The central issue raised in this article relates to teachers' geograph
ic literacy. One aspect of geographic literacy is an individual's know
ledge of the world map as represented in a sketch map. This study repr
esents a preliminary effort to assess the cognitive status of preservi
ce social studies teachers' mental maps of the world. Using a Likert S
cale to assess the students' sketch maps, a variety of tests were used
to analyze the data gathered. In general, all students had problems c
onstructing a mental map of the world. The article concludes with sugg
estions on ways to improve the mental maps of teachers and students.