One in 10 children cannot find the UK on a map

More than three-quarters of British children have been abroad but one in 10 cannot find the UK on a map, a poll has revealed.

The study, conducted by London Heathrow airport, also revealed 41% did not know the UK is in Europe, while nearly a quarter did not even know what an atlas is.

The survey of 1,000 children between the ages of six and 10 found 78% of the children had been abroad, with 48% going to Spain by the age of 10 and 42% to France.

But 45% could not find Spain on a map and 36% were unable to identify the location of France.

The USA was the third most popular holiday destination, with 19% of those surveyed having crossed the pond - but 42% did not know where it was, and 5% believing it shared a border with the UK.

The children performed better when asked to find countries outside of Europe, with 78% correctly identifying Australia, while 73% knew where Russia was.

Perhaps explaining their lack of knowledge when it comes to geography, 24% of the children said they did not know what an atlas was.

Heathrow has installed giant globes in its terminals in time for the Easter holidays to help children locate their destination - and maybe that of the UK.

As well as a huge ten foot diameter globe in Terminal 5 Departures, 20,000 maps will be handed to young travellers, helping them to understand more about different cultures and geographical locations across the world.