Memory boy Henry Close
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© Licensed to London News Pictures. 21/11/2013. Solihull, West Midlands. Memory boy. Pictured, Henry Close (7). From Bujumbra in Burundi to Niamey in Niger, Henry Close will not be beaten when it comes to naming the world’s capital cities.
The seven-year-old Solihull Junior School pupil is constantly being tested by his school friends and teachers but not even the obscurest of places have caught him out.
Now he wants to take on all-comers to test his claim to being able to name all 220 country and territory capitals.
Henry, who is in his first term at the independent school for boys and girls, gained his interest after being asked to name ten capitals and their countries as part of his homework.
His mother Tonia Close said: “The exercise stirred Henry’s interest in geography and when he was off school sick one day he decided to learn the world’s capitals. He has been stumped only once when he didn’t know the capital of Bermuda – but that was only because it was missing from his list!”
Tonia added: “Henry has a photographic memory as well as an extraordinary ability in maths, which resulted in the education authority placing him on the gifted register just after turning four.”
Henry also claims to know the population of every state in Europe and is hoping to learn the figure for every country in the world - and can draw the outline of most nations entirely from memory.
His interest in geography and maths has now extended to the languages spoken in each country and he can already count to 100 in Spanish and Japanese.
Tonia said: “Henry now wants to visit the cities he can name so we have decided to try to give him a treat each birthday by taking him on a break to a different European capital.”
Photo credit : Dave Warren/LNP
