Travelzoo discovers UK children need a hand with geography. More than 25% of UK children couldn't name the country of the world which resembled a boot – with just 15% of children from the US failing to name Italy as the boot-shaped land mass.
A recent poll commissioned by Travelzoo, the UK’s top travel and entertainment deals provider, revealed that despite 71% of British citizens owning a passport compared to just 39% of Americans, children in the UK fell behind their US counterparts on basic geography questions.
In order to inspire the travellers of the future, Travelzoo has launched a ‘Map the World’ app for iPads; a timed digital jigsaw puzzle of the countries of the world designed for families to complete together. The free iPad app can be downloaded from the app store, with Sir Ranulph Fiennes hailing it as ‘an excellent tool for teaching children about the countries of the world in an engaging way’.
Some of the Travelzoo survey findings show:
- More than 25% of UK children couldn’t name the country of the world which resembled a boot – with just 15% of children from the US failing to name Italy as the boot-shaped land mass.
- Only 63% of UK children could name Washington D.C as the capital city of the USA, whereas 93% of US children could name London as the capital city of the UK.
- More than 10% of UK children think Dorset and Yorkshire are states in the USA with 15% thinking Brazil is also a state and 17% thinking Sydney is a state too!
- 19% of UK children think The Nile is one of the five oceans of the world, with just 7% of US children agreeing.
- Even more shockingly, 25% of UK children think the English Channel is an ocean compared to just under 5% of children living in the USA.
- 11% of UK children thought that Hogwarts, the famous but fictional school in Harry Potter was actually a real landmark compared to 3% of children based in the USA.
The government has recognised the need to update the geography curriculum and in September 2014, changes will be made. The Department of Education has said ‘Teaching should ensure that geographical enquiry and skills are used when developing knowledge and understanding of places, patterns and processes.’ Map the World has been developed to help school-aged children to improve their geography knowledge in a fun way.
The ‘Map the World’ iPad app will offer downloaders the opportunity to donate to a very worthy cause called Open Arms Malawi from the 20 November to celebrate Universal Children’s Day and has also got the backing of several celebrities including Sir Raulph Fiennes and Annie Lennox, OBE.
“It’s now more important than ever that children have a sense of the world around them and where they fit into it. Travelzoo’s Map the World is an excellent tool for teaching children about the countries of the world in an engaging way. It should help young minds learn and inspire them to explore this magical planet. Travelzoo is donating the optional cost of the app to the Open Arms Malawi charity, which provides healthcare, education and social support for orphans in Malawi. It’s an iPad app designed to challenge, inspire and, above all, make a difference to the lives of others,” comments Sir Fiennes.
“What initially started as a survey to find out how much children in the US and UK knew about the world around them, quickly turned into a wider project to help tomorrow’s generation learn more about our planet in a fun and interactive way,” says Chris Loughlin, Travelzoo’s CEO.
“The free iPad app offers children a timed challenge to drop all the countries of the world onto their correct locations on a map; a bit like a giant digital jigsaw puzzle, and has the added benefit of helping orphans in one of the world’s poorest countries should downloaders want to make a small donation,” he continues.
Vicky is the co-founder of TravelDailyNews Media Network where she is the Editor-in Chief. She is also responsible for the daily operation and the financial policy. She holds a Bachelor's degree in Tourism Business Administration from the Technical University of Athens and a Master in Business Administration (MBA) from the University of Wales.
She has many years of both academic and industrial experience within the travel industry. She has written/edited numerous articles in various tourism magazines.
