The National Geographic Society recently took a geographic-literacy survey, the results of which were quite alarming:

(from an e-mail I received from NG)

Among 18- to 24-year-old Americans
--87% couldn't find Iraq on a map
--70% couldn't find New Jersey
--11% couldn't find the U.S.

These are 18- to 24-year-olds, not grade school kids. Eleven percent of its own citizens couldn't find the US, one of the largest countries in the world, on a map?? Before I go on and rant about the sorry state of education in this country I'm going to go take the survey myself and see if I do any better. Just because I know where the US is on a map that doesn't mean I know who's fighting over Kashmir...

OK, finished. Sheila and I took it and out of 20 questions we got 1 wrong. If you look at the results, it becomes quite clear: The US has its head up its collective ass and doesn't know what the hell is going on in the world. The Swedes, on the other hand, got it going on.