher in middle school (South England), she taught us the same mnemonic

[@jenniferfox301]

My mum taught me SHOE-M. Don't know why, not in any order but that's how I remember them. I'm English born and bred, and my geography knowledge is so-so at best, but I answered those questions correctly. Come on, America, teach your kids about the rest of the world!

[@lillm6874]

This was painful watching 😳😳 Love from Norway Btw, Americans I’ve met thought Norway was the capital in Sweden 😅

[@trumankim6484]

It was painful watching, and I’m an American! To respond to you, capital of Norway is Oslo(formerly Christiania), and capital of Sweden is Stockholm

[@lillm6874]

@@trumankim6484 I know that, I’m Norwegian👍😉 But the ones I’ve met thought so. I’ve met people from France that thought we had polar bears walking in the streets 😅

[@trumankim6484]

@@lillm6874 Wait you don’t? (Just kidding)

[@lillm6874]

@@trumankim6484 👍😅

[@Renlloyd630]

🤣🤣🐻‍❄️

[@fairgreen42]

Hello from Vienna, Austria! Yes, we did learn about the great lakes. Also, I used to look at the globe with my dad even before I was of school age and talked about countries, oceans, rivers, etc. Great fun. One thing you can do with your son also soon. 😊

[@jgw5491]

Globes are wonderful things to have in the home while raising kids! 🌍🌎🌏 My dad was an amateur radio operator and contacted other operators all over the world, and we would look at the globe and find the places his contacts lived. And I would just look at all the countries and oceans and find what was near to what, near us, on the opposite side of the world to us. We made our own educational fun. Good times! 😄

[@fairgreen42]

@@jgw5491 That sounds wonderful. I have a little nephew and when he comes to visit he loves to "look at the planet" together. 😊

[@reinhard8053]

I didn't learn at school about them (AFAIK), but they are mentioned in books, films, documentaries. I remembered at least two of the names not having thought about them for a longer time.

[@bobbiusshadow6985]

Do (some) Americans ask you where the kangaroos are?

[@fairgreen42]

@@bobbiusshadow6985 No, but in souvenir shops there are "No Kangaroos in Austria" shirts. 🙂

[@schoko-fan4370]

I was shocked too when I was a student in High School for 1 year in 1994/95. I came from Germany and discovered, that in order to graduate you only had to have certain credits for example 4 in some kind of math, but only 2 in science lessons ( I don‘t know exact number anymore). So most students only took the required amount to pass. And in first year of geography the topic would be USA and if you don‘t take it the next year you‘ll probably never hear about the rest of the world 😮 Same with chemistry, physics, biology. They were quite shocked to see my reports from Germany I had to bring. I‘ve had all these subjects from 7th grade onwards, so 4 years each, same with English. Geography even starts in 5th grade.

[@catherinewilkins2760]

Yes there is a tunnel under the English channel, its called the channel tunnel.

[@TheCornishCockney]

No shit Sherlock.

[@CamcorderSteve]

...or even the "Chunnel"

[@kyle381000]

The scariest of Leno's interviews were on college campuses. The utter lack of general knowledge there was appalling.

[@Chuulip]

I actually thought it's a stereotype that Americans actually think David Hasselhoff did anything towards tearing down the wall 😂

[@uwecramer6091]

He had nothing to do with it. it come from the citizen of East Germany. After Gorbatschow reform the Sovet Union and let al countries arount the Sovet Union doe there own politics. The people of East Germany start to protest aginst there Governement. They don`t wanted to change. So they go every Monday to the Nicolei Church in Leipzig (City in East Germany) and start Demonstrations from there. The first weeks only some but later tausends. That ends the Berlin Wall and East Germany. The Wall fell on 09 of November 1989 and 1 year later Germany was reunited.

[@1988bogdana]

There are 5 Great Lakes. I am Ukrainian with American citizenship, but learned about the lakes in Ukrainian middle school 😂. I can definitely name some : Ontario, Michigan, Erie, and there are two more the name of which escaped my mind at the moment. People from Denmark are called Danish, people who live in Amsterdam live in the country that is called Netherlands 🤪. Iraq is located in the Middle East and it’s neighbor countries are Syria and Turkey . Lord have mercy 😅!

[@IamnotfromUSA]

most people call them Dutch not Amsterdanians

[@thanning1]

A dane isn't exactly wrong cuz a dane refers to a person of danish decent

[@crazymelomanka]

Amsterdamians are called Dutch😂

[@thegirlofmanyfandoms99]

Huron and Superior

[@stanislavbandur7355]

@@thegirlofmanyfandoms99 oh no - HOMES (Huron Ontario Michigan Erie Superior) - never been there, closest spot I was, was some western beach in Ireland

[@jackybraun2705]

I went to school in the UK and we learnt about the Great Lakes (that was about 1968-1969)

[@tvubermensch808]

rest in peace... America

[@casperwallace9685]

The Channel Tunnel (often called the 'Chunnel' for short) is an undersea tunnel linking southern England and northern France. It is operated by the company Getlink, who also run a railway shuttle (Le Shuttle) between Folkestone and Calais, carrying passengers in cars, vans and other vehicles. Eurostar is a totally separate company and is Getlink’s biggest customer, running high-speed passenger services through the Channel Tunnel between London and a number of other European cities on the continent, including Paris, Brussels, Lille, Lyon, Avignon and Marseille. The Chunnel actually comprises three tunnels: two rail tunnels, used for freight and passenger trains, and a service tunnel.

[@deniskramer3562]

No it it not! The Channal Tunnel is a underwater bridge! 😉

[@nukasnook1561]

I'm in NZ and my daughter lives in Folkestone ... The Euro Tunnel is a fascinating read.

[@Thurgosh_OG]

I've only ever heard tourists say chunnel, never actual Brits.

[@Snookscat]

Princess Diana? R.I.P. I thought everyone knew this. It wasn’t only Britain watching the news.

[@marealanham2900]

Have been on the Eurostar a few times, loved it.

[@vickiepower6201]

This was hilarious 😂 but also a little scary because these people are your future leaders 🤯

[@sherrellbennett1333]

We already have a leader afflicted with dementia and one that appears to have no knowledge of this country, and a person in congress that was a bartender, plus multitudes of drunks in office, so why not? Can't get much worse.

[@estranhokonsta]

"One place to another". Totally justified answer! Leno was deserving of it, after not helping the kid, when the kid was struggling but managed to ask if there was a country named Panama.

[@johnmeneses7039]

No, it just meant the kid could not think for himself. He should know important things like the Panama cannel and the significance of what it does. I knew that when I was 8 years old.

[@estranhokonsta]

@@johnmeneses7039 I would bet that, no matter how cult i or you think we are, we don't really know anything about more than 90% of the "important things and their significances". I would argue that the first and possibly most important step to be classified as "cult" is to be available to ask questions. An important step that this kids demonstrated. On the other hand, i would also argue that stepping on that kid's attitude (just to prove some "important" point) would not be considered very cult by many people out there.

[@johnmeneses7039]

@@estranhokonsta Sorry Estranho, I disagree. From his appearance he is a teenager. I knew more than he did when I was 10 years old. He should have better knowledge. He is better than the rest shown, but still no where close to having the knowledge that he should have. These days kids are treated like children, thats why they act like children instead of being young adults. Knowledge is power and wisdom. Something these kids are sorely lacking. That's why the world is in such a mess today.

[@judithhope8970]

We were taught about the great lakes in school in the UK and told HOMES is a mnemonic of remembering the names. Huron, Ontario, Mitchigan, Eerie, and Superior. Wow, I've impressed myself, that was about fifty years ago!

[@johnrobinson5217]

Was taught the same thing too, but in New Zealand. Forty years ago.

[@marealanham2900]

Same in Australia.

[@lindalor9284]

Same in Canada.

[@teviottilehurst]

A bit of trivia: Everest, the man who the mountain is named after, is buried in the churchyard of St Andrew's Church in Hove near Brighton, England.

[@graceygrumble]

And his name was pronounced Eve-rest (As in Adam and Eve).

[@circus1701]

I love the story (?) Everest who measured the height of the mountain got an exact figure of 29000 ft and added a small amount because he felt people would not believe the round number.😃

[@tonyanderton3521]

@@graceygrumble Thanks, Gracey, I didn't know that.

[@noone6037]

I looked through a few comments and was amazed that no one pointed out the Everest is not the tallest mountain on the planet. It may be the highest but it's not the tallest.

[@Thurgosh_OG]

@@noone6037 Are you referring to under water mountains like Mauna Kea?

[@ClaireQuinn566]

It is indeed painful & appalling to hear such ignorant answers. Shame on the education system in America.

[@chris747f]

As someone from England I knew every single answer from general schooling in the primary/elementary grade which is mental that Americans don’t know these at later ages 😂

[@avaggdu1]

English geography now consists of staring wistfully into the distance and sighing "We used to own that!" 😁 I bet most British kids could have a good stab at naming all 50 US states and reasonably identify them on a map, but your average American would have difficulty naming half a dozen English counties (and still pronounce them incorrectly).

[@ratatat9790]

'Staring wistfully'?. I think that's all in your own head fella.@@avaggdu1

[@avaggdu1]

@@ratatat9790 Yeah, you're right; I also imagined that people reading my comment had a sense of humour and weren't douchebags. How wrong could I be!

[@jossfan]

I travelled on Greyhounds in the US a lot when I was younger, and no one I met had a clue where England was. 76% of UK citizens have passports whereas only 37% of US citizens do. Europeans are much more geographically aware because of their global location and the constant inter-relationship of all European nations. Americans, on the other hand are strangely isolationist and US-centred, and largely unaware, on a day-to-day basis, that other countries exist or where they actually are.

[@Kivas_Fajo]

Every 5th grader from Germany can answer all questions flawlessly...and they are not even Americans who should know.

[@ChRW123]

Really? Even the question about the amount of great lakes? I doubt it.

[@ni5287]

The lakes are taught in language lessons for speaking English... We used to learn all the states of the USA and the big lakes and stuff in 5th grade. .. - As for me, that was in the eightys ... - Hope German 5th graders still learn them.

[@ChRW123]

@@ni5287 You're exaggerating. It's more like you hear about them but there is no way you really LEARN all states. Or maybe you had to memorize them once. That's it. How much time would it take just to mention two random facts about each state. Let's say 5-10 minutes per state? You would never spend more than two full weeks learning just geography of a single country during language lessons. And even if it was the case you would have just heard about them once and only touch the topic occasionally after. By the end of the year most of that information would be gone unless you personally were really interested in the details. German 5th graders are also just children as in any other country in the world. They aren't smart geography aces as you are making it sound or otherwise I as a Chilean wouldn't constantly be asked by Germans which language I speak.

[@alicenielsen5304]

In Denmark we are Danes who speaks Danish and also learn about other countries and their culture. Geografi is important. I hope that Americans know and can tell all their States. They may not know about the rest of the world however. We also learn English, German and French in school.

[@Nicolinochan]

@@ChRW123 You go over one english speaking country every year/two years in english class, some countrys more then that. I belive we had England in 5 and 6 grade, Australia in 7 grade and the USA in 8 maybe 9 grade too. And I remeber that every student had to make a presentation abaut one stade in front of the class. (I had Michigan) We neddet to talk about location, size, population, trivia and even stuff like the state bird/flower. Of course I don't remember most of it, but stuff that you did know at some point will be easyer to learn again and maybe even rememberd if you really think abaut it

[@cherylwellham3786]

I lived in the US 40yrs ago and found the general knowledge outside the US was wanting. Sad to see no change.

[@lindylou7853]

Five Great Lakes. Think we did that at school aged 11 when we reviewed the geography and economy of Canada - part of the Commonwealth and where our frozen cousins live. At least mine do, with their pool in the basement, see-through suspended staircase, annual holidays in Aspen and Hawaii and their children’s teeth as white as snow and the size of walrus’ tusks, as featured annually in their Christmas message sent to my mother.

[@commenter5901]

I'm Canadian and my best friend had American schooling. Whenever we play a game like Pictionary and the thing that you have to draw is geography related, we just don't even bother. The thing that weirds me out is that most of it is American geography! All the Canadians at least know the states and their capitals and their general locations. We can just draw a quick map of the US and get another Canadian to guess... It's so shocking to me when Americans don't know things about their own country that people from other countries know. With the rest of the world, it's more understandable... though, you'd think they would know the location of countries that they recently went to war with.

[@Dee-JayW]

Absolutely 😂😂

[@Thurgosh_OG]

My friends and I used to joke (we're British) - 'Wars and invasions' - How the US teaches it's people geography.

[@enemde3025]

Great Lakes. 5 . Basic school geography....in the UK ! YES...there IS a CHANNEL TRAIN TUNNEL. ! It's 50 km long and goes from Folkstone to Coquelles and was opened in 1994.

[@hakandelabiarritz6750]

and you can put your car/van /buss on the train. so in principle you go by car but not driving

[@pax2758]

I feel so much better knowing our country will be in good hands.

[@clemypatterson1076]

Need to employ geography teachers in the USA.

[@jsmoor4988]

For a start….. Some history ones would also be nice. And…..

[@valsyaranamual6853]

What makes you think that the teachers know anything as well.

[@reinhard8053]

@@valsyaranamual6853 That's the problem. There was something about a Solar park in US where a "Science" teacher had the city council vote against it with completely dumb and false "facts" about the topic.

[@faithlesshound5621]

"Concerned parents" would not be happy with that. Show the kids a globe? No, No!

[@lynwratten9857]

The car fits on a train and is taken through the Channel Tunnel. Each of the four countries that make up Great Britain have there own national language but all speak English as well.

[@markballard9942]

A lot of the questions are covered in third or fourth grade geography classes. I am absolutely appalled.

[@jonrolfson1686]

Probably should be a different tense: were covered versus are covered.

[@icebergrose8955]

I'm from New Zealand and these are really easy questions. I'm a bit shocked too. I mean these aren't little kids.

[@reinhard8053]

But nobody tries to follow the lessons more than necessary not to fail. I see this even in Germany with simple physics (electrics) knowledge. People just don't care. And many have no intention to just look it up even if they need it for e.g. working on the electrics. Some even give advice with the wrong or no knowledge and are offended if you correct them (I studied electronics, so I know the field).

[@ratatat9790]

Pedantic much?..plus if they are still covered, then he's not wrong is he?.@@jonrolfson1686

[@4000bee]

Asian American can answer all those questions correctly. Education is POWER

[@RoyHolder]

Geography was a major class in my high school in Australia, I'm shocked to see how ignorant young Americans are and how much their education system is letting them down.

[@c8Lorraine1]

I’m Australian and I was able to correctly answer all the questions. I guess that’s #1 our education system

[@maggan2808]

Unfortunately, not all Aussies. My daughter's year 5 teacher told her that "Africa is kind of Asia." I requested a parent teacher meeting.

[@miztazed]

Love the Kid who want's to be a filmmaker and his answers. (an Underwater bridge or from one place to another) He seems pretty smart in a special way.

[@johnhigson94]

I agree. He was my favourite in this video. 👌👍

[@tracymcardle1236]

He is my favourite one too

[@lindajack1391]

These answers make me feel like an Einstein! I’m American and went to school when we actually learned these things.

[@johnmeneses7039]

Its so sad, that the system that you went through is lost. I have respect for people with knowledge and disdain for people who are too lazy to even know their own country. I am not American and I think I can tell a lot of Americans more about their own country than they themselves know.

[@marydavis5234]

I'm American and learned all this in school, education has gone down hill a lot since I graduated in 1980.

[@classicrockdefender]

Yes, there is the Eurotunnel below the English Channel, going from Calais (F) to Folkestone (GB). It is a train route, carrying trucks, cars and of course passengers. The tunnel was finished in 1994 after 6 years of build and is about 54 km (31 miles) of length.

[@clivenewman6339]

It goes to the country England, not GB which is a collection of countries I.e. England, Wales and Scotland.

[@agnesmeszaros-matwiejuk8783]

@@clivenewman6339 since GB also includes England he is not really wrong.

[@JeroenJA]

Very smooth! If you go from mainland accross you actually arrive earlier in England then you left! Remember that very well! Arriving time was earlier then we left with bus on the train in Calais!! .. cause you have to turn back the clock an hour in England of course, :-)

[@taghiabiri3489]

I always was amused when Americans said I would be Swedish when they heard that I am from Switzerland, but now I am really happy they have got the right Continent at least! 😂

[@Tjalve70]

You've probably heard that Swaziland decided to change their name to Eswatini, because they felt that too many people mixed up Swaziland and Switzerland. I'm guessing they only asked people in America in order to get that result.

[@TheRealRedAce]

Even in the UK we know there are 5 great lakes! And yes, there is a railway tunnel under the English channel.

[@Castropc]

"Oh my God it's real" - just made my day. I know this is a year old but I'm going to watch the rest of your videos if they're anything like this.

[@mskatonic7240]

4:34 yes there is! There's trains go through it and everything. The really cool part is you can drive your car on to the specially engineered train and the train then takes you to the other side. (A passenger service also exists.)

[@shontellepayne551]

What the actual! That is SO embarrassing 😳 I would be so ashamed 😱 I seriously learnt all this when I was a child! What do they actually teach in schools in America??

[@AshtonishingJelly]

Den-martians! Lol! 😂😂😂 I'm gonna call myself that from now!

[@paulwhite3237]

Superior, Huron, Michigan, Erie and Ontario. Btw I’m English and I learned this sort of stuff in the early 1950s because I was interested in the world at large. Many US citizens tend to have an insular outlook, and it’s unfortunate.

[@susieq9801]

And sadly very typical. The Great Lakes are shared with Canada so there are other countries that know them.

[@devoncartwright89]

There’s 5 Great Lakes and four of them are shared with Canada, so yes there are people outside the US who know them lol Superior, Huron, Ontario and Erie are shared while Michigan is completely in the US.

[@grapeman63]

Yep. I've known the names of the five Great Lakes of North America since early childhood. Recalling their names was always much easier than remembering the fourteen major lakes in our own, English, Lake District! N to S and W to E they are: Bassenthwaite Water, Loweswater, Crummock Water, Derwent Water, Ullswater, Ennerdale Water, Buttermere, Thirlmere, Hawes Water, Wast Water, Grasmere, Rydal Water, Coniston Water and Windermere.

[@susieq9801]

@@grapeman63 - The Great Lakes are bigger than the entire Great Britain. Windermere is pretty but a pond by comparison to any of them. They each have their own micro climates.

[@Gerryjournal]

Or perhaps, there're 5.

[@bettychatfield2544]

An American asked where I was from, I knew he would struggle with the idea of Saskatchewan (Canada) being a real place, so I asked him if he knew where Montana and North Dakota were. He said "I've heard of Montana I have never heard of North Dakota" I gave up

[@stanislavbandur7355]

that is a problem. I can consider it fine if US citizens do not know my country which is over the pond and three countries are between us and west coast (of europe), but neighbouring country with same language? I know counties of neighbouring country which is ... OK, that differs, we were same country before.

[@tschaytschay4555]

To be fair, such "street interview videos" can be highly edited and you will find people who don't know the answers to such questions anywhere, but the editors don't need to show the people who got the answers right.

[@ianmontgomery7534]

teach the children to be inquisitive like you are - they have computers that have so much information just a few keys away. When i was a child we had to go to the school or public library to find out a lot of info and because of this we made sure we remembered it.

[@johnmeneses7039]

Well said Ian. My father used to buy World of Wonder magazines for me. It had a wealth of knowledge in it, I still have some of those magazines today. That's why I love modern technology, I can look up anything that I want in seconds. And yes, I have the desire to remember the things that I read.

[@colindixon7976]

Yes the channel tunnel which you can get a train from London to France/Belgium

[@vivienmc5983]

The ignorance of so many Americans is frightening. I’m not talking about this video alone.

[@frankscarborough1428]

My mom went to school in the fifties in Georgia! She has an good education! We moved to Arizona I went to school in the seventies and eighties. She couldn't believe the difference!

[@jeffsuter344]

Do the same test in the UK (with under 25s) there would be similar results. The Channel tunnel is a train tunnel, but cars can be loaded on the trains.

[@margaretvassallo5015]

Learned the Great Lakes in primary school. I’m in 🇦🇺 Australia

[@squiff1958]

You drive onto the train, then the train speeds through the tunnel. It takes about 35mins and travels at about 100miles per hour. Very quick and convenient. I used it last week.

[@loungejay8555]

5:30 If she had said Oceans 11 I'd have died.

[@heathersewell6474]

We used to have maps of the world up on our school walls...even that would help a bit. I had to do history upto year 9 and for years 10 and 11 we had to choose between history and geography for our gcse exams (when your 15/16). Basically we learnt geography for roughly 11 years of our childhood. In infants and juniors we'd learn about different cultures around the world and for RE (religious education) we'd learn about all types of faiths. It was and is a point of pride learning about other countries around us so we can be and act more inclusive to all. Not to mention cheap air travel so a lot of Europeans go abroad on holiday. You Lear about geography fast doing that!

[@johnmeneses7039]

haha well done!! Actually I still have my Mercator map pasted onto my computer room wall for quick reference.

[@philipmcniel4908]

Yeah, and between the more expensive air travel and the longer distances, for a lot of Americans it's actually a pretty long (and probably expensive) trip to go to any foreign country.

[@karenmadden8047]

Unfortunately in today's classroom, the Map is covered with a pride flag

[@Afrolovertje]

Belgian here- yes we learned about the great lakes, there are five and Lake Superior is the biggest (even in the world? I remember this vaguely so could be incorrect), I remember being taught that they are so big that they behave more like oceans than a lake

[@cheezarose]

Also from Belgium,I didn't learn about the grate lakes in the USA 🤣 Instead,we learned about Lake Baikal that contains one-fifth of all of the fresh water on the surface of the Earth and that Russia has more than half of all natural lakes on earth.

[@Malfehzan]

@@cheezarose Maybe it was USSR, but right now, Canada has about 62% of the world's lakes.

[@cheezarose]

@@Malfehzan I said natural lakes,there is such a thing as artificial lakes meaning man made ones. Canada has the most lakes but Russia has the most natural ones.

[@Malfehzan]

@@cheezarose As you wish. For all I care...

[@graceygrumble]

@@cheezarose Canada has over four times as many lakes as Russia. Finland has the most lakes per square kilometre. I knew neither of these facts, but a quick search revealed that Malfehzan is correct.

[@FierySquirrel.]

Yes,there is indeed a 'Bridge' under the water from France to the UK!It is called the Eurotunnel and you drive onto a train which takes you across,have done it many times!

[@wensdyy6466]

Ok I thought that some of my classmates in high school were dumb (and we had one girl who when teacher asked her to show Šumava mountains on the map and she asked if he means the brand of bread named Šumava while she was looking extremly confused). But I asked my 8yo and 11 yo cousins that I´m babysiting and thy got almost all answeres right and neither of them has geography class yet...I will add that we learned and had to know what are the names of the great lakes-their names in czech): Huronské, Hořejší, Erijské, Michiganské, Ontarijské (I remember their names just like i remember the names of main Japan islands). I will add that geography is not really strong suit of people in Czech Republic but if we were on the level of the people in the video than people would go to streats and demand better education.

[@dianaperpignan1231]

Your first sentence is not correct grammatically

[@wensdyy6466]

@@dianaperpignan1231 well as a someone wose moter toune is NOT enlis and someone wit learnin disability you could tell me te corect way ow I sould say it instead of telling me I made misteake (becuse I am level A1 or A2 in everyting except grammar that I´m only B2 )

[@nancyrafnson4780]

The Outback is in Australia. This from a Canuck (Canadian) 🇨🇦.

[@peterlblystone2326]

Though it was not covered in this video, my own favorite blooper was a woman (from New York City, yet!) who asked if the group we were traveling with were going "to Pennsylvania or to Philadelphia!" I attempted to explain to her that Philadelphia is a city located IN the state of Pennsylvania, and that thus we were going to both -- but she just couldn't seem to grasp it!

[@janined5784]

Yes, it WAS painful. Very much so. Gosh, even I, being Australian, could name most of the Great Lakes, in YOUR country. (Superior, Erie and Huron). I might have missed one or two, but...didn't do too badly, for a foreigner, who speaks British 🤣) I feel sad for the kids in schools there. I've heard that most can't tell the time using a real clock face, with hands. Is that true?!

[@annabellelee4535]

Yes, that is true.

[@faithlesshound5621]

They don't learn joined-up writing any more, nor have they needed to count since electronic calculators were introduced. They still need an educated workforce, but since most of their manufacturing takes place abroad, that's where they need the education.

[@albundy7718]

The David Hasselhoff reference in connection with the Berlin Wall wasn't that far off 07:16. At the Time 'The Berlin Wall' came down Hasselhoff, who got famous with the 'Knight Rider' Series in Germany, had a popular Song in Germany "I've been looking for Freedom" and it got connected to the overall sentiment during this historic Time Period. So over time the Meme developed that Hasselhoff was actually responsible for the Wall coming down.

[@ChRW123]

Yes, but it is still just a meme.

[@tobytaylor2154]

Yep, same thing happened about slavery, trump and covid to name a few.........lie lie lie, it becomes true to the sheep.

[@ingobordewick6480]

@@ChRW123 It's a joke, and he is to messed up in the head and impressed by himself to realize it. Here in Germany we laugh our asses of about that statement.

[@tommerker8063]

thats not realy true though. hasselhof was not that popular in germany, he was only slightly more popular than anywhere else. what you are talking about sounds more like david bowie to me

[@Thurgosh_OG]

@@tommerker8063 Definitely Hasselhoff. Bowie had much more style.

[@kennygibberd7484]

In school in England we were always taught the way to remember the Great Lakes was by saying "Small Mary hates eating oranges" Superior, Michigan, Huron Erie and Ontario

[@arnolddavies6734]

I definitely think you should teach geography in the USA. Not just to children in school. American adults need to be enlightened as well.

[@crazymelomanka]

From hearing her laugh in the beginning I already could guess what was coming😅 And that "do you ever rest" (Everest) girl omg. Americans NEED geography!

[@aussiemiss1442]

Ryan In Australia 60 years ago in geography we learned the names of the Great Lakes. Also names of countries etc. it will get worse as there is a move for kids to learn less not more.

[@JohnTaylor-bf6ll]

You can put your car on the tunnel shuttle train or you can ride the express train (in which case you can go direct from London to various European countries). You can't drive your own car because there would be problems with air ventilation and pollution under the ocean.

[@PedroConejo1939]

Don't feel so bad about not knowing about the Channel Tunnel. I was with a group of 15-year-old English kids at school _in the south of England_ who not only didn't know about it but didn't believe me and the other teacher telling them it was real.

[@debbielough7754]

British person here - granted I couldn't name them, but my guess was 'like five?'. The wooden shoes thing - clogs, traditionally worn in parts of the Netherlands.

[@gavinhall6040]

Tge David Hasslehoff thing about the Berlin Wall is partly true, take a look and you'll find out that the Hoff is a superstar in Deuchsland.

[@anjakirsten6680]

David Hasselhoff is a superstar in germany??? I am german and would strongly disagree😅. He was known 30-35 years ago, but today nobody cares, and i doubt that young people even know him at all...... And he had nothing to do with the wall coming down, all he did was singing a song......

[@gavinhall6040]

@@anjakirsten6680 he was during the 80s and 90s, and the reason I say its partly true is because "its partly true". Its amazing you can't understand it being "partly, partly,partly true". Hope that helps .

[@gavinhall6040]

@@anjakirsten6680 we know he had nothing to do with that, "he boasts" that he was, that is the substance of this.

[@anjakirsten6680]

You wrote that he IS a superstar (in the first comment). He IS not. He WAS very famous for Baywatch, Knight Rider and 'Looking for Freedom'. Btw, i was 12 in 1989 so i know what i am talking about, cause i saw nothing else in the news when it happened (and was nr 1 topic in school) ... Was he there at the right time, with the right song? . Yes, that's true. For me, the song i connect with the berlin wall is 'wind of change ' by the scorpions.

[@gavinhall6040]

@@anjakirsten6680 ok ill be fair. Germany wasn't a country so didn't have charts that we can record. We're you in the West or the East, whatever you say - we pumped the Hoff into the east and he was fuckin loved. Its nice to know the Germans still have the arrogance to try tell others "what they like". You have nothing further i want to here, kindly piss off.

[@jessematthews8023]

A poll was taken several years ago and showed that over 57% of Americans could not point out where the US was on a globe or map.

[@TukikoTroy]

Mt Everest is named after Sir George Everest. Interestingly, he pronounced his name Eve-rest.

[@lowlevelheaven]

David Hasselhoff is famous for crashing the Berlin wall down with his song " Looking for freedom" any German knows that, and we are thankful for that forever 😂

[@soph-mc1qr]

German here - i had to study all the states + capitals rivers lakes mnts etc in the us in school so yes, i could name all the lakes (in german tho)

[@sherrellbennett1333]

I seriously don't recall much study of other countries around the world when I was in school. Too bad.

[@soph-mc1qr]

@@sherrellbennett1333 dunno about other schools but my school made us study at least 1 continent each school year in geography class which even if it was annoying back then I’m very grateful for now :) tbh not sure if I really needed to know EVERY river, mnt etc but now I do hahah

[@carriephilippi]

Well at least you and I have the presence of mind to look up what we don't know. That's encouraging

[@kosys5338]

We learned what the Great Lakes were and how many there are in grade school. Also there is no language called British, the language is called English, also learned in grade school. Like I said before, justification for better education America. Edit: What you do is improve the quality of the education system and actually teach kids about the world they live in.

[@ay2052]

Yes, there is a tunnel across the English channel and that’s why you can take train from London directly to Paris, which takes about a little over 2 hours. That’s why traveling is a great education- you see and experience a place by yourself

[@alanfisher1949]

great lakes are so easy to remember, dont they teach anything to these kids? H.O.M.E.S. (HURON, ONTARIO, MICHIGAN, ERIE, SUPERIOR)

[@SMAAAASHTV]

I learned more about geography from video games than I ever learned in school. That actually goes for most subjects.

[@Tjalve70]

A friend of mine knew all of the islands in the Caribbean. He had learned them by playing Sid Meier's Pirates. I have to admit that while I'm good at geography, I'm not good when it comes to islands.

[@marielouise9126]

This is hilarious. I would say I was just average in intelligence but my Dad used to fire questions at me when I was young and a lot of those questions were capitals of the world. I was still at Primary school and could name quite a few capital cities. He also liked to travel and I was very privileged to have been to many countries all over the world.

[@batman51]

I think it is rather sad.

[@estranhokonsta]

@@batman51 Why would that be sad? She didn't say anything to deserve that evaluation. That is unless you have already managed to know all of her bio just from those few written words... I am beginning to think that you are kind of sad.

[@philhogan5623]

Thanks for making us from the rest of the world feel all smug and superior.

[@canaguy]

From Grade 4 through grade 12, each year was a study of each Continent, each Country, and history too. CANADA has a great education process of almost 98% public schools. Leno did this bit every year with students and adults but so many failed that it was rare to see a good one. College or University did not make any difference in lost info.

[@marmac83]

I'm from Australia, but I went to college in the US. I remember talking to people I'd had classes with the previous semester, and quoting something that we studied in that class, and they would ask me why I actually remembered any of what we'd learned, as though the only point in taking that class was to pass the test, get the grades, and forget.

[@richard7crowley]

You are on shaky ground if you didn't know that the Channel Tunnel was opened for service in 1994. Shortly after it opened, I visited England and rode the Eurostar passenger train from the Waterloo station in London to the Gare du Nord station in Paris. (They later moved the Eurostar service to St.Pancras station in London.) Growing up in the US, I had no experience using trains for travel. Most of the trains in the UK are quite noisy (being > 100 years old and falling apart). But the Eurostar was so quiet (even when moving > 100 MPH), people were whispering as if in a library. The Channel Tunnel is built for only trains. In addition to the Eurostar passenger train, there are special "Le Shuttle" trains that take big trucks and passenger cars between England and the continent. The high-speed rail service extends to several other European countries beyond France. OTOH, I knew that there were 5 Great Lakes, but I couldn't name them all. I can't name the planets in the Solar System, either. 😞

[@kimbirch1202]

Buy every kid a globe for Xmas

[@elisabethente1498]

It is so easy to remember the great lakes with HOMES: Huron, Ontario, Michigan, Erie, Superior. I'm German btw.

[@Akab]

2:46 that reaction was unexpected... is it that uncommon/abnormal to compliment people just for the sake of it?

[@whiskeredcrocodile]

Hi Ryan, there's even a tv series called Tunnel, taking place in the Channel tunnel. It's adapted from the Danish show Bron, and also had a US adaptation, The Bridge (all of them very good, with great casts).

[@deborahvretis3195]

Princess Dianna died in a car wreck in the tunnel under the English Channel. Brazil is the largest country in S. America. The outback is in Australia. Danish. Holland, AKA the Netherlands. But then, I am 70 years.

[@annabellelee4535]

Princess Diana died in the Ponte De l'Alma tunnel.

[@maureendavidson4635]

​@@annabellelee4535 Yes, in Paris over 100 miles from the Channel tunnel.

[@annabellelee4535]

@@maureendavidson4635 Yes.

[@carolinewiggins2803]

The thing is, it's not just geography. It means these people have no interest in current events; don't watch the news. Geopolitics dominates world affairs these days. How can America find its place in the world going forward if most of its citizens have no interest in or knowledge of the rest of the world?

[@patriciamillin1977]

I’m from England and we did learn about the great lakes and the geography of the US at school. Yes, there is a tunnel under the English channel (trains), just like there’s a tunnel under the Hudson River 😉

[@Sharon-bo2se]

Was at a party at a friend's on Oahu 20 years ago and geography/history, politics, the world, etc came up. My friend, a transplanted Canadian, just pointed me in their direction and said "sic 'em." So I did. The odds were in my favour, just 20:1, so I had fun. The Everest question was interesting. If the mountain is on land, then Everest is right, but if you look at a mountain where the base is in the sea bed, then Mauna Kea is by some 4 000 feet or so.

[@johnmeneses7039]

Please be careful with that information, you will confuse a lot of people (Americans) even more by saying that.