GEOGRAPHY EDUCATION

This series of maps shows the great leaps and bounds that were made during the 19th century in transportation technology in the United States.  This impacted population settlement, economic interactions and functionally made the great distances seem smaller.  This is what many call the time-space compression; the friction of distance is diminished as communication and transportation technologies improve.  

Questions to Ponder: When someone says they live “10 minutes away,” what does that say about how we think about distance, transportation infrastructure and time?  How is geography still relevant in a world where distance appears to becoming less of a factor?  

Tags: transportation, models, globalization, diffusion.

As many Lord of the Rings fans prepare for the release of the new Hobbit movie, I wanted to share two things that might be of interest.  First this article is linked to a geologic ‘reconstruction’ of Middle Earth.  Added to this is this fabulous Middle Earth Map Dress (complete with the traveling cloak collar, the Tengwar script on the belt and hem, and the matching clutch).  Why are do we study geography?  As Samwise Gamgee reminded us, “That there’s some good in this world, Mr. Frodo… and it’s worth fighting for.” 

As more of our students go searching for information online, we need to also teach our students how to assess the quality of a particular media outlet and develop a critical eye.  This great song is a humorous way to approach that topic.

Questions to Ponder: What makes a source reliable?  Can a source be reliable on some topics but not others?

Here’s an article about how an over-reliance on GPS (or Sat-Nav) can lead to the erosion of one’s mental map.  And yes, the article is from the Daily Mail (as the images on the side clearly demonstrate).  Does that change how you approach the information?

Most everyone knows about the importance of Middle Eastern oil to the global economy and how that impacts geopolitics.  What isn’t well-known is the Middle East’s own demand for oil has been increasing as their wealth and standard of living has been rising.  This chart does not show the amount of oil consumption, but the “energy intensity.”  This is the amount of energy (often oil) used to produce a unit of GDP for a country’s economy.  

Questions to Ponder: How will this change oil-producing countries economic development in the future?  How does this make us re-assess these economies?  Does this impact how we think about climate change issues?

Tags: energy, resources, Middle East, development.

When the rule of Hong Kong transferred from the UK to China in 1997, the Chinese government was careful to ease the fears of those in Hong Kong that they would not have their political and economic systems turned upside down.  “One country, two systems” was the famous slogan to sum up the policy that some felt would simply delay the inevitable.  Today, many of the youth in Hong Kong are demonstrating against what they feel are pressures to do away with their unique status.

This map is just overwhelming when you consider that each data point represents a bomb dropped on the city.