Geography

As a kid, my younger brother got a 'jigsaw' puzzle that was made of wood.  But instead of puzzle shapes, there were state shapes.  It was a puzzle map of the USA.  I was a bit outgrown for it, but he played with it constantly for months.

So he knew all his states from an early age.  And I did not.

Oh, if you gave me a map with all the borders, I'd get 40 states right, and quick.  At age 12, say.  But he'd have gotten all 50 from age 8, easy.

It'd usually be things like "I know one is Vermont and the other New Hampshire, but which is which..." or "Colorado, Kansas, and Wyoming are here somewhere... "

Now that I am old, I am more solid.

How?

I made no effort to get better with geography and cartography.   Certainly not with the the states.  But it all gelled somehow, without trying.  THAT is definitely Wyoming.

Heck I can draw a decent USA, now, on a blank piece of paper.

Slow knowledge accumulation, I guess.  Now I can go ahead and go senile and start forgetting it all.

I am weak on furren lands, at this point, though also growing stronger every year.  Europe was much easier when you only cared about the West, and let the Warsaw pact countries fend for their ownselves.  But I can hit Hungary and Romania on the first try, now.  I do halfway decent with French towns and German states.

I know the north coast of Africa, the southern parts, and a few on the was coast and the bight.  Call it 30%.

South and Central America is 60%.  Asia a bit better.

I guess my knowledge depends on how interested I am in a place.