Is Not Knowing the Capital of Canada a Problem?

[theprestige]

As nodes, but Ottawa represents the regulator and negotiator.

It's like not knowing US trade decisions are made "in Washington"

I think the truth of the matter is not that people are ignorant of important facts about Canada, but that they know unimportant facts about America.

As for you Brits with your "Britain is not England" or whatever, get over yourselves. It's not important.

The people I really sorry for are the poor saps who hear "American", and are honestly certain this could mean Mexican or Argentinian.

 

[Modified]

I'm always surprised when people don't know the meanings of words they hear hundreds of times per year, the meanings (or even the existence) of common expressions, or the identities of famous people who get mentioned frequently. Capital cities, of nations or of US states, are not like that. They are rarely mentioned in the media or in normal conversation. Only the obscure ones get identified. If Paris is in the news, they will never mention that it is the capital of France; Ottawa/Canada - rarely, Thimphu/Bhutan - always.

 

[theprestige]

Thimphu/Bhutan - always.

I think made-up examples are probably counter-productive.

 

[Cylinder]

Didn't know Africa had a capital...

It does. It's the A.

 

[Robrob]

Thimphu/Bhutan - always.

I think made-up examples are probably counter-productive.

Part of the "problem" might also be Canada's proximity and number of large cities (not its capital). Most Americans could name a half dozen large Canadian cities and mistake each one of those for the capital. With most foreign countries, the capital is the only city we know.

 

[Doghouse Reilly]

Good grief, you make a mistake and no one lets you live it down.



I don't recall saying that England being on its own. I merely said it was its own country, similar to how America is its own country despite being part of the UN.

England is not its own country. It is part of a country called the United Kingdom.

 

[Craig B]

Good grief, you make a mistake and no one lets you live it down.



I don't recall saying that England being on its own. I merely said it was its own country, similar to how America is its own country despite being part of the UN.

It's not its own country in the sense that the USA ("America" is a continent, or even two continents) is one. England has no government and is not a member of the UN. It is a component of the United Kingdom which has a government (based in London) and is a member of the UN. So I understood "own country" in that sense.

@the prestige. Please let us poor Brit saps decide what is important as regards the relationship between the various parts of the UK. It is at present a very active constitutional issue. To outsiders, your contribution might be mistaken for dismissive imperial superpower arrogance, and that would be very regrettable.

 

[Craig B]

Deleted

 

[theprestige]

Part of the "problem" might also be Canada's proximity and number of large cities (not its capital). Most Americans could name a half dozen large Canadian cities and mistake each one of those for have no good reason to care if any of those is the capital.

FTFY.

 

[Caper]

Rob Ford is the capital of Canada.

 

[marplots]

The capital of Canada? It ain't their money. Might be oil, I guess.

 

[Brian-M]

Didn't know Africa had a capital...

Of course it does. It has a capital "A".

(ETA: Damn, Cylinder beat me to it.)

I always thought it was like Australia in that it was both a nation/country and a continent.

You thought that Egypt, Nigeria, Zimbabwe, and South Africa, ect, were all the same country? (Those were just the names I could think of off the top of my head.)

Looking it up, there are 54 recognized sovereign states (ie, countries) in Africa, all of which are part of the UN: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_sovereign_states_and_dependent_territories_in_Africa

 

[GlennB]

I don't recall saying that England being on its own. I merely said it was its own country, similar to how America is its own country despite being part of the UN.

Not in many ways. England sometimes has its own sports teams, it has a legal system different from the Scottish and, er..... it has notional borders with Wales and Scotland.

There is no English parliament and England doesn't strike trade deals or have an army.

 

[MikeG]

......I merely said it was its own country, similar to how America is its own country despite being part of the UN.

Friendly suggestion......

......just stop. Stop right now. You're only making things worse and worse.

 

[Craig B]

FTFY.

Since you don't think it's important whether the UK is England, or which Canadian City is the Capital, is there anything outside "America", or the USA, that you think worthy of any notice or concern?

 

[Travis]

Basically this is just a problem of the "devoted capital city" problem. This arises because lots of people assume the biggest, most economically powerful cities in a nation are the capital of that nation. And there is reason to assume that. Of the hundreds of nations only 33 have a capital that isn't their largest city.

In fact Wiki has special list of those nations.

This typically happens in a nation that deliberately wants to separate the national capital from the influence of that country's economic power. But it can also happen in states. How many know the capital of Montana? Or that it is Austin in Texas? Has anyone not from New York ever even heard of Albany? The capital of Georgia is named Athens? (it isn't, but you just looked that up didn't you?)

Anyways I wouldn't be so concerned that someone makes a mistake like this. I'd prefer it if they did know it just because I'm always in favor of people having more knowledge but I would only get really concerned if they don't even know the major (non capital) cities of a nation of great importance (yes Canada is of great importance).

So don't worry if someone thinks Rio is the capital of Brazil. Get worried if they don't know where Rio is.







Without looking can anyone name the capital of Niger?

 

[MikeG]

.....Without looking can anyone name the capital of Niger?

Niamey

And I think I can name most of Africa's 50-odd capitals, as I've been to many of them.

 

[Jalok]

Since you don't think it's important whether the UK is England, or which Canadian City is the Capital, is there anything outside "America", or the USA, that you think worthy of any notice or concern?

Terry Pratchett

The way I'd say it is: to the average citizen general information about other States is meaningless. People know more things that relate to stuff that is important to them, or is relatively close by.

To stick with the Capital of Canada thing, I'm sure that at some point, probably probably in the 10-12 year old school age range, every child could regurgitate major country Capitals and US states/capitals; heck, I had to know the 80+ counties in my state. Then they went on summer break, and promptly forgot it all because it wasn't important in school ever again. Same goes for playing pin-the-country on the globe, and other similar nonsense that the system pretends is important because it makes for easy test questions.

I know, let's memorize the years in order that the 12 original states became...states. Why? Because it's a twelve blank test that's easy to grade, show's you've 'learned' something, and rounds out the number of quizes this semester. Will it be important later? Certainly, assuming you'll find yourself playing Trivial Pursuit, or appearing on Jeopardy. By the way, starting a sentence with the word because is a no-no for ...reasons.


jalok

 

[Wirelight]

You would be surprised how many people out west here call Vancouver Island, Victoria Island, likely because of B.C.'s capitol being on it.

I don't think anybody has a clue where in Canada the real Victoria Island is.

 

[MikeG]

.........The way I'd say it is: to the average citizen general information about other States is meaningless. ..........

Which leads to the bigger question: Why is it that citizens of the US apparently think that knowledge of the wider world is "meaningless"? What are the implications of this insularity for the USA's place in the international community?

Do you think that citizens of The Netherlands or Japan or Turkey or Russia, say, are equally as insular?