Amid the buzz about the historic talk between US President Donald Trump and North Korean Supreme Leader Kim Jong-un in Singapore, many Americans wondered where exactly is the Southeast Asian city-state is located.
The Google search queries for the term ‘where is Singapore’ escalated in the wake of the much-anticipated meeting. The interest spiked late on June 10 before going down. Again, on June 11- 12 as Trump landed in Singapore, Americans flocked to their internet devices to search for the tiny country.
Search trend for 'Where is Singapore' for last seven days. Source: Google Trends
According to a BBC report, only about 40% of the citizens in the US own passports. That means a vast majority of the Americans have not travelled beyond their borders. Moreover, most of the passports have been issued in last decade.
However, point to be noted, till very recently, Americans could travel to a multitude of neighbouring countries like Canada and Mexico without a passport. But that does not include Singapore.
The lack of knowledge about the Southeast Asian business hub is not surprising given the low concentration of passports.
Since May 10, when the meeting was announced the traffic for people searching for Singapore’s location has grown compared to the trends shown before the announcement.
Search trend for 'Where is Singapore' for last 90 days. Source: Google Trends
The top five states which are Googling the term are West Virginia, Montana, Alabama, Arkansas and Wyoming—all of these states were won by Trump in the US presidential polls 2016.
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