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Why didn’t the Ottomans Colonize the Americas?

“Why didn’t the Ottoman Empire colonize the Americas? Mostly, it was geography and a confidence that it wouldn’t change the balance of power.” SOURCE: History Matters on YouTube

I do enjoy counterfactual history questions and to imagine how the world would be different is something did (or didn’t) happen.  These “what ifs” are usually a thought exercise in imaginary worlds that often hinge on a single point that might be lead to a pivotal shift in the unfolding of events. For example, “What if Hitler was assassinated before WWII?” or “What if Columbus never crossed the Atlantic?” The question about the Ottoman Empire is different because in the 21st century, it seems apparent that colonization would be the answer for every power seeking to maintain their power in the 16th-18th centuries. This question is getting us to understand the geographic realities and political factors in a new historical context. The Ottoman Empire, because of its distinct geographic context, had a great set of land options available to them, and a more constrained set of maritime resources for the open seas.

This question helps us explore the geographic factors that led to powerful empires over the centuries.  Geographically and historically, the importance of certain resources might have been incredibly important, but not so in a different era or in a different regional context (e.g.-naval power, overland networks, gold, oil, or iron deposits). So what are the three most important reasons why the Ottoman Empire didn’t colonize in the Americas?

TAGS: empire, Turkey, historical.

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Why China’s population is shrinking

For the first time in six decades, China’s population is shrinking, and it’s predicted it could create a demographic crisis. That’s because China isn’t just shrinking, it’s also aging. And the majority of Chinese couples are not considering having more than one child. Because of this, China is predicted to lose nearly 50 percent of its population by 2100. China’s population decline can be traced back to the restrictive family-planning policies launched in the 1970s and an impressive economic boom fueled by China’s huge labor force. China’s modernization brought rapid urbanization, rising income levels, and better education to large parts of China. Combined, these policies and growth have given China one of the lowest birth rates in the world. Today, China is trying to reverse its population decline. Not just because an aging population is hard to sustain economically, but because China’s impressive economic growth, until now, has relied on its people. As China’s population challenges deepen over time, it might have to rethink how to grow its economy and care for its citizens. SOURCE: VOX

China’s population is officially declining now (at least, last year the population dropped and indications are that 2022 is likely to be the first of many).  Given that China’s population is 1.4 billion, there will be many ramifications to their population trends and it is worth understanding their demographic past that brings us to the current situation. 

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Agriculture and Politics in the Netherlands

Dutch Farmers protesting in 2022, Source: DW

I was surprised to learn that the 2nd leading agricultural exporter in the world is the small country of the Netherlands.  The Netherlands!  Roughly the size of the state of Maryland today, the Netherlands has a rich tradition of technologically expanding their land into the sea to boost agricultural productivity (17% of the country today is on reclaimed land). The Netherlands exports many agricultural products mainly to other EU countries and are the global leader in the floral industry.   

Netherlands Agricultural Exports, SOURCE: OEC

 One of the keys to the economic productivity of the agricultural sector is the intensive nature of the production; they add technological inputs that expand the economic efficiency and productivity of the land, including artificial fertilizers and pesticides.  As a part of the European Union provides enormous economic benefits, and those benefits come with the costs associated with being a member of a supranational organization.  The EU has target goals to reduce nitrogen emissions among other environmental, regulatory goals.      

During the pandemic, the Netherlands government led by PM Rutte’s party, passed some laws to limit nitrogen emissions to advance the environmental aims of the EU.  Large-scale protests began with farmer’s arguing that the country’s government was listening more to international organizations than protecting the interests of their citizens.  They started the BBB party just a few years ago to combat these policies since they see these quick changes to farmer’s access to artificial fertilizer because of these regulatory policies will “obliterate their livelihoods.” Now that party is a force. Agriculture, economics, politics, and environmental are all intertwined in this complex geographic issue. 

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The Geography of Military Operations

Geography is the stage on which the play of History unfolds.  As a kid, I loved studying the great wards of history and—not surprisingly—I was drawn to the maps that showed flanking maneuvers, bottlenecks, marching around mountains, getting lured into marshlands, etc.  I especially was intrigued when a local force used superior knowledge of the local terrain to defeat a superior, invading force. 

This video shows the geography of the Crimean Peninsula through of the Russian occupation of the peninsula.  Before 2014, the land was controlled by Ukraine and Russia has controlled and annexed the land.  The 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine was a continued expansion of these territorial ambitions, and if Ukraine’s full goals are to be achieved, reclaiming the Crimean Peninsula would be an final step.  The naval stronghold of Sevastapol, the tiny narrow neck of land, the swampy lagoons, and the Black Sea are all discussed in this video looking at the Russian advantages in maintaining control and Ukraine’s difficulties in trying to recapture this territory.   

Tags: Russia, Ukraine, geopolitics, political.

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North American Accents

Languages of even small countries can have very regionally specific accents.  Accents help give cultures their place-based charm, and a hyper-regionalized sense of place. 

In the embedded video above with comedian/actor Fred Armisen (of “Portlandia” fame), he demonstrates how he performs a variety of accents in the United States (and at the tail end of the video you get the difference between Mexican and Cuban Spanish as a bonus). Super strong accents are quite rare, and although they can be emblematic of a place, most people in a place have some elements, but not elements of a regionally distinctive accent. 

For Fun, two “bonus” accent clips: first, Fred Armisen again doing accents around the world.

And second, here is one for us Rhode Islanders.

GeoEd TAGS: culture, language.

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In Memory of Don Zeigler

Conference in 2016 in Las Vegas, NV.

In 2016, as I was preparing to become the Chief Reader for the AP Human Geography course, I felt overwhelmed, flattered, and completely over my skis.  Don Zeigler was the “outgoing Chief Reader” and I couldn’t have asked for a more excellent mentor. He took me under his wing and showed me the ropes of a new job. Don exuded positivity, kindness, and professionalism in a way that gave me confidence that I could do well if I try to follow in his footsteps. I did try to make the readings infused with some of my own personality and interests, but I could always rely on his excellent example to guide me.

Don’s curiosity about the world was insatiable and infused with a childlike wonder that academia can beat out of a scholar, but not Don. He delighted in making new connections, traveling the world, and sharing his insights. Officials from the College Board, ETS, and the AP Human Geography community collaborated to write a letter to express their profound sadness on hearing of his passing this week. He will be missed, but collectively we are all better for having known him. May we all look to a more excellent future.

PDF letter of Don’s passingDownload
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Revisiting the Soviet Union

Yes, It Was An ‘Evil Empire’: Nearly every form of Soviet nostalgia gets the facts wrong.

“In 1983, the 61-year-old empire looked like it would be eternal. In just a few years, Soviet communism was relegated, just as Reagan had predicted to much ridicule, to ‘the ash heap of history.’ The leaders of the new Russia that emerged in its place themselves echoed the language of ‘evil empire’ when they spoke of the Soviet past: During the 1996 elections, President Boris Yeltsin told supporters at a campaign rally they had to win ‘so that Russia can never be called an evil empire again.’ An idealized image of Soviet communism also bubbled back up among progressives in the West, especially after the reputation of democratic capitalism was left tarnished by the war in Iraq and the Great Recession.” SOURCE: Reason Magazine

The quoted article is by Cathy Young, an American journalist who lived her first 17 years in the Soviet Union. Her perspective than is hardly neutral and dispassionate. For the goal of reevaluating the legacy of the Soviet Union, especially for young people how weren’t alive during the times of the USSR, I think that her background is incredibly helpful to understand what is life behind the Iron Curtain during the Cold War.

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Bread Around the World

“Bread is known to be convenient, nutritious, and, of course, delicious. From naan in India to the French baguette, we take a look at 29 types of bread around the world.” SOURCE: Insider Food

Of course geographers love videos that highlight places around that world that give you the feeling of leaving your homeland to travel to a different cultural context in new place. Videos like this that give a quick tour around the world so you can sample from the visual delights, even if the culinary ones are off the table.  This Travel Insider video channel has a few great examples that show how distinct regional variations in food production create cultural distinct local customs.  Food production is inherently cultural, and these videos show how local flavor creates a series of regional variations.  Linked as well here is a great article showing the amazing diversity of breads around the world.

While I’m a fan of the “cheese around the world” video, I’ll include one other on the food theme–sandwiches from around the world–is embedded below.   

GeoEd Tags: culture, place, video, food, food production, agriculture, worldwide. 

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Don’t be a Doomer

“I’m not trying to cheer anyone up, least of all the doomers themselves. What I really want is for people to refocus on the problems that matter most, and to stay motivated to fight those problems. I cannot give you any set of facts or statistics or charts that tells you whether you should be optimistic or pessimistic about the world; that is a matter of opinion. But what data can do is to make you better able to calculate the relative importance of the various threats, risks, and trends in the world.” SOURCE: Noahpinion on Substack

Long-time readers and observers of this page will have seen that a recurring theme of mine is to resist the prevailing notion that the world is continually sliding into apocalyptic doom and we need to really freak out about it.  A corollary of the doomer mentality is at that acknowledging human progress might be harmful because it might foster political apathy, reduce activism, and is therefore not a “helpful” framework for education, journalism, or research. Dan Gardner notes that the conversation around population/resources fails to note the changes of the last 30 years.   This article by Noah Smith, an economist, is a healthy reminder that pessimistic headlines garner greater attention, the story of the last 200 years, as well as the last 50 years, is one of overwhelming progress. Also, Hannah Ritchie from Our World in Data shows how creating a more sustainable future needs framework where a better future is achievable.

As a member of Heterodox Academy, I think that fostering viewpoint diversity in the academy matters, and that higher education should have truth seeking as its highest purpose.  I’m of the perspective that an honest portrayal of objective truths is what society needs.  Obviously, this is difficult if not impossible to achieve, but an essential norm to strive for if we are going to have a healthy worldview.      

Past posts on the topic:

The world is far from perfect, but it is getting better for more people
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