Mapquest: Compare and Contrast

“As she continued, Palin brought up Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin.

‘It’s very important when you consider even national security issues with Russia as Putin rears his head and comes into the air space of the United States of America, where—where do they go? It’s Alaska. It’s just right over the border. It is—from Alaska that we send those out to make sure that an eye is being kept on this very powerful nation, Russia, because they are right there. They are right next to…to our state,’ she said.”

—quoted on the Today Show, as told by Amy Westfeldt, Associated Press Writer via Yahoo! Business News

“I personally believe that U.S. Americans are unable to do so because, um, some people out there in our nation don’t have maps and, uh, I believe that our, uh, education like such as, uh, South Africa and, uh, the Iraq and everywhere like such as, and I believe that they should, uh, our education over here in the U.S. should help the U.S., uh, should help South Africa and should help Iraq and the Asian countries, so we will be able to build up our future.”

—Miss Teen America contestant Lauren Upton, when asked why one-fifth of Americans are unable to locate the United States on a map