INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
In an interview, Madden said his favourite country was Mexico because of its "waterslides."How many countries can you name in under five
minutes Six-year-old Madden Landicho has probably got you beat: He can name them all
Alphabetically.Starting with Afghanistan and ending with Zimbabwe, it takes him about four minutes, give or take a few seconds to name every
He can also identify each country's flag.Madden's mom, Kristy Landicho, said her son - who just finished kindergarten - started learning the
nations when he was about 3
He began with the countries in South America."Before we knew it," Landicho told The Washington Post, "he was reciting the whole world to
us."So how did he do it By song By repetition Does he have a photographic memoryMadden learned the world by watching YouTube videos, on his
phone, over and over and over again."I never thought I was going to be a parent that would give their kids a phone," said Landicho, who
lives in Winnipeg, Canada
"It's awesome that he's actually learning from it as opposed to just watching random cartoons."Madden learned the list by watching videos
such as "Countries of the World," in which smiling, blinking, animated country outlines sing their names."I think it's those catchy songs
that really catches his attention," Landicho said.But when Madden recites them, it's not in song
Instead, he calmly, carefully and correctly pronounces each name; even the ones with several syllables, like Azerbaijan and
Uzbekistan.Madden is only just beginning to learn to read, so he learned the countries from listening.For his 6th birthday in March,
Madden's godmother got him an atlas
That is how, she said, her son learned to match each country with its flag
The atlas also honed his ability to find countries on the map.She recalled that he once asked her, "Do you know what countries are on the
Europe and Asian border" She didn't but learned pretty quickly.Apart from a keen interest in maps and flags, Madden's mom describes her son
as a smart, sweet, kindhearted and carefree boy
When he sees someone fall down, he wants to help
He cares about animals, and likes to swim and play soccer
And like all 6-year-olds, he can be crazy loud and rambunctious, too."He's your typical boy but somehow just really likes geography," she
said.Madden said his favorite country is Mexico, because of its "waterslides and pools." The Landicho family, including Madden's 3-year-old
brother Camden, travels every other year to Mexico to stay with Madden's grandparents at their timeshare unit.His knowledge of the U.S
map is pretty good, too.During a phone interview with The Post, Madden said that if he could travel anywhere in the world, he would pick
Nevada.His mom, on speakerphone, asked, "Is that because you want to visit the Grand Canyon"He replied innocently but confidently, "The
Grand Canyon's in Arizona."
