where are you from and how good are you at geography?

[Seryndelle]

I'm from the UK (for my sins) and personally, I'd say my geographical knowledge is probably above average, though I make no claim to be some kind of genius. I studied Geography up until Year 9 at school (ages 13-14 for folks who use a different system), but given that a lot of that focused on physical geography (stuff like rivers and erosion and all that jazz), most of what I've learnt about "proper" geography is either self-taught or picked up the same way I'd pick up any general knowledge.

I just did the "Countries of the World" quiz on Sporcle and got 182/197. A few years ago, I got bored, so I decided to learn all the US states and state capitals. According to a different quiz on Sporcle, I can still name them all!

[Julie]

From midwestern parts of the States - Missouri. And to be fair, it's so-so. I know some of the states and their capitals. Sometimes I get easily stomped by just the initials used for the states. I know MO for Missouri, AR for Arkansas, OK for Oklahoma, and KS for Kansas. And KY Kentucky as well as IL for Illinois. Rest is hit and miss. Could be because Geography is never an interest of mine but I know enough about the states close to me.

[candycanearter07]

US, and I am pretty bad at a lot of geography. I at least know sorta where stuff is, like the continents and stuff, but specifics are pretty bad. To be fair, I also don't know where some of the states are in the US too..

[drmollytov]

Detroit begins to become more complicated...)

Find the state shaped like a mitten surrounded by lakes. Detroit is the base of the thumb on the mitten. You're welcome.

(Actually, most of that is "metro Detroit," aka "all the cities surrounding Detroit that are indistinguishable from Detroit unless you happen to be from southeast Michigan," aka "the place white people who say they are from Detroit are actually from, if you press them on which side of 8 Mile they live on." But for geography purposes, that's Detroit.)

(Never argue with a Michigander about regional place names. We named a city "Gra-shit" and think "southwest Michigan" is north and east of the state's southwest corner, for corn's sake.)

...To answer the main question, I grew up in "southwest Michigan," which is north and east of Michigan's southwest corner (that's "the lakeshore" or "southern lower Michigan" or "FIPland"), and I didn't get a lot of geography in school. I know what I know now mostly because I've traveled and partly because I don't want to be "just another dumb American who doesn't know where anything is outside the U.S."

But compared to a lot of people, I still probably know very little. I had to look up Albania on a map the other day.

[shapezncolourz]

ive grown up in scotland, and id like to think im pretty good with geography!

most people here are expected to have basic geography knowledge, but for a while when i was 13 or 14 i was super hyperfixated on cartography and vexillology so i used to be able to recognise most countries and flags!! not so much anymore though, that was a few years ago and ill have forgotten quite a bit by now </3

[randomtangent]

i'm more a bit of a geography nerd (sorta) than a normal person, and i've already drawn a few world maps (geography, not political-geographic) so more just continents, islands, supercontinents, seas, oceans etc. really looking at them there doesn't seem to be much bad :P

i think especially with where i'm from, the old british colonialism is still kicking strong especially in rural and regional areas. most major cities are good though, but i mean most people have no understanding that not only has there been a really really long history of first nations' people here, but there's also southeast asia (and austronesian cultures, with trade with some indigenous peoples) and melanesian peoples as well, not far away geographically at all. and there's polynesia a bit further away but it's there.

especially i've grown up in a bit of a mining town, there's DEFINITELY people who get personally offended at anything different, which always weirded me out. i agree geocentrism is very strong in many places here.

though on the flip side~ it's a lot better in the major cities, some are 'cultural melting pots' as well! my own city in particular has modernised a heck of a lot and it's WAY more diverse now~!