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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

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    #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

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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?

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    #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.

    #7

    Yahoo Answers Might Be Gone, But We Still Have Quora

    Yahoo Answers Might Be Gone, But We Still Have Quora

    tacolordY Report

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

    I didn't realize it was that big of a leap to understand that England=English, like I don't know Spain=Spanish or Sweden=Swedish. A quite simple mind association, even without any geography or history knowledge.

    A B C the Third
    Community Member
    2 years ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Uhm, boss? I can't come to work tomorrow. I've just developed a headache that's gonna last for at least three days. 🤦‍♀️

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

    Oh dear God this bollocks again! The English language (that a lot of Americans speak please note ENGLISH not American) consist of a lot of European words. There is no American language, you just spell and pronounce words differently

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

    Where do they think the American Pilgrim Fathers came from then?

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

    And worse, why do they call their country "England", obviously also named after the American English language.

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

    I'm American and sometimes I'm embarrassed by my countrymen. This is one of those times. Ugh. Please. Most of us aren't like this, but why must the minority become the stereotype. It makes me sad to see. (I really shouldn't type when I first wake up. Coherence goes way down.)

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

    That's true, there are endless questions like this just designed to spark controversy and increase page hits.

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

    I didn't know England was capable of speech. *finds a random country and gives it elocution lessons*

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

    Doesn't Quora have some kind of points system based on the number of questions you ask and answer? Sometimes wonder if people are just trying to get points 😐

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

    Yep, and it's monetized. Quora really fell off a cliff when they started that.

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    Lupita Nyong'heaux
    Community Member
    2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    i spend a lot of time on quora. people ask a LOT of really effing stupid questions on quora. it's actually quite impressive, tbh...

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

    Ah well you see this is why I suggested to mankind we all speak Hedgehog instead

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

    Well, considering the amount of poo that the hedgehogs I feed leave behind, including on their dinner plates, it probably equates to the amount of s**t plenty of humans speak.

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

    Wait until this person realises that Canadian speaks French. Or is it French speaks Canadian?

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

    England..English...there must be some connection, but WHAT???

    T5n
    Community Member
    2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    ENGLand , ENGLish. Hmm, it’s almost like they are related?

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

    Also: why did they name English, an American language, after a European country instead of calling it - oh, I don't know - American? There must be some far fetched reason?

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

    Whoever wrote this, if they were being serious, doesn’t know much about America, which makes me wonder if it’s someone who was not born in America. Say what you want about American education but we are taught that we were former British colonies who rebelled against them. We know that. It’s part of our whole identity.

    I just work here
    Community Member
    1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    This would be sad until you realize some conservative states have pretty much banned all books..and it shows

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

    Doesn't Quora advertise itself as a social network for intelligent people or something?

    O.M.Miki
    Community Member
    2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    sometimes these posts give me these itty bitty headaches that kill my brain cells little by little.

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

    There is stupid THEN there is this level of dumb@rae stupid

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

    Let us take this with a grain of salt because Quora, like Yahoo, is a troll/dumb on purpose haven.

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

    English comes from England, you nincompoop. Why aren't you speaking a Native American language?

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

    Needs a shirt that says “I’m with stupid” with an arrow pointing up”

    Kiki_Luka
    Community Member
    2 years ago

    This comment has been deleted.

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

    Why do people in Nederland speak Dutch and in Germany Deutsch?

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

    I can’t tell if this is a real question or one of those people that posts random dumb questions on Quora

    Florence O'Grady
    Community Member
    2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    The ENGLISH language originated in ENGLAND. People from England went to different parts of the world and took their language with them. That is why Australians speak English, New Zealanders speak English, Indians and people from Pakistan speak English, South Africans speak English, Canadians speak English, people from the United States speak English. And many other people speak English also in the world.

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

    This is what I wish would show up on my Quora feed, instead I am getting increasingly alarming questions about people stalking their therapists. I am interested in questions about how a therapist would feel if (x) and administrative questions, but yikes!

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

    Someone was picking their face during history class...

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

    “Read what you wrote back to yourself, s l o w l y.”

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

    Well, it used to be that Quora paid people to post questions. But you had to post a LOT to make even a little money. I read that they have now stopped this policy but haven’t verified that. I can only assume people just ran out of ideas as to what to ask questions on. 😂

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

    If the question had been “Christopher Columbus ‘found’ America, and he was Italian while his work was funded by Spain, right? Why does America speak English and not Italian or Spanish?” The OP question would be dramatically less painful to read. Still painful. But less, at least.

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

    If not for one of those quirks of history, Americans could be speaking any one of around 300 languages spoken by the native indigenous people who’d lived on the continent for at least 40,000 years, or else a Scandinavian language, like Norwegian, Danish or Swedish, as there were established Viking settlements in Newfoundland exactly 1000 years ago, and signs possibly as far south as Georgia.

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

    Heard them claim on QI (fact-based comedy quiz) on Friday that the native indigenous people migrated originally from Siberia 15000 years ago. Though reading more on it there is a great deal to say that migration was more varied (though doesn't necessarily make their specific point untrue) https://www.earthmagazine.org/article/first-americans-how-and-when-were-americas-populated.

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

    I guess if they genuinely didn't realise and wondered why all the others had their own but this one little island didn't. I guess this one does require actually being there in person to realise the reasoning behind but it's really really on the thin edge of not putting 2 and 2 together. Mind you, it could be a reflection on their education. I'm hoping it's a very young person. As, even I am struggling to see a legit honest durp moment.

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

    It may be worth pointing out that this ‘one little island’ had an empire that stretched across most of the world, and doesn’t just have one language: as well as English, which has many regional variations, there’s Scottish Gaelic, Irish Gaelic, Cornish, spoken in the far South-west county of Cornwall, and Manx, spoken on the Isle of Man, which sits in the Irish Sea between England and Ireland.

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

    Hmmmm.....I wonder why animals don't speak English? Even American animals.

    ThatRandomGuy
    Community Member
    2 years ago

    This comment has been deleted.

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

    I guess he never stopped to think why Americans would name their language after another country.

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

    "Quora: We're Yahoo! Answers but we have a fancier name. Which is even more embarrassing when stupid s**t like this goes viral."

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

    Yeah, why can't the English just speak one of those foreign European languages, instead of English. Jeez.

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

    I know that there are Creationists that truly believe that the Earth was created in 6 days, 6000 years ago, but I'm starting to suspect that some Americans believe the Earth was formed on July 4th, 1776.

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

    That’s Quora for you. It pays people for “interesting” questions (that gets lots of views/answers) so people make up s**t to get paid

    Milano1015385
    Community Member
    2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    I dunno.... Maybe ENGlish was....... invented in ENGland...... If being stupid was a crime, these people would have life in prison.

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

    F-ck me I sent too early- I meant to say "I go on Quora whenever I need a good laugh, this is a good example!" Apologies!

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

    you'd be surprised at jst how common this belief is.... ESPECIALLY in the US *face palm*

    Aranora
    Community Member
    2 years ago

    This comment is hidden. Click here to view.

    England isn't a country. I quit Quora 3 years ago because it became a quagmire of stupid questions and trolls.

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    #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

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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

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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

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    #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.

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    #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

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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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    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.

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    #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.

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    #22

    I Guess He’s Half Right

    I Guess He’s Half Right

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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

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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

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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.”

    #29

    Definitely The Shape And Flag Of Colorado

    Definitely The Shape And Flag Of Colorado

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    #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

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