I understand that America's education system is lacking, but I mean, really. Even if you never saw a globe before, the context alone should tell you where those countries are situated.
See, racism isn't something that just "happens". It's a manifestation of culture. Typically, white supremacy, imperialism, nationalist zealotry and religion are the biggest culprits of racism 'n' all that jazzizzle. And oh boy, do you Americans have a sordid history of racism against the yellow man. Red, black and brown man too, but that's going a wee bit too off-topic, I suppose.