| The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition. 2002. |
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| American Geography |
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| Tests have revealed that many Americans are amazingly ignorant of the geography of their nation. In one widely cited example, a student in California identified Chicago as a city in Italy. Perhaps the word Chicago, with its vowel ending, sounded vaguely un-American to the student. Yet the apparent general ignorance of geography leaves unanswered the question of how much Americans have to know about geography to follow literate discourse. Many literate Americans, who have no difficulty reading the New York Times, are unable to name the capitals of all fifty states. Nor could they identify all of the states through which the Mississippi River flows. But they do know all of the states, major cities, and natural landmarks and have at least a general notion of their location. For example, they know that the Mississippi River originates in the upper Middle West and empties into the Gulf of Mexico in Louisiana. They also know that the Ohio River and Missouri River intersect the Mississippi, and that the confluence of these rivers shaped the economic development of the United States and determined the location of many of its cities. Following literate discourse also demands an ability to make the correct associations with terms such as Wall Street, Madison Avenue, Hollywood, and West Point. All of these are famous for some distinctive activity that occurs in, on, or near them. | 1 |
| As is true elsewhere in this dictionary, the entries under “American Geography” are based on an assessment of what Americans should know to follow literate discourse. Each state, the major state capitals, the largest cities, and the most important natural landmarks have separate entries. So do possessions of the United States, such as Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. For the sake of precision, the geographical borders of each state have been listed. These entries also include a large number of places known primarily or exclusively for their associations. —J.F.K. | 2 |
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| | | The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition. Edited by E.D. Hirsch, Jr., Joseph F. Kett, and James Trefil. Copyright © 2002 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. |
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