Geography isn’t everyone’s strong point. After your school days, aside from booking a holiday, many people won’t learn anything more about the countries of the world well into adulthood.
This unfortunate fact got us thinking – just how good is the UK’s geography knowledge anyway?
Using Google search data from the past four years, compartmentalised into each major area of the UK, we sought to understand the scale and specifics of any gaps in British grasp of geography.
UK areas with the best and worst European geography
The areas of the UK with the worst geography skills was determined by the total number of searches of “where is [European Country]”, divided by the total population in hundreds of thousands.
West Midlands
The West Midlands (Staffordshire, Warwickshire, Worcestershire, Herefordshire, Shropshire) boasted the best European geography ability on our list, with 3,540 searches a month from its population of around 5.5 million.
North East
The North East (Northamptonshire, Tyne and Wear, County Durham, Tees Valley) were pipped to the first spot, enjoying the second lowest number of searches compared to the population of the area.
East Midlands
The East Midlands (Derbyshire, Leicestershire, Rutland, Northamptonshire, Nottinghamshire) had the third best European geography knowledge.
South West
The South West (Gloucestershire, Bristol, Wiltshire, Somerset, Dorset, Devon, Cornwall) came fourth, with just 4860 searches each month on average from a population of over 5,340,000.
Scotland
Generally, northern areas fared best in terms of knowledge of the continent, with Scotland enjoying an acceptable (5,370 from 5,373,000 residents) number of people looking to find out more about where European countries are located.
Yorkshire
God’s own country (North Yorkshire, West Yorkshire, East Yorkshire, South Yorkshire) had a very reputable European expertise level, with a relatively small number of searches compared to its large population.
South East
The South East (Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, East Sussex, Hampshire, the Isle of Wight, Kent, Oxfordshire, Surrey, West Sussex) had decidedly average geographical wisdom of our fair continent, with an average of 8,880 searches from a population of almost 8.7 million.
Wales
Wales were on the margins of a ‘Poor’ ranking but crept into the middle bracket with 3,530 monthly searches compared to its population of around 3 million.
North West
Disappointingly, our local area, the North West (Cheshire, Cumbria, Greater Manchester, Lancashire, Merseyside) had a poor knowledge of European countries, with a high percentage of the population using search engines to expand their European geography each month.
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland had more monthly searches than one of the areas ranked ‘Very Good’ – the North East – despite having a population almost a million people smaller. This discrepancy places Northern Ireland second bottom in our rankings.
Greater London
Surprisingly, the capital came rock bottom for geography knowledge, with a massive 12,830 searches enquiring about countries in the continent each month. Even when scaled by the huge population of the capital and surrounding area, Greater London still came comfortably last.
Capital cities
Capital cities of European countries were also a big issue for UK searchers.
Our research revealed some surprisingly obvious countries hitting the top spots – including German, Spain, Italy, and France.
Is it in Europe?
Our research also looked at the number of people taking to search engines to check if a particular country was in Europe.
Over the last four years (May 2013 – April 2014 to May 2016 – April 17), many European countries have seen big rises in the number of people wondering if they are in Europe. For example:
- “is Azerbaijan in Europe” increased by 284%
- “is Greece in Europe” increased by 171%
- “is Iceland in Europe” increased by 160%
- “is Russia in Europe” increased by 124%
One standout location from the list is Iceland, as the popularity of the frozen wonderland has boomed in recent years, growing as a major destination for UK travellers. Not surprising, then, that many potential holidaymakers are curious as to what continent it’s in.
“Is Australia in Europe?”
Interestingly, there was a 555% rise in searches for “is Australia in Europe” from May 2013 – April 2014 to May 2016 – April 17, with almost all the searches coming in May – the month of the annual Eurovision song contest.
This coincides with Australia being allowed to enter the Eurovision Song contest for the first time, making their debut in 2015.
It seems the public couldn’t comprehend why the Aussies were entered into the competition and took to Google to try and understand why.
Is the UK’s European geography getting worse or better?
To determine whether the UK’s knowledge of Europe is getting better or worse over time, we looked at the percentage increase of the overall population and compared it to the percentage rise in searches about where European countries are found.
The population rose by:
- 3.19% from 2013-14 to 2014-15
- 0.60% from 2014-15 to 2015-16
- 0.61% from 2015-16 to 2016-17
The number of search queries rose much higher each year (apart from this year):
- Increase of 39.40% 2013-14 to 2014-15
- Increase of 27.30% from 2014-15 to 2015-16
- Small decrease of 1.96% from 2015-16 to 2016-17
This suggests that while expertise about Europe got dramatically worse in the last few years, it seems to have stabilised for now.
Worldwide geography
We didn’t stop at Europe, either. Our research also involved looking at how many searches the British public were performing for every country in the world.
From this data, we determined the top ten countries that people are most curious about:
1. Where is Malta?
2. Where is Mauritius?
3. Where is Montenegro?
4. Where is Morocco?
5. Where is Singapore?
6. Where is Bulgaria?
7. Where is Croatia?
8. Where is Aruba?
9. Where is Costa Rica?
10. Where is Azerbaijan?
We’re hypothesising that travel has had a big impact on these search rankings – after all, all of the locations in the top ten are brilliant holiday destinations.
How’s your geography? Could you name every European country from the top of your head? Let us know on Twitter @eShores.
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We can use any hotel, in any destination, so we will craft an itinerary to suit your exact needs. Also, as we can provide any itinerary, the only holiday we'll offer, is the one that's right for you.
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Hazel
We have recently returned from a multi centre holiday in Thailand. Everything went smoothly as planned, the hotels were all lovely. We would definitely recommend eShores and would book through them in the future. Thanks to Laura who organised the trip for us.
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Heath
Been using eshore for several years,always come up with requirements we need.Always happy to rearrange. Staff are very knowledgeable and we always use Leanne as our point of contact. Experts for multi centre holidays.
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DavidHurst
I booked two holidays in 4 months with Dave at eshores. First one a 16 day trip around Vietnam north to south which included numerous flights and taxis. My second holiday was in October traveling around Vietnam again and Cambodia. Every hotel in both countries was spot on, every transfer went smooth with no problems. I'll Definitely use eshores again and thanks to Dave who arranged everything, a fantastic experience 👍👍
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Parr
Recently booked a four centre holiday to Asia. The process was straightforward and seamless. Rob, the agent who dealt with our requirements was extremely helpful and not pushy. He was very easy to talk with and seemed genuinely interested in our plans. He managed to put together exactly what we wanted and at a great price.
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Horan
Andy at eshores has been great, he worked hard to meet all our needs and went the extra mile for us! We're looking forward to a great Honeymoon!
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Jones
As always Michelle mainly but with some help from Leanne have once again booked an hopefully (as not yet travelled) amazing customised trip to America next September with our family this time.
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Canning
First time I have used eshores and it won't be the last. Emma was so helpful in booking my 3 centre holiday to Portugal. Really pleased with accommodation selected and the overall cost. Emma was very quick to respond with different options and I'm looking forward to our holiday next year. I highly recommend this company
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Hanagarth
We have just booked a trip to the Far East having previously used this company twice, Vietnam/Cambodia and a Road Trip in the USA. Both trips were problem free with all aspects going to plan. Easy to talk to and never pushing for a decision. A lovely company , thank you Dave for your time and assistance.
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BillRoberts
We booked what appeared to be a busy holiday to South Africa and Mauritius. This consisted of five different fights and hotels with the various transfers included. Rachael organised the holiday for us and every aspect of the trip went well. Took a lot of the stress out and allowed us to have a fantastic holiday. Friendly,Professional service with professional staff. Will use them again.
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JulieDavidson
All went well on our recent NY trip booked through Matt at EShores. Worth noting: -Newark Airport and Train Station great with transfers on the NYP Train (about 1 hour) to and from Penn Station/Airport Terminal (easy!) -Sanctuary Hotel great location and staff! Room and breakfast spot on. -Brooklyn Bridge walk back great, 1 stop over on subway as suggested. -United Airlines great - direct to and from Edinburgh! Recommended -weather spot on, temperatures just like here. Thanks for all your help and advice. Julie and Georgia (21st birthday girl!)
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