An estimated 10million clueless Brits are unaware that Buckingham Palace or Big Ben are in London. A study revealed that one in seven (15%) were unaware that the nation's most beloved landmarks were in the capital, while almost half (46%) admitted to having no idea where Stonehenge was.
One in ten of the 2,000 UK adults surveyed in the Jackpotjoy study didn't know that Tower Bridge is in London either. The gaming site also discovered that more than 22,500 people ask Google where the UK’s top landmarks can be found each month – totalling a staggering 270,000 searches a year.
To highlight just how much the nation may need to brush up on its geography knowledge, an alternative map of the UK was drawn up based on wrong answers. The queen’s most famous residence, Buckingham Palace, was shifted up north to England’s former Viking capital, York, in this new map.
More than 15,600 people look up where the palace is every year on Google, showing that while this Royal Family home might be well known, its location isn’t. Meanwhile, Liverpool’s iconic Royal Albert Dock was migrated south to London.
Sherwood Forest is the landmark outside of London that the most people polled successfully located, with 74% correctly placing it in Nottingham. While a huge majority (84%) of Notts residents surveyed knew that Sherwood Forest was local to them, one in five (16%) had no clue.
Despite attracting nearly as many visitors as Buckingham Palace each year, just 39% know that the National Football Museum is in Manchester, with 30% believing it to be in London. Just over half of those surveyed knew that the Giant’s Causeway, which is said to have been formed between 50 and 60 million years ago, is located in Northern Ireland.
But more than one in twenty (6%) placed it 307 miles away in Bristol instead. The poll also highlighted that age does often equal wisdom, at least in terms of geography, as millennials proved to be the least savvy age group.
While those aged over 65 had the best knowledge of where these UK landmarks are located. Despite it being Edinburgh Old Town’s main street, only a quarter (26%) of 25-34-year-olds knew where The Royal Mile is compared to three in five (58%) over 65s.
Only 15% of Millennials knew where Somerset’s famous Cheddar Gorge is, while the majority (64%) of over 65s located it correctly. Less than a third (30%) of Millennials knew that The Eden Project is in Cornwall.
While only 46% of Millennials know that Tower Bridge is in London, with 8% placing in in Cornwall and 6% in Glasgow. They were also least likely to know the location of Big Ben - a whopping 43% placed its location incorrectly, with 8% believing it is in Edinburgh and 6% suggesting it's in Bristol.
Only 39% of 25-34s knew that Sherwood Forest is in Nottingham - 10% thought it was in County Durham. Of those quizzed, 13% thought Arthur's Seat was in Brecon, Wales rather than Edinburgh and 10% thought that the Clifton Suspension Bridge was in Liverpool rather than Bristol.
Finally, 10% thought Land's End was in Edinburgh rather than Cornwall. In the battle of the sexes, men scooped the trophy, giving more correct answers than women.
The Angel of the North is seen by 33,000,000 motorists every year, but less than half (48%) of women correctly guessed it was in Tyne and Wear, in comparison to 56% of men. Three in five men (58%) also correctly guessed that Stonehenge is in Wiltshire compared to just half of women.
Of those quizzed 86% of men correctly identified Tower Bridge as being in London, compared to 83% of women. More British men (58%) knew that Stonehenge is in Wiltshire than women (50%), similarly more men (63%) knew that Clifton Suspension Bridge is in Bristol than women (55%).
Of the women questioned, 6% of women confused it with the Forth Road Bridge in Edinburgh. Almost a third (30%) of women were unaware that Sherwood Forest is in Nottingham (compared to 24% of men).
While 7% of women wrongly thought Snowdon was in Edinburgh rather than near Betws-y-Coed in Wales. Of those surveyed, 10% of men thought The Eden Project was in Dorset rather than Cornwall and 18% thought Arthur's Seat was in Cornwall rather than Edinburgh.
Only slightly more men (40%) knew that the National Football Museum is in Manchester than women (39%). Alex Fagelson, Head of Brand (Bingo-led) and team at Jackpotjoy, said: "Looking at our survey results, it was interesting to see where some of us think some of the country's most famous attractions are on the map.
"While it may give some a gentle nudge to brush up on their geography knowledge, there’s no better way to do this than heading out to see these attractions in the flesh. As summer approaches we can’t think of a better excuse for a fun day out."
You can find out more information here: https://www.jackpotjoy.com/uk/alternative-map-of-the-uk
LANDMARKS CORRECTLY IDENTIFIED BY THOSE QUIZZED :
· Big Ben, London (85%)
· Buckingham Palace, London (85%)
· Tower Bridge, London (84%)
· Sherwood Forest, Nottingham (74%)
· Lands’ End, Cornwall (67%)
· Royal Albert Dock, Liverpool (63%)
· Clifton Suspension Bridge, Bristol (59%)
· Giant’s Causeway, Northern Ireland (58%)
· Kew Gardens, Richmond (56%)
· The Eden Project, Cornwall (55%)
· Stonehenge, Wiltshire (54%)
· Angel of the North, Tyne & Wear (52%)
· Cheddar Gorge, Somerset (42%)
· The Royal Mile, Edinburgh (41%)
· Snowdon, Bets-y-coed (41%)
· National Football Museum, Manchester (39%)
· Balmoral Castle, Aberdeenshire (38%)
· Arthur’s Seat, Edinburgh (34%)
