Are Americans really this bad at basic geography (a TEST)?

[AviatorTom]

A question was posted...

Are Americans really this bad at basic geography, or is TV misleading us?

with a majority of comments and votes indicating Americans are not good at geography.

Let's conduct a test to see how accurate the answers to that question are.

The image shows a map of the United States with numbered locations of cities in the US.

One of those numbered places is the country's capital city.

Do you know which one?

Please vote in the poll.

BONUS: Can you identify each of the 7 cities?

ONE (1)

TWO (2)

THREE (3)

FOUR (4)

FIVE (5)

SIX (6)

SEVEN (7)

Updates

1 mo

#5 is Washington DC, the nation's capital. The others are:
#1 - Los Angeles
#2 - Lincoln Nebraska (state capital)
#3- Dallas Texas
#4 - Chicago Illinois
#6 - New York City New York
#7 - Honolulu Hawaii (state capital)

[Screenwriter]

6 looks like it's over virginia, but next door to VA is DC... so that has to be Washington. I find the midwest states hard... and the lower east coast with the carolinas... Unless you're looking at the states regularly, it's hard to remember where all 50 of them are... Alaska, HI, TX CA, ME FL... there are loads that are easy because they're iconic: unusually shaped or located... This is why we have maps for all the rest!

Most folks know their nearby states, or ones that they've visited regularly.

[Anonymous]

I did this without using Google. Did I get any right? I’m not American but I think number 1 may be Texas and 7 is Puerto Rico. 5 may be Washington. 3 may be California. I have no clue about the others.

[Opinion Owner]

I’m guessing I got most or maybe all wrong.

[Jersey2]

To be fair, it does look like San Juan Puerto Rico given the placement of the islands which I believe are actually Hawaii but Americans often just throw them in the Caribbean to make it fit the map of the USA since they would be too far West for an easy to read map. It is just understood here that that is what is done.

[_Jenny_]

@AviatorTom He said cities not states

[strateguy632]

Aww you switched 1 and 3 swapped. But you did get capital correct.

[Opinion Owner]

I did know without using Google the places I listed above are US states I just originally missed the part of the question where the asker wrote about identifying cities.

[Twalli]

I can't tell about number 6, and the others are just guesses, because I am not 100% sure about where all cities are in Texas.
1) Sacramento
2) Omaha
3) El Paso, Austin or Houston
4) Chicago
5) Washington D. C.
6) It could be Boston; I can't tell since the circle isn't that good with the map's size
7) Honolulu

[Chazmatazz269]

I think…
5 is Washington DC
6 is probably NYC
4 is probably Gary, Indiana, but they want you to say Chicago
3 is Dallas, i think
2 is probably Lincoln, Nebraska
1 is probably LA


They were right. I suck at geography and these are mostly educated guesses. The only two i would bet on are Gary & LA.

[QuietRunner]

Gary, Indiana is probably the correct option.

[Chazmatazz269]

Agreed, but it’s not as well known as Chicago. Other than those who live there and a minority of people who might remember that Michael Jackson was born there, i don’t think anyone knows Gary, Indiana.

[OlderAndWiser]

Five appears to be Richmond, Virginia.

[Paige2006]

Richmond is further south

[exitseven]

@Paige2006 If that number lands on the state I thought the idea was to list the state and it;s capital.

[Paige2006]

@exitseven One of those numbered places is the country's capital city.

Do you know which one?

[exitseven]

@Paige2006 Is it number 5? it is hard to tell.

[Levin]

Why don't you give them a map of non-US geography?

You might as well give them a map of Martian territory.

by the way, I'm fairly sure I know where DC is but my knowledge is more along the lines of, I can roughly tell you where a state is located but not always exactly.

Cities no, but I could give some reasonable guesses.

[Jersey2]

Let’s see here:

1) LA

2) Omaha

3) Dallas

4) Chicago

5) Washington DC

6) New York City

7) Honolulu

I am not 100% sure on these but whatever.

[Massageman]

sounds about right to me

[strateguy632]

Better than me in geography!

[MisterWack]

1) Los Angeles

2) I don't know, just being honest here

3) Austin

4) I don't know either

5) Washington DC

6) New York City

7) Honolulu?(only place in Hawaii that legitimately came to mind)

[MisterWack]

PS I voted 5th option on the poll, currently am part of the 64% who voted.

[MisterWack]

Dallas? I thought it was too low to be Dallas, thought it was higher on the map lmao.

Chicago and Lincoln would never guess, sorry to anyone from there for my ignorance on the matter.

[strateguy632]

Cities each dot covers 20 cities! But t. b. h. i can't recall all 50 state names. If i hear a name i can find it. They are not all state capitals so too many possibility. I can *ges 6 major citys.

[Kelly6]

@AviatorTom You did a big mistake.

You asked a question related to US map.

People in US are bad in world map.

[FreyaRed]

With exception of Nr. 2 all others without looking at map.

6 and 7 are capital cities. Havana is capital of Cuba

[exitseven]

1) SAcramento California

2) Lincoln. Nebraska

3) Austin, Texas

4) Springfield, Illinois

5) Richmond, Virginia

6) Trenton, New Jersey

7) Honolulu, Hawaii

[Twalli]

Springfield isn't on Lake Michigan, Chicago is. I'm pretty sure that 5 is supposed to be on the border between Virginia and Maryland, making it D. C.

[exitseven]

@Twalli it is hard to see where the numbers are.

[Twalli]

True, but I think that it's supposed to be Chicago, since Springfield may even be a bit further south than the bottom curve of the dot.

[Cidknee]

Its Austin.

New York City
Los Angeles
Chicago
Washington DC

Honolulu
Lincoln

[Cidknee]

Dc is the capitol of the country.

[Cidknee]

Thats not Dallas Tom. If it's supposed to be then they marked it way off.

[JamesRandiDebates]

Since Israel wasn't an option, I went with #5.

[NathanDavis]

I definitely don't know all cities in the USA

[SaoirseS]

Boo. Hiss. A couple of the dots obscure too much

[_Jenny_]

1. Los Angeles

2. Minneapolis
3. Dallas

4. Chicago

5. Havana

[strateguy632]

Nice. 5 is south of florida so good answer but shape is hawaii.

[_Jenny_]

@strateguy632 Haha

[blackeagle007]

Mostly Maga. They still believe it’s gulf of America rather vice versa. Trump just can’t geography. He’s an imbecilic buffoon.

[DeeDeeDeVour]

5 = Washington D. C.

[DeeDeeDeVour]

1 = CA's capital is Sacramento which is away from the coast unlike the position of the number on the image.

2 = NE's capital is Lincoln.

3 = TX's capital is Austin.

4 = IL's capital is Springfield which is in the middle of the state unlike the position of the number on the image.

5 = The nation's capital, Washington DC, is in MD whose capital is Annapolis.

6 = NY's capital is Albany.

7 = HI's capital is Honolulu.

[Chazmatazz269]

I don’t think all of them are meant to be capitals.

[katiesmuff]

It is number 5

[noohair]

1. LA, CA
2. NE
3. D-FW, TX
4. ORD, IL
5. D. C.
6. NYC, NY
7. Honolulu, HI

[msc545]

I can identify all seven without any trouble.

[Maria1986z]

All number 2 be confusing.

[Shiprex]

Civic studies is not Geography

[Paige2006]

Five

[OneViewpoint]

42, I'm sure of it.

[mar301]

I'm not sure.