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New research from an independent cruise comparison website has revealed that just over two thirds of Britons are unable to name all of the world’s oceans, whilst 18% incorrectly identified ‘Atlantis’ as one of them.
A new study conducted by the independent cruise comparison website CruiseCompare.co.uk has revealed the extent to which Britons’ geographical knowledge leaves room for improvement, finding that just over two thirds of Britons, 72%, are unable to name all of the world’s oceans.
Just 28% of those taking part in the study, conducted by CruiseCompare.co.uk, were able to correctly identify all four of the world’s oceans (four being most commonly outlined by geographers). Furthermore, the study revealed that just under half, 47%, of those taking part were unable to identify all seven world continents.
The study was conducted by CruiseCompare.co.uk as part of general research into the geographical knowledge of Brits, with 1,891 people aged 18 and over taking part.
Respondents were initially required to outline the world’s seven continents, of which just 53% of respondents were successful. Just under half, 47%, of the Britons taking part were unable to outline all seven continents of Asia, Africa, North America, South America, Europe, Australia, and Antarctica.
Of those who were unsuccessful in indentifying all seven of the World’s continents, 51% incorrectly identified ‘the Arctic’ as a separate continent. A third, 31%, also incorrectly identified ‘USA’ as a separate continent; whilst one in ten, 12%, also thought that ‘Russia’ was its own continent.
Furthermore, those taking part in the study were asked to identify the four world oceans; the number most commonly identified by geographers. The vast majority of respondents, 72%, were unable to do so; failing to identify the Pacific Ocean, Atlantic Ocean, Arctic Ocean, and the Indian Ocean.
Of those who were unable to identify all four of the world’s oceans, 76% stated that they believed the ‘Mediterranean’ was an ocean. A further 28% selected the ‘North Sea’ as one of the World’s oceans, whilst 18% believed ‘Atlantis’ to be one of the four world oceans.
Tom Fotheringham, founder of CruiseCompare.co.uk, commented on the findings: “With this study, we were really interested in how up to scratch Brits are when it comes to Geography- and the results were somewhat surprising. The fact that the mast majority were unable to name the world’s oceans was a shock, particularly given how many Britons may have travelled over these oceans in order to go abroad!“
He continued: “From these results, it’s clear that many of us didn’t pay attention during Geography lessons at school. I would suggest that Britons clue up on their Geography before going abroad, as it’s important to know the basics about where exactly you’re going. Perhaps the parents taking part should take a quick peek in their children’s geography text books, too!”
Theodore is the Co-Founder and Managing Editor of TravelDailyNews Media Network; his responsibilities include business development and planning for TravelDailyNews long-term opportunities.
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