Gerrard Kaonga
Most people can admit they don’t know everything, but a TikToker has caused a stir after confessing she used to believe that Alaska was an island.
In a viral video that has been viewed more than 850,000 times, TikTok user Sabriena Abrre questioned her schooling as she admitted that she used to believe that Alaska was an island.
For most people who have even glanced at a world map, this confession is particularly bizarre.
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However, she explained that many world maps of the U.S. showed Hawaii, a group of islands, and Alaska in separate boxes from the United States mainland.
She added, this is what led her to believe it was an island, rather than an American-owned landmass next to Canada.
“I have so many questions for the US education system. I graduated high school with As and Bs, I was a good student,” Abrre said.
“This is absolutely criminal, the list of things that I didn’t know about Canada, about the United States, about geography as a whole, it is just appalling.
“I know what you are thinking ‘you must be stupid’, ‘you just must not know geography’, it’s a US thing.
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"Elyse Myers on TikTok also mentioned that she had this realization in adulthood and her comments are overflowing with people, adults, that have had the same realization after graduating high school.
Abrre’s comment section was very much the same with some awkwardly admitting, at one point, they also held this belief.
“I once asked why Hawaii was so warm and Alaska so cold, when they are right next to each other. In front of the whole 10 grade class,” one person commented.
“As a teacher who has heard this from adult many times, I always tell my students specifically that Alaska isn’t an island,” another wrote.
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“Oh my God. Not me JUST finding out Alaska is not an island Near Canada. I’m 33. I’m so embarrassed,” said another.
Other users were left dumbfounded that this was a seemingly widespread problem, however.
“Confused Canadian here, were ya’ll not shown a world map in geography class?” one TikToker wrote.
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“As a European I have so many questions. Like do you have internet there? Google maps? Are you not curious? Did you ever see a globe? So many questions,” another wrote.
“Do people not learn things outside of school? NatGeo and the history channel were what I would watch as a child,” said another user.
Well, at least they know now, I guess.