Many of us may have trouble remembering all MRT and LRT stations on our tiny island.
But one Singaporean student, Maximilian Zeng, impressed the world with his knowledge of Geography.
In the quarter-finals of University Challenge, a British TV quiz programme, Zeng impressed viewers with his ability to identify states and cities in India with zero clues.
When asked how he became so good at Geography, he said he had a fixation on maps and would often stare at them for 4 hours a day.
His non-stop firing of correct answers earned him the titles ‘Human Atlas’ and ‘GPS Zeng’ from viewers.
Zeng’s geographical prowess was captured in season 5, episode 26 of University Challenge, where he was part of the Imperial College London team.
A map of India was shown on the screen, with state borders removed and nothing but a pin to mark its location.
Wasting no time, Zeng hit the buzzer and responded with “Chennai, Tamil Nadu”—the correct answers.
He also nailed the next 3 questions in mere seconds, as if he was answering basic questions to do with his name and age.
This is Lucknow in Uttar Pradesh.
Zeng could also name the following location as Bhopal in Madhya Pradesh.
Here’s a slightly more challenging one that shows the pin drop close to the borders. But Zeng was unfazed and knew it was Kolkata, West Bengal right away.
Zeng’s interest in Geography started when he was a child. According to Channel NewsAsia (CNA), he received his first world map when he was 3.
By the time he was 6, he already knew all the countries and capitals.
He told CNA that he would stare at maps for about 4 hours daily and even had to be “banned from the atlas” in P5 because it distracted him too much.
Surprisingly, he does not study Geography at Imperial College as he doesn’t consider it his main interest. Instead, he prefers linguistics and anthropology.
His extensive knowledge impressed many of the viewers.
Many sang his praises in the comments section, with one saying that they can’t wait to see a video that only featured scenes of every Geography question answered by Zeng.
Others complimented how quickly he answered the questions, as Zeng was spotted buzzing even before he knew the whole question.
One referred to him as GPS Zeng, saying that the Imperial College’s team has made a statement tonight with their awe-inspiring performance.
Reading the map or memorising simple names like MRT stations can be a real challenge to everyone, but Zeng’s impressive performance shows that effort can take you to great heights.
In this case, he’s making Singapore proud even from abroad, as he furthers his studies in the United Kingdom.
We wish Zeng all the best in his future endeavours.
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Featured image adapted from YouTube.
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