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Complex International Borders

More complex international borders in this follow up to part 1.
In this video I look at even more enclaves and exclaves.”

Source: www.youtube.com

This video (like part 1) shows some great examples of how the political organization of space and administration of borders can get complicated. Here are the examples (and time in the video when they are covered in the video) on these complex borders:

Armenia and Azerbaijan (Start)
Uzbekistan–Tajikistan–Kyrgyzstan (2:00)
Exclaves of Germany within Belgium (3:00)
Disputed border between India, Pakistan, and China (4:05)
Croatia issues with Serbia and Slovenia (6:41).
border irregularity between Sweden and Finland (8:26).

Tags: borders, political, territoriality, sovereignty, video.

January 19, 2015 0

Name That Grid!

Source: www.washingtonpost.com

I’m a sucker for online quizzes like this one that shows only the grid outlines of particular cities. This isn’t just about knowing a city, but also identifying regional and urban patterns. What are some other fun trivia quizzes? GeoGuessr is one of the more addictive quizzes where 5 locations in GoogleMaps “StreetView” are shown and you have to guess where. Smarty Pins is a fun game on Google Maps that tests players’ geography and trivia skills. In this Starbucks game you have to recognized the shape of the city, major street patterns and the economic patterns just to name a few (this is one way to make the urban model more relevant). If you want quizzes with more direct applicability in the classroom, click here for online regional quizzes.

Tags: urban, models, fun, trivia.

January 19, 2015 0

Worldwide, Many See Belief in God as Essential to Morality

“The position [that belief in God is essential to morality] is highly prevalent, if not universal, in Africa and the Middle East. At least three-quarters in all six countries surveyed in Africa say that faith in God is essential to morality. People in richer nations tend to place less emphasis on the need to believe in God to have good values than people in poorer countries do.”

Source: www.pewglobal.org

An important part of the geography of religion is how the non-religious are treated and perceived around the world. More secular countries tend to be more developed, affluent and wealthy; generally speaking these are the countries that do not believe that morality and a belief in God have to be linked together. What do you think? What cultural perspectives shape your thinking?

Tags: secular, culture, religion, worldwide, perspective.

January 18, 2015 0

Windows on Earth

“Windows on Earth is an educational project that features photographs taken by astronauts on the International Space Station. Astronauts take hundreds of photos each day, for science research, education and public outreach. The photos are often dramatic, and help us all appreciate home planet Earth. These images help astronauts share their experience, and help you see Earth from a global perspective.”

Tags: images, art, space, remote sensing, geospatial.

Source: www.windowsonearth.org

January 17, 2015 0

10 American English Words and Phrases British Expats Eventually Adopt

As a British expat who has lived and worked in the U.S. for over five years, I remain very much in favor of embracing the various wonderful nuances this country has to offer. However, there was one aspect of my move that—during the initial settling-in period—I secretly feared: the gradual Americanization of my vocabulary.

Source: www.bbcamerica.com

While this list was created for English speakers in the UK, I will invert the list to show some terms that Americans rarely use, even if we understand their meaning: rubbish, mobile, motorway, petrol, car park, you lot, maths, pavement, football and fizzy drink. If this interests you so will this list of 10 British insults that American don’t understand.

Tags: language, culture, English, UK.

January 16, 2015 0

Enabling Globalization: The Container

“The ships, railroads, and trucks that transport containers worldwide form the backbone of the global economy. The pace of globalization over the last sixty years has accelerated due to containers; just like canals and railroads defined earlier phases in the development of a global economy. While distance used to be the largest obstacle to regional integration, these successive waves of transportation improvements have functionally made the world a smaller place. Geographers refer to this as the Space-Time Convergence.”

Source: blog.education.nationalgeographic.com

I’ve posted here several resources about the global economy and the crucial role that containers play in enabling globalization. In this article for National Geographic Education, I draw on many of these to to put it all in one nice container.

Tags: transportation, globalization, diffusion, industry, economic.

January 15, 2015 0

Eight Ways Your Geographic Skills Enhance Your Resume

Geographers or anyone with a history of geography education or practice have special skills that can enhance their resumes across nearly all career options. From GIS skills to graphic design to multiculturalism, here are eight ways to market your geography experience as viable job skills.

Source: www.geolounge.com

January 14, 2015 0

Why We Celebrate Martin Luther King Day

Source: maps101blog.com

Last year, Julie and I wrote this article for Maps 101 (which was also created into a podcast) about the historical and geographic significance of Dr. Martin Luther King and the Civil Rights movement. Martin Luther King fought racial segregation, which, if you think about it, is a geographic system of oppression that uses space and place to control populations. Derek Alderman and Jerry Mitchell, excellent educators and researchers, produced lesson plans to help students investigate the politics behind place naming, specifically using the case study of the many streets named after Martin Luther King.

Questions to Ponder: Why are streets named after Martin Luther King found in certain places and not in others? What forces and decisions likely drive these patterns? What is the historical legacy of Martin Luther King and how is it a part of certain cultural landscapes?

Tags: seasonal, race, historical, the South, political, toponyms, landscape.