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Most of us have been there: you post something online that you’re 100% sure is the absolute truth, flexing those big cognitive muscles of yours… only to realize that you made a mistake. You blush. You start sweating. You realize that you’ve made an utter fool of yourself. On the internet of all places! And now, your blunder will forever live in the Internet Hall of Infamy, also known as the r/facepalm subreddit.

The online community is full to the brim with people making epic mistakes. But few of them are as painful to see as when someone boasts about their [cough] ‘deep’ knowledge of geography [cough]. For anyone even with a rudimentary knowledge of geography, the posts you’re about to see might make you lose a bit of hope in humanity. Put on your safari hats, scroll down, upvote the worst geo fails you’ve seen, and don’t forget to share your unfiltered opinions in the comments, dear Pandas! Just remember not to feed the F-grade students…

Once you’ve completed the trek through this list and if you feel like you’d love to go on another humorous adventure, then you’ll probably love Bored Panda’s previous article about facepalm-worthy geography fails. Check it out right over here.

#1

You Can Only Pity Such People

You Can Only Pity Such People

aaravaryaman Report

#2

When You Dont Know What You’re Talking About

When You Dont Know What You’re Talking About

Weak_Significance_97 Report

#3

Blindly Playing Yourself

Blindly Playing Yourself

okiedokie64 Report

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Jeremy Bayer
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Detroit has a lot of abandoned homes. I took my Spanish friend to tigers baseball game and as we drove through Detroit he asked me why it looked like Europe after WWIi

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Look, Pandas, we all had our favorite and least favorite subjects back in school. For instance, yours truly always enjoyed history, literature, and biology. Math, on the other hand, was a pure nightmare. For me, personally, geography fell squarely in the middle of the pack.

The subject itself was incredibly interesting. After all, who doesn’t enjoy learning about volcanoes and global cultures, and drawing maps in class? However, a lot of this enjoyment rose and fell depending on the teacher. Some were very strict and gave you awful grades for failing to memorize all of the important geographical locations around the world. Others, however, made the subject fun, relatable, and, well, not a chore.

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#5

They Don't Teach Flags In High School Geography?

They Don't Teach Flags In High School Geography?

beerbellybegone Report

#6

More Liberian Flag Confusion

More Liberian Flag Confusion

flopsychops Report

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zububonsai
Community Member
2 years ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Hm, I somehow expected the dumbest /most non-educated blogs in the top 5, but here the posts deteriorate even the more I scroll down... 🫣🙄 (PS: I posted this comment when this post was around #18... 😬)

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It’s not surprising that some people are completely awful at geography. After all, the world is full of folks who fail at math, science, history, and all the other subjects that some of us know and love. You’ll never find a subject where everyone’s a pro.

#8

Ah, Yeah. I Swear It's Always Us Americans Who Don't Realize There's A Country Called Georgia

Ah, Yeah. I Swear It's Always Us Americans Who Don't Realize There's A Country Called Georgia

lazarushelsinki Report

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Mason Kronol
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

It's hard to have sympathy for people bad with geography and maps when they post dumb comments on the internet that has Google earth, maps and all kinds of reference material. I used to have to walk to the library to find out information. Now even Wiki has disambiguation pages to help sort out all the Georgias.

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However, this doesn’t excuse someone from being ignorant about basic things. You know, common sense stuff like how time zones work, what language is spoken in the United Kingdom, what the map of your country looks like, and knowing that there are currencies besides the dollar used around the globe. We all make mistakes. But it’s a bit embarrassing when you don’t have a working knowledge of the basics of geography.

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#10

Imagine Being This Uneducated

Imagine Being This Uneducated

astronaut12 Report

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Mason Kronol
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I would like to see them redo the General Lee with that flag. Also The Hazard County Bobsled Team would make an interesting sequel.

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#11

America Is The Whole Globe

America Is The Whole Globe

kayserfaust Report

#12

Canada Is A Country In Eastern Europe! Read A Book, Bro

Canada Is A Country In Eastern Europe! Read A Book, Bro

jombrowski Report

Nobody’s saying that you should be at the level of a PhD candidate (and even they make silly mistakes!), but you have to at least be aware of your place in society and the world at large. It’s perfectly possible to spend your entire life not knowing what’s beyond the borders of your tiny little town, but it’s debatable how much fulfillment you’d find living this way.

#13

I Posted A Picture On Another Subreddit About A River In The Country Georgia And This Person Had A Lot To Say

I Posted A Picture On Another Subreddit About A River In The Country Georgia And This Person Had A Lot To Say

whitebathingsuit Report

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David Martin
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

And then they don't even use the American flag emoji as they declare how American they are -_-

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#15

Where Is Ukraine?

Where Is Ukraine?

https://old.reddit.com/r/facepalm/comments/wlwp11/where_is_ukraine/ Report

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Mason Kronol
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Congrats! Instead of worrying about being attacked by a crocodile now you might be attacked by a Russian on krokodil!

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SCamp
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Oh heck, were we renamed while I wasn’t looking??

UnknownKid
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

While you weren't looking??? All of us weren't paying attention apparently

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Alex Martin
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

They never show the people who got it right in these videos. Instead they show this dude who looks like he spent most of his high school career debating if he got a better high from sniffing glue or smoking weed.

Hugo Farr
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

It depends on the type of glue. I did a comparative study research project when I was in high school, but I can't remember the results of it.

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Hippopotamuses
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

This can’t be for real! No one could possibly be that stupid.

Auntriarch
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I think he's going by colour. Ukraine is blue, so he picked the nearest red one for Russia

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j miller
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Yeah, Russia is commonly referred to as 'the little island'!

D. Pitbull
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Okay... please... some of these have to be jokes because ... it's starting to hurt...

Riley Quinn
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Yo, thanks for the info. Gotta call my travel agent to book me a flight to Ukraine via Australia.

Segovax the Pict
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

My senior year of high school, 2010, I was the only person in my government class who knew where Iraq and Afghanistan are on a world map. Four of us had enlisted and I was the only one who knew where we might end up.

Sherry Harvey
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I’m seeing a pattern here. Most of the ignorant commenters seem to be in California. Hmmm

Bonnie Edwards
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I once read an article written by an Australian journalist visiting the USA. He asked many people if they knew where Australia was, as part of a general knowledge quiz. One person said...that's on the West Coast, right? hahahaha.

April Pickett
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I'd be sorry about the education this person was exposed to, but too many people don't know anything about political figures or any country's location. I saw a video taken in London asking people questions. They didn't know who Winston Churchill was or where he came from. The same thing in the U.S. - didn't know who the President was, wasn't sure where Alaska was, and couldn't find the Grand Canyon. Sorry situation.

DaisyGirl
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Wow who knew that my home county of Australia is in fact Ukraine

Lena Flising
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

President Zelenskyj would simply LOVE this. Putin - not so much... :) Russia is the big yellow thing in the top right, you fool! And no, Ukraine is big, but not as big as Australia, or the US (those two are relatively similar in size).

Rosesinmyhair
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Ukraine is in Northern Queensland, Australia apparently 🤦‍♀️

Bored_NorWeirdian
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Let this be a (bad) joke! This is embarrassing. Russia is that little dot on the map? For real dude? I can't... I'm out of here l. This is to much stupidness for today; my brain and eyes are hurting.

Delta Dawn
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

the backwards baseball cap should tell you everything you need to know about how this is going to go down

Dizavid
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

"We tried to bomb them but they hit us too hard with a G'daye, mate. We were quickly overpowered."

𝖊𝖆
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I want to believe this person is trolling Russia by calling it “that little island over there”, barely visible or significant

Cicada Droid
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

And that's how the Autonomous Oblast of Papua New Guinea came into existence.

TrinaKA
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I'm in phoenix AZ right now. My thermometer says 65 degrees out side at 11 am. But according to this map that reading has to be incorrect. I technically should be shoveling snow right now.

SilverSkyCloud
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

they did this with asking americans to point to north korea too, the CLOSEST anyone got was northwest china, someone even pointed at greenland

Luna Crow
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Dear lord.. if I read too many more of these I'm going to get a headache..

Very bored
Community Member
2 years ago

This comment has been deleted.

L hill
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

And he looks like he is going to give a geography lesson as well.

pebs
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Well, just to take a recent example, Biden even confused Ukraine with Russia and Colombia with Cambodia ... And that's the president, let alone ordinary people.

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Almost all of the r/facepalm geography fails are related either to ignorance or arrogance. Sometimes, both! People either don’t know basic facts. Or they think they know something, only to be proven very, very wrong.

In cases of extreme embarrassment, your instinct is probably to shy away and defend yourself. However, that’s really not the best approach because it may lead to deep-seated feelings of shame further down the line.

#18

A Girl At Work Drew What She Thinks The Map Of The USA Looks Like. She's Almost 30 With 2 Kids. The Nc Public School System Has Really Failed Her

A Girl At Work Drew What She Thinks The Map Of The USA Looks Like. She's Almost 30 With 2 Kids. The Nc Public School System Has Really Failed Her

Katewalsh83 Report

No, the mature way to react is to lean into your embarrassment. Embrace those uncomfortable feelings. Show everyone that you do feel embarrassed. Acknowledge that you’ve made a mistake. That might actually work out in your favor and improve your reputation—through humility, you become more likable.

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#19

Someone's Geography Needs Some Upgrading

Someone's Geography Needs Some Upgrading

Innocent_Killer Report

#21

Getting Offended Over The Name Of A Country

Getting Offended Over The Name Of A Country

BalkanTrekie Report

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Tabby_Sohee
Community Member
2 years ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Bored Panda I’m gonna need to have a serious talk with whoever decided to censor the country N***r. The COUNTRY WITH THE CAPITAL OF NIAMEY, to be clear, since it’s not letting me say it

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Previously, during an interview with Bored Panda, geography and cartography expert and land surveyor Patrick McGranaghan shared his thoughts about the state of the subject. He pointed out that some students see geography in a pretty negative light. Meanwhile, geography isn’t a priority in some schools.

"I think that a lot of geography ignorance comes from the lack of geographic instruction in schools. Schools have an increasingly long list of subjects that must be taught and geography is losing its share," he shared with us.

#22

I Guess He’s Half Right

I Guess He’s Half Right

Lexi_The_G Report

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Gustav Gallifrey
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Nick Adams was born in Australia. In 2010, Adams served as the PR consultant for The Halloween Institute, a march to make Halloween a public holiday in Australia. It was later revealed those who 'protested' were paid actors. Nick Adams is a top-shelf, class-A, bona-fide, full-blown idiot, and Australia does not want him back, thank you.

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#23

I Thought The USA Was The One Bad At Geography, I Swear To God, (UK Politics Subreddit)

I Thought The USA Was The One Bad At Geography, I Swear To God, (UK Politics Subreddit)

an_reddit_man Report

"Geography has this reputation of rote memorization of things like countries and capital cities. This is not exciting to most students," the land surveyor and geography enthusiast told Bored Panda earlier. "The way to encourage geographic learning is to make it exciting.”

#25

Geography Is Hard

Geography Is Hard

SquishyNiko Report

#26

Asian/Chinese Currency

Asian/Chinese Currency

cornplantation Report

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Gini Sarver
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

i strongly recommend that you & your wife stay home, where, we all hope, that you’re safe & able to function on your own dude

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#27

Amsterdam = Country

Amsterdam = Country

Surer123 Report

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Jay Son
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I mean, more than once I've had a convo go like "where are you originally from?" -"the Netherlands" "huh? -"Holland" "umm" -"Amsterdam?" "Oh yeah! Coffeeshops!" 😑

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"This may be by including geography lessons in learning about different cultures around the world. Geography is a component of current events and there needs to be an emphasis on how these events are occurring in a geographic context. Geography should not be taught in isolation, it should be tied to some context such as history, the physical Earth, culture, or travel.”

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#29

Definitely The Shape And Flag Of Colorado

Definitely The Shape And Flag Of Colorado

A-reddit_Alt Report

#30

Countries On Map Of Africa Labelled Incorrectly On Gcse Geography Paper

Countries On Map Of Africa Labelled Incorrectly On Gcse Geography Paper

tyw7 Report