Can you draw a map of the U.S. from memory?

[Mrs. P]

You will get a laugh out of this:
http://www.buzzfeed.com/adamellis/heres-what-happens-when-you-ask-people-to-draw-maps-of-the-u


Here was my attempt: https://scontent-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn2/1455101_10151703508036975_804622445_n.jpg

 

[Olympia]

I need to practice. I can do the outline (and would not put VERMONT down in the mid-Atlantic states), but I have to re-envision the central columns. Let me work on it and see. The attempts were very funny, as were the captions. Actually, the U.S. is one of the harder countries to draw, I think, because we have so many states. Lucky Canada, with just ten (ten?) provinces and Nunavut.

 

[Mrs. P]

I just realized I forgot to draw in North Carolina! Opps.

 

[Tonichelle]

I think I had to draw the map of the USA (well, lower 48 anyway) only once in school

but we had to draw and label the map of Alaska every freaking year of elementary school.

it annoys me that none of those maps has a person even coming close to the shape of Alaska. I had to learn about all your stupid states, learn about mine! /rant

 

[Mrs. P]

I think I had to draw the map of the USA (well, lower 48 anyway) only once in school

but we had to draw and label the map of Alaska every freaking year of elementary school.

it annoys me that none of those maps has a person even coming close to the shape of Alaska. I had to learn about all your stupid states, learn about mine! /rant

Sorry Toni I got lazy.

 

[louisa05]

I think I had to draw the map of the USA (well, lower 48 anyway) only once in school

but we had to draw and label the map of Alaska every freaking year of elementary school.

it annoys me that none of those maps has a person even coming close to the shape of Alaska. I had to learn about all your stupid states, learn about mine! /rant

If I were to draw Alaska badly, I would have to beg forgiveness based on the fact that I cannot draw anything at all. In fact, I find this a rather narrow test of geographical knowledge because it unfairly penalizes the non-artists among us. I am pretty good at geography, actually, but would miserably fail this sort of thing for lack of any ability whatsoever to draw anything more complex than a stick figure.

 

[CoyoteChris]

My nemesis is the North East. I could do Maine, then I have to remember what position VT and NH are to each other. RI and CT would be sloppy. I would pick up steam doing Virginia and the Carolinas and Georgia

 

[Tonichelle]

If I were to draw Alaska badly, I would have to beg forgiveness based on the fact that I cannot draw anything at all. In fact, I find this a rather narrow test of geographical knowledge because it unfairly penalizes the non-artists among us. I am pretty good at geography, actually, but would miserably fail this sort of thing for lack of any ability whatsoever to draw anything more complex than a stick figure.

I'm not saying it has to be perfect, but an octagon or a square isn't even close to what we look like (it's an old man's face for crying outloud!)

 

[Olympia]

My nemesis is the North East. I could do Maine, then I have to remember what position VT and NH are to each other. RI and CT would be sloppy. I would pick up steam doing Virginia and the Carolinas and Georgia

Not that I think I could draw it, but my memory trick for Vermont/NH is that New Hampshire has 17 whole miles of beachfront , meaning that it's the one on the Atlantic coast. So Vermont is to the west, and New Hampshire is to the east.

Here's New England:
http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl...a=X&ei=EmeMUpfODIe2kAeL7IDADw&ved=0CDMQ9QEwBA

As for not being able to draw at all, I'd think that a bunch of blobs in the right position and maybe roughly in the right proportion (Alaska bigger than the other states, e.g.) should suffice, shouldn't it?

 

[Tonichelle]

Not that I think I could draw it, but my memory trick for Vermont/NH is that New Hampshire has 17 whole miles of beachfront , meaning that it's the one on the Atlantic coast. So Vermont is to the west, and New Hampshire is to the east.

Here's New England:
http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl...a=X&ei=EmeMUpfODIe2kAeL7IDADw&ved=0CDMQ9QEwBA

As for not being able to draw at all, I'd think that a bunch of blobs in the right position and maybe roughly in the right proportion (Alaska bigger than the other states, e.g.) should suffice, shouldn't it?

I think if the state has a distinct shape (oklahoma, texas, california, alaska, all come to mind) you should be able to get the general idea. maybe not the perfect borders, but the general idea.

this game, though, reminds me of the one that they played in an Episode of FRIENDS - http://youtu.be/wxZdxd0ls74

also the Today Show asked this question today:
Can you name the THREE states that have a P somewhere in their name?

 

[Olympia]

Yes! (I won't say them here because of spoilers.

 

[Mrs. P]

Yes, I have the three states also.

 

[dorispulaski]

Got the P's ! I usually do badly at this sort of thimg. Mrs. P, I'm not surprised you got it though


I didn't do too badly west of the Mississippi(it does help that a number of the states are pretty much like blocks and the northern border is straight, and I can draw Alaska & New England. I did OK with the East Coast. I get messed with with how to draw the states between the Mississippi and the east coast states, particularly how TN, WV, and KY fit together and which states Minnesota, Michigan and Wisconsin aabut, and how the Upper Peninsula of Michigan works at all. And I can't draw Hawaii as anything but dots, and I even forget how many dots to draw.

 

[CaroLiza_fan]

Don't worry, I'm not going to even try! I reckon I could draw the states along the Pacific and Caribbean coasts pretty well, but haven't a clue about the Atlantic coast or the middle!

Instead, I want to show you something. A German woman I went to Uni with (and who has lived in Ireland for the past 20 years or so) just shared the following link on her Facebook profile:

It’s Thanksgiving So We Asked Brits To Label The United States — We’re So Sorry, America

And, a Dutchman she knows replied with this link:

Americans Were Asked To Place European Countries On A Map. Here’s What They Wrote:

So, all in all, I think everybody on here that shared their efforts did pretty well!

CaroLiza_fan

 

[Olympia]

Americans are notoriously bad in geography. The ones who can't find Scandinavia (not each country, the whole entity) and other such large areas are the ones who really stand out embarrassingly.

 

[Sasha'sSpins]

I attended Catholic schools back in the days when teachers/religious sisters could hit you. I was so terrified of our 4th grade history/geography teach Mrs. Roach (that was her married name!). She was blond, beautiful and she was one of the slappers! Luckily, she never slapped me but I was scared of her just the same. Why am I going on about Mrs. Roach? Because one day she asked us to draw a map for homework. I cannot draw to save my life. I just cried when I got home because I was sure Mrs. Roach would slap me if she didn't like my effort. So my late grandmother (who raised us) asked my older brother to draw a map for me. He did and HE could draw beautifully! Yes, I cheated and boy did I have the worse case of Catholic guilt! But I'd rather risk Purgatory than get slapped by Mrs. Roach like some of the other kids had! She LOVED my 'drawing', gave me an A and tacked it up along with a few other nice ones. Thankfully that was the only map she asked us to draw in that class - but I felt traumatized! Even reading this thread about maps made me all tense and anxious!

From - A Fallen Catholic

 

[Tonichelle]

this thread had me wanting to quiz myself, so I found this link of different geography quizzes... I am not doing as well as I did in Jr. High and High School, I am ashamed.

http://www.triviaplaza.com/geography-world-quizzes/

 

[GF2445]

When i used to have 'where in America is Carmen Sandiego?' i was able to.

Did anyone grow up playing that game? I loved it

 

[dorispulaski]

My kids had it. It was a lot of fun.

 

[seniorita]

I think everybody is bad in detailed geography when it comes to a different continent. I couldnt do it to save my life.
There was this article the other day which I found quite humorous about trying to figure out european countries, article is in greek but pics are funny