Where in the world are British kids?

LONDON - One in five British children under 14 cannot find the United Kingdom on a map of the world and one in 10 is unable to name any of the seven continents, a study has found.

National Geographic magazine questioned more than 1000 children aged between six and 14 to find that fewer than two-thirds were able to locate the UK's closest political ally, the United States, and despite Iraq dominating headlines in recent years, 86 per cent failed to locate it.

Professor Alan Smithers, director of the Centre for Education and Employment Research at the University of Buckingham, described the findings as "rather frightening".

"These results underline the need for education to concentrate on the essentials," he said. "How are children going to be able to get as much out of their lives if they fail to understand the shape of the world?"

Scottish children were found to be the most geographically aware in the UK - with 67 per cent scoring highest on identifying England, the US, France, China and Iraq on a world map. More Scottish pupils [98 per cent] were also able to name London as England's capital city than English children [97 per cent].

A Department for Education and Skills spokesman said geography was a compulsory subject and all 14-year-olds should know how to use atlases, globes and maps.

- INDEPENDENT