May 2, 2006

• Again the word comes that whatever Americans' virtues, a knowledge of basic world geography is conspicuous only by its absence:
• Thirty-three percent of respondents couldn't pinpoint Louisiana on a map.
• Fewer than three in 10 think it important to
  know the locations of countries in the news and just 14 percent believe
  speaking another language is a necessary skill.
• Two-thirds didn't know that the earthquake that killed 70,000 people in October 2005 occurred in Pakistan.
• Six in 10 could not find Iraq on a map of the Middle East.
• Forty-seven percent could not find the Indian subcontinent on a map of Asia.
• Seven-five percent were unable to locate Israel on a map of the Middle East.
• Nearly three-quarters incorrectly named English as the most widely spoken native language.
• Six in 10 did not know the border between North and South Korea is the most heavily fortified in the world.
• Thirty percent thought the most heavily fortified border was between the United States and Mexico.