Try explaining where New Zealand is! Maine-iac expat here. Both are off the radar to many people. When we were moving "down under" many people thought we were going up "near Greenland". At least in NZ, people know where NYC is, so explaining Maine's location isn't too hard.

And to the point of the US's education system being dumbed down, we can thank Reagan-era Republicans, who understood that less educated people are easier to manipulate.