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Four in five Britons couldn't point to Germany on a map, says study

And almost four in five couldn't find the world's most populous country on the map

Wednesday 29 May 2019 05:25 EDT
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Berlin, the buzzy capital of Germany, which four in five Brits couldn't point to on a map
Berlin, the buzzy capital of Germany, which four in five Brits couldn't point to on a map (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

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Four in five Britons couldn’t point to Germany on a map, according to a new study.

More than half of Britons do not know Gibraltar is an Overseas British Territory and more than 70 per cent have never heard of Liechtenstein, the principality sandwiched between Austria and Switzerland.

The study, by voucher code site MoneySavingHeroes, polled more than 2,000 Brits on their geography knowledge.

Other findings include that two-thirds of respondents had never heard of Brunei, the oil-rich Southeast Asian nation that has been fiercely criticised for its anti-LGBTQ+ stance, and just over one in five Brits could name more than three British Overseas Territories.

Sixty-two per cent had never heard of Mozambique, and 55 per cent had never heard of Montenegro. Even Luxembourg, just an hour’s flight from the UK, was unknown to 27 per cent of respondents.

When it came to pointing to countries on a map, 86 per cent were unable to point to the world's largest democracy, India; while 84 per cent couldn’t pick out Finland.

Worryingly, the world’s most populous nation, China, was unable to be identified by 79 per cent of people; while 78 per cent of respondents couldn’t point out Argentina.

“It has never been easier to travel the world or learn about it from the comfort of your own home thanks to technology advancements so it’s fascinating to know that so many Britons are still left scratching their heads when given a list of countries,” said George Charles, spokesperson for the site.

“You may not be able to afford to go travelling but everyone has the ability to learn through search engines or books.”

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