Atlas shrugs.

• Author: Zack, Ian
• Position: Education

Young Americans find the rest of the world a confusing place--to the extent that they can find it at all. National Geographic recently surveyed the geographic skills of people 18 to 24 in nine countries. In the U.S., only one in seven could pick out Iraq on a map, despite the fact that President Bush has been threatening to go to war with the Middle East nation. The Americans ranked dead last in the ability to identify countries on a world map. Sweden, Germany, Italy, France, Japan, and Mexico all scored better. Among other findings:

* 11 percent of young Americans could not find the U.S. on a map of the world--but that was better than in 1988, when 18 percent couldn't.

* Most...