What it teaches
The seven continents, and which countries sit on each. Continents are the frame that everything else in geography hangs on: a child who knows that Kenya is in Africa has somewhere to put the next fact about Kenya.
What to look for
Europe and Asia are the pair that causes trouble, because the border between them is a convention rather than a coastline. Russia and Turkey sit on both, and it is worth saying so rather than letting it be a mistake.