It is one of the oldest and most famous cathedrals in Britain.

But a survey has found a third of Britons do not know Canterbury Cathedral is in Kent.

Astonishingly, as many as one in five people from Kent are clueless the architectural gem is even in their county.

The research also found 20% of adults polled admit they do not know how many countries are in the UK.

Two thousand Britons were questioned for the survey, carried out by OnePoll on behalf of travel firm Journeys of Distinction.

Karen Gee, managing director of Journeys of Distinction, said: "We were astounded that while Britons clearly have an enviable and broad general knowledge of famous cities abroad - New York, Paris, Rome and many others - they seem to display a lack of geographical awareness when it comes to their own nation.

"It's such a shame because the UK has so many national treasures for people to experience, right here on their doorstep."

Experts believe people's geographical ignorance is being fuelled by a reliance on sat navs and online route maps.