Most people have at least one friend who would consider themselves a political junkie. Many of these friends may be able to name the number of votes each state possesses in the electoral college or the political party of the last ten members of Congress from their home district. I have a lot of respect for people who can do that sort of thing. Knowing someone like that is important. I always enjoy talking to these types of people when election season comes around, and you want to learn information without devoting many hours out of your day following CNN’s seemingly non-stop coverage. When it comes to world events, however, the knowledge they possess often comes up short. With all the big headlines surrounding world events, from the war in Ukraine to the election of a new Pakistani prime minister, possessing knowledge of world affairs has become increasingly crucial.

This gap in knowledge exists because of the hyper-focus many have on politics in the U.S. while disregarding what goes on around the world. I understand this lack of understanding of world politics. Many of these issues seem inexplicable when lacking context. Why would Russia, a nation with less than half the GDP per capita of the EU, provoke a war with Ukraine, knowing the severity of the sanctions placed upon them in response? Why do coups seem so common in the countries in the Sahel region of Africa? While the answers to these questions could derive from any number of reasons, there is a simple area of knowledge that can be gained that helps us understand these conflicts: geography. It is no surprise to anyone that many Americans are absolutely abysmal at geography. After the killing of the Iranian general Qasem Solemani, surveys were taken to see how many Americans could locate Iran on a map. The results were underwhelming: only 23% of those surveyed could locate Iran on a world map, and that number only rose to 28% when the map was reduced to just the Middle East.

Now, you may be thinking that if you were chosen for this survey you would have been able to find Iran on a map without skipping a beat. If so, then congratulations! My message is not for you. For those who struggle to locate Iran on a map, I can only ask why. I understand not knowing the difference between Mauritania and Mauritius, or not being able to locate Bouvet Island. Iran, however, is a nation with 84 million people that is constantly in the news (mostly due to its alleged efforts to obtain nuclear weapons).

Russia is an easier country for many to locate due to its immense size on the Mercator map, but how much understanding of Russia does simply locating it on a map give us? I doubt many people could locate Crimea, or name any former Soviet states besides Ukraine. I name these particular regions/states in particular because that knowledge is relevant to understanding the context of the ongoing war in Ukraine. Without this knowledge, Putin’s motives for restoring Russia to its (supposed) former greatness make no sense.

Knowing geography does not immediately come with an understanding of world affairs, but it certainly is a good first step. I recommend studying geography to anyone who is interested in international politics or just wants a better understanding of the world around them. Trust me, it makes everything make a lot more sense.