I know all the regions of Italy and I think I could do a decent job at all the provinces too, something not all Italians could accomplish.  I have no clue about the various internal divisions, of, say, Ireland, Norway or the Czech Republic (I have been to Dublin, Oslo and Prague though!).<p>I suspect this is fairly true for most people who live in Europe: they know their own town, region and country better than places farther away.  This is fairly normal, and after explaining for about the 100th time that &quot;Oregon is the state above California&quot;, I rapidly got over being embarassed about my compatriots&#x27; lack of geographical knowledge.