If anyone was listening to NPR this morning, they heard Steve Inskeep remark, “It is famously said that most people do not know their geography.” In this case, “most people” was a reference to Brazil’s Ministry of Education.
In a new geography textbook just released to 6th grade students, a map featuring South America contained more than a few blunders:
- Paraguay was switched with Uruguay
- A second “Paraguay” was situated on the coast at the Southern tip of Brazil
- Ecuador doesn’t even appear on the map
While hilarious, it is shockingly disheartening to discover that top education officials were so oblivious to their own continent’s geography that this map wasn’t caught in the editorial process. This story, of course, highlights just one of the many reasons why geography is important– knowledge of your surroundings.
Let’s hope that one day a map of the United States doesn’t get published that shows New York where Florida should be and Oklahoma cryptically missing from the country.
But if it does, you’ll hear about it here
…and I know each and every one of you will send a thoughtful letter to Washington.
Cameron for My Wonderful World
You dont know what you are talking about! Look first to your country before to criticize mine. You all americans (cause you think that only you may be called by the name american), start two wars that ended up with the worlds economy, and a hard crisis appear in the scene because you dont care with your own economy. My country, due to our growth, and together with the emerging countries, today put an order in the world. And you, author of this article, graduated in geography, must know what I said, and certainly know that the yankees have no morals to speak about Brazil and how we do the stuff. For this I have so proud to be brazilian and I dont care if the Ministry of Education fail with a printer error.
To understand what I said search in google images the world according america and prove so ridiculous you are, and what you do with africa and middle east.
This is perfect that we can receive the loan moreover, it opens completely new opportunities.
Que vergonha!!!
Num paiz onde a corrupçao é recordista mundial, issu nao me estranha nada. Onde o analfabetismo gera lucros… É ver um acontecimento desses e rir para nao chorar. ^^ abraços a todos.
Sometimes I feel myself ashamed for being brazilian. First is about this post that shows the sad reality of poor quality of the brazilian’s public school and about the government itself. Second is about the comment of the other brazilian that don’t know what happens in his own country. It’s not the map that is wrong, but the names of the countrys. This only denigrates the image of a country as big and beautiful. Sorry for my English, I used the google translator.
Sorry .. but you are idiot to post that? The map is completely right, does not contain any of the errors quoted! Prove yourself, search a Geographic map of South America and see! Ecuador is there! Paraguay and Uruguay are apart! And Paraguay is not on the coast of Brazil you idiot! Next time, inform yourself before you try to humiliate my country, so, you ended ridiculing yourself because it’s all right! Animal!
The new Constitution does not set age limits: it determines that education is compulsory, aiming at providing the necessary structure to the development of the students potential as an element of selffulfillment, training for work, and conscious exercise of citizenship.
Hmmm…interesting geographic theorizing. Thanks for reading!
Sarah Jane
That’s amazing. Maybe the problem is that most of Brazil’s population is on the east coast, where all of the most populous cities are (Rio, São Paulo, Salvador, Fortaleza… and they just don’t venture over to the border often enough to get those boundaries right.
But Brasilia is in the middle, so that doesn’t quite work.
Nice work! Thanks for bringing to us good stories like this! Keep it up!