In defense of Americans, the Europeans who bring up our "geographic illiteracy" are just as dumb.
In fact, I was in Hong Kong with my brother talking to this giant annoying Scotsman. My brother made some comment about Edinburgh and St. Andrews golf course and the Scots guy says, "There's that American knowledge of geography." So my brother says, "Where's Ohio?" and the Scots guy says confidently, "On the west coast." My brother replies, "Yeah, the west coast of Pennsylvania."
Most of the world knows their neighborhood and little else.
Exactly. Reminds me of those Brits who think they are so cosmopolitan because they book cheap vacations to Spain and stay drunk in the tourist compound the whole time.