Top 10 geographic blunders of American politicians

When, back during the 2016 election campaign, Donald Trump tweeted Paris was "located" in Germany, it caused a wave of ridicule all over the world, reminds with the BBC.

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There was no further explanation from Trump (deleting a tweet or posting a new tweet), and it’s difficult to say if he meant two different events or is simply not strong in geography.

However, Trump is not the first or only American politician to make a geographical blunder. He was included in at least the top ten authors of the most memorable phrases.

John Kerry: democracy in “Kyrzakhstan”

As US Secretary of State, the former governor of Massachusetts is a top US diplomat and might know geography better.

However, during a speech at the University of Virginia in 2013, John Kerry joined the names of two Central Asian countries of Kyrgyzstan (or Kyrgyzstan) and Kazakhstan and opened a new country.

According to Kerry, American diplomats “support democratic institutions in Kyrzakhstan.”

Barack Obama and the 58 States of America

Perhaps not all American politicians are able to correctly name the countries of distant Central Asia, but knowing their own geography is simply necessary.

The more surprising was the statement of Barack Obama that he visited more states of his native America than he actually exists.

During his 2008 presidential campaign, Obama said, "I've already been to 57 states and I have one more to go, I think." By the way, there are only 50 states in America.

Sarah Palin and "Russia from the Shores of Alaska"

The former governor of Alaska was often mocked for her inaccurate statements. But, of course, Palin's triumph was the statement that "you can see Russia from the shores of Alaska."

Even at the narrowest point, the width of the Bering Strait separating the two states is more than 85 kilometers, so it’s impossible to see Russia from the mainland America.

In defense of Palin’s political arena, one can only say that there are two more small islands in the central part of the strait. From the island of Kruzenshtern, which belongs to the United States, it is clearly visible located four kilometers away and belonging to Russia, the island of Ratmanov.

George W. Bush: “Africa is a country...”

Bush Jr. has repeatedly been criticized by fellow Republicans for their numerous mistakes.

“Africa is a country that is suffering from an incredible disease,” he once said. However, Bush shared the confidence that Africa is a country with such “luminaries” of geography as Paris Hilton, Joe Biden and the same Sarah Palin.

And in 2007, Bush Jr. unforgettably thanked Australian Prime Minister John Howard for the participation of “Austrian troops” in the Iraq War.

Dan Quayle: "We are part of Europe"

During the presidency of George W. Bush, the senior vice president was Dan Quayle. The politician sincerely believed that the United States is on a different continent.

He is the author of several brilliant phrases related to geography: “I love California, and I practically grew up in Phoenix.” Although Phoenix is ​​the capital of Arizona.

And also: “How wonderful it is to be here - in the beautiful state of Chicago” (Chicago is the largest city in the state of Illinois).

Dick Cheney on Chavez and “the people of Peru”

Another vice-president who got headlines because of his geographical ignorance was Dick Cheney.

During a speech in 2007, the politician, criticizing Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, said that “the people of Peru deserve better.”

Peru is located almost 800 kilometers southwest of Venezuela, and between these countries there are two more states - Ecuador and Colombia.

Gerald Ford and "Soviet domination"

During the 1976 presidential election campaign of the year, the current Republican president made a reservation that may have cost him an election victory.

“There is no Soviet domination in Eastern Europe. And it never will be, thanks to the Ford administration,” Ford said, although Soviet hegemony in Eastern Europe lasted until the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989.

After an avalanche of criticism, significantly reduced the rating of Ford, the representative of the Democrats Jimmy Carter won the election.

John McCain on the border of Iraq and Pakistan

In 2008, McCain spoke of a "tough fight" ahead in Afghanistan, given the situation "on the Iraq-Pakistan border."

The impression was that he was not aware of the existence of the Islamic Republic of Iran, which separates Iraq from Pakistan 1200 kilometers of its territory.

Hank Johnson on Guam

Hank Johnson, a Democratic congressman from Georgia, has expressed serious concerns about the well-being of the island of Guam, a territory in the Pacific Ocean that is home to a large US military base.

Johnson told a congressional hearing, perhaps sarcastically, that he feared the island was so overcrowded that it "might tip and capsize."

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