GEOGRAPHY EDUCATION

At times Russia has sought to be perceived as a part of Europe only to be excluded in the minds (and institutions) of Western Europe.  Now, in a discursive way to protect itself, it is reaffirming and building a cultural buffer zone between Europe and Russia.  What are the borders of Europe as you think of it?  Can world regions change over time?  Any examples of regions having their borders redrawn?  

Tags: Russia, Europe, regions.

As a geographer native to the San Diego region with family on both sides of the border, I found this TED talk very compelling personally, but also rich in geographic themes (city planning, diffusion, governance of space, socioeconomic differences in land use patterns, etc.).  Relations across the border are economic, cultural and political in nature, and the merger of those varied interests have led to an uneven history of both cooperation and separation.  San Diego and Tijuana have more to offer each other than economic markets–the ideas born out of distinct socioeconomic and political contexts can be just what is needed on the other side of the border.

Tags:  urban, unit 7 cities, housing, economic, sprawl, neighborhood, borders. planning, urban ecology, density, planning, TED. 

The idea behind these images is incredibly powerful and heartbreaking.  The horrific genocide turned neighbor against neighbor and tore communities and a country apart.  I can only imagine the pain for the individuals, but also the trauma inflicted on the national psyche. See also the White House’s official statement on the 20th anniversary of the genocide. 

Tags: Rwanda, political, conflict, refugees, Africa.

As I’ve said before, a more informed, geo-literate citizenry helps to strengthen U.S. foreign policy and diplomatic efforts because they have a spatial framework within which to organize political, environmental, cultural and economic information.  National Geographic recently also produced a video showing how geo-education is important for business professionals as a part of their geo-education community (if you haven’t already, join!).

Where an island is along this developmental continuum says much about the human populations that may inhabit said island.  If the island is tall and young with rich volcanic soil, the mountain will attract rainfall and the soil could support agriculture, making the island able to sustain a higher population density.  On the other hand, an old, eroding island with little rainfall and depleted soils will need human inhabitants to rely on the ocean’s resources for food and would thus support a more minimal population.  These islands are changing, even if the time scale is slow–but just recently two disconnected islands ‘merged’ as growing volcanic island has expanded in the Pacific.

Tags: Oceania, physical, geomorphology, landforms.

This op-ed from the New York Times provides excellent material for discussing demographic issues, especially regarding declining populations.  Many countries do fear the demographic uncertainty and are actively encouraging pro-natalist policies (with salacious ads such as Singapore’s National Night and a Travel agency’s ‘Do it for Denmark‘ campaign).  The author of this article though, seeks to quell those fears.    

Tag: declining populations, population, demographic transition model.