Are Americans ignorant about the geography of the world? Jenny Jinx tweeted (244 retweets, 31 favorites) > Seriously, the Czech Republic released a statement to correct stupid Americans. I am so ashamed. Good grief. < The linked press release states that the Czech Republic is not the same as Chechnya, though it doesn't state that Americans in particular were confused about that. I've heard this kind of claim before, about Americans being ignorant about the rest of the world, and of its geography. For example, Americans’ Geographical Ignorance and Disinclination to Travel Abroad and Study Finds Young Americans Ignorant of Geography. Are Americans more likely than the worldwide average to be ignorant about the geography of the world?

In 2002, the National Geographic Society gave over 300 in-home interviews per country for a selection of nine countries, and gave a geography quiz testing knowledge of current events, international issues, map-reading skills, and world geography.

American young people were ranked eighth out of the nine countries, (up from worst in previous studies), beating Mexico.

Ref, via BBC

In 2006, the study was followed up, but in the USA only, making it interesting but not useful for this answer.