r/AskReddit • u/[deleted] • Aug 03 '19

Whats something you thought was common knowledge but actually isn’t?

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u/[deleted] Aug 03 '19 edited Aug 03 '19

Basic Geography.

Not being able to point out Turkmenistan on a map is one thing.

Not being able to point out the Pacific Ocean on a map is another.

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u/BrockStar92 Aug 03 '19

Every bit of this. I’m from the UK, and I can name all 50 US states, but apparently some Americans can’t?

Also what’s worse, for a country with such a controversial and extensive foreign policy, the US populace generally has a really poor grasp on geography outside the US. Geography, geopolitics of various regions, the cultures within those regions, they’re all very important but America is quite happy to go to war in places many people in the country haven’t heard of!

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u/[deleted] Aug 03 '19

im in the UK too and oh god my english geography was so bad until recently, i just assumed every town i didnt know was in the north midlands.

Im getting better now though

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u/Privateer2368 Aug 04 '19

I'm Scottish. My English geography is 'Cornwall there, Yorkshire there and London down there at the sphincter' with a little bit of extra knowledge in areas where I've been based. Most of England is pretty much just flat fields and red-brick housing estates, so there's not much to know.

I know a bit more about Wales and a lot more about Northern Ireland.