Americans Try To Place European Countries on a Map

[donKey jote]

About 30 years ago in Texas:
Texan: "where do you come from?"
Me: "Madrid, Spain"
Texan: "is that in Mexico?"

Since then I always answer "Europe"

[555-04Q2]

I remember when I was in school a friend of mine's grandmother who lived in Toronto was flying to South Africa for the first time. This was in mid 1993. She had a connecting flight landing in Johannesburg then a 1 hour local flight down to Durban. When the pilot said ladies and gentleman we are starting our final approach to JHB International Airport she looked out the window and saw concrete jungle everywhere. She told Donovan and his family, and I quote, "I thought I was going to see a small air strip with bush around it and lions roaming around."

Really, how doff can one be?! I nearly fell over!

[steveaki13]

[quote="Rollo"]This might be a "ha ha ha lol" thread but really, the same thin could be said for Europeans trying to label US states.
http://www.buzzfeed.com/robinedds/its-t ... he-us-stat

[quote]

Surely the same would be trying to name Country's in North, Central & Caribbean America?

States of the US are just like trying to name the states of Germany or County's of the UK. Why do people equate the USA to a continent?

I can name all countries in Europe on a map. I can name almost all countries in the "Americas" on a Map and Asia, Africa and Oceania, however I have no clue on states of the US because that's internal geography of a Country.

Its a different type of geography.

[A FONDO]

And can any of us identify African countries?

no, because they are meaningless, unlike the countries on the old continent.

once I tried to label the american states in an online flash app. bullseye on 1/3 of them and quite close on another 1/3.

[Rollo]

And can any of us identify African countries?

Some of us should be able to identify a whole bunch of African countries on the west coast because that's where the Dakar used to run. Across the north of the continent was where various battles in WW2 were held; the horn of Africa is 'interesting' because of political instability and famines and what not...
which leaves those countries like Benin, Ghana, Togo etc. and I've got no idea about those.

[gadjo_dilo]

which leaves those countries like Benin, Ghana, Togo etc. and I've got no idea about those.

Fortunately some of us know the rest because they spent a part of their life under a dictatorship where the leader was best friends with the leaders of those countries and they kept visiting each other.
Then we had a lot of students from these countries who benefited of scholarships.

[steveaki13]

I am proud to say I can name most (most) countries on a blank map in the world and all there flags. Give or take a few of the Red Yellow Green African Flags and Black, White and Red Arabic flags.

Anyway I can do all this. However would be rubbish at naming US states.

I do international geography rather than internal geography.

[Starter]

States of the US are just like trying to name the states of Germany or County's of the UK. Why do people equate the USA to a continent?

Because the US is a significant part of a continent and much of Europe would easily fit inside it? Europe at 10,180,000 sq km with the continental US at 7,663,941. Throw in Alaska and Hawaii and you get 9,410,108.

I can name all countries in Europe on a map. I can name almost all countries in the "Americas" on a Map and Asia, Africa and Oceania, however I have no clue on states of the US because that's internal geography of a Country.

You would be one of the few who can.

[gadjo_dilo]

States of the US are just like trying to name the states of Germany or County's of the UK. Why do people equate the USA to a continent?

Because the US is a significant part of a continent and much of Europe would easily fit inside it? Europe at 10,180,000 sq km with the continental US at 7,663,941. Throw in Alaska and Hawaii and you get 9,410,108.

I was told that size doesn't always matter.....

[555-04Q2]

States of the US are just like trying to name the states of Germany or County's of the UK. Why do people equate the USA to a continent?

Because the US is a significant part of a continent and much of Europe would easily fit inside it? Europe at 10,180,000 sq km with the continental US at 7,663,941. Throw in Alaska and Hawaii and you get 9,410,108.

I was told that size doesn't always matter.....

Whoever told you that.............................................. .....................lied!