Could you find Finland, Russia, or Montenegro on a map?

Venkat Ranjan could. The 13-year-old from California won the 2018 National Geographic Bee in May. The final question: Lebanon has a population most similar to which South American country? His winning answer: Paraguay. 

Despite the impressive knowledge of Venkat and the other finalists, Americans are not known for their geography skills. During President Trump’s recent trip to Europe, the staff of “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” asked people to locate one country – any country – on a map. Few could do it.

Identifying locations is just one aspect of geography, one that has interesting ramifications. A 2017 analysis by The New York Times showed that the ability (or lack thereof) to find North Korea influenced how people felt about what action the United States should take there.  

An Illinois geography teacher suggests that it's more important for people to become familiar with human geography than to memorize locations. He argues for an understanding of the relationships – the similarities – that exist between cultures.

“Geography matters today more than ever because our students are growing up in a globalized world,” he wrote last year. “They need to know that the other people they work with, whether in a cubicle down the hall or on a screen halfway around the world, all have ideas and value.”

“Geography matters,” he adds, “because we are all connected.”

Here are our five stories for Friday.