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Global news with a spatial perspective: Interesting, current supplemental materials for geography students and teachers. http://geographyeducation.org
Curated by
Seth Dixon
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Seth Dixon's insight:
When I was a child I used to wonder if woke up somewhere far from home, would I be able to know where I was just by looking at the places around me (I was a geo-geek from way back when). GeoGuessr is the closest thing to finding yourself lost in the world and needing to figure out where you are without being wisked away. GeoGuessr will display 5 locations in GoogleMaps "StreetView" and you have to guess where the images are located. You can pan and zoom in the StreetView to explore the landscape and find more context clues as to where that location is. It is a fantastic exploration exercise. Delete the scoop?
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"Geographer Reece Jones discusses his recent book Border Walls, examining the history of how and why societies have chosen to literally wall themselves apart. He gives a brief history of political maps, how international lines reshape landscapes, and how the trend towards increased border wall construction contrasts with the view of a “borderless” world under globalization."
Seth Dixon's insight:
This 30-minute audio podcast is a great preview of Reece Jones' book Border Walls; and discusses many concepts important to political geography. The physical construction of barriers is an old practice (Great Wall of China, Hadrian's Wall), but those borders were the exceptions. The recent proliferatrion of walls to separate countries is dramatically reshaping our borders and impacting economics, politics, migration and other geographic patterns (How recent? Over half of the borders with walls and fences we see today have been constructed since 2000). Although walls are often justified as a means to prevent terrorism, most of the world's walls can best be explained as dividing wealthy and relatively poorer countries to prevent migration (download podcast episode here). You can also read his New York Times article on the same topic.
Tags: book reviews, podcast, borders, political, landscape, states, territoriality, sovereignty.
Mary Patrick Schoettinger's curator insight,
April 25, 9:16 AM
Looking forward to reading this. Seth Dixon's insight mentions the current practice of building walls that separates the haves from the have nots is telling. Is it possible to include natural resources in the whole wealth question? Is damming water a form of building a border wall?
chris tobin's comment,
April 27, 9:31 AM
good point mary . natural resources is wealth that many can take advantage of for their benefit and strategy
chris tobin's curator insight,
April 27, 9:48 AM
This broadcast states how advances in cartography over time maps borders of territory that became public in europe since the 180's, before that places to travel to were only by memory. After WWII orders were recognized and redrawn. Maps and borders organizes land around us as fixed territories to control. It allows territories control over their land and authority. Less than 5 borders or fences shortly after WWII existed and now there are at least 50 ,75% which are within the last 70 years. Physical walls being built slows human travel, borders wealthy from poor--US/Mexico has one of the largest gaps where US GDP is greater by 4 to 1 compared to Mexico (US$40,0000
Mexico $10,000 us dollars) India/Bangladesh border also illustrates this. They share the same Bengali languge, with 15 million Bangladeshis living and working in India. This border is 4000 km long with 200,000 border agents employed. The border fence is about 10 ft high doubled barbed with many gates and flood lights (no camerastation in space because of the flood lights). Bangladesh cross into India to visit relatives living there, and work. Bangladesh has poor standards of living and India has increased standards of living. Bangladesh has over 160 million people , 1238 people per sq km (dense population) in the comparable size of US state of Iowa, is a low lying area with floods, (Ganges River empties into Bay of Bengal) and as sea levels rise one meter flooding occurs.
The future of borders between $$wealthy and poor and world trade capital movement ,investments of US in other countries and trade of other countries into the US, and the poor becomes a threat to the territories (states, countries) sine they cannot move around in the world. Morre walls and fence borders are to com. In the last 15 years walls and fences has increased between countries to protect resources and control their area and even used strategically to their own advantage for resource control, political control and military advantages while affecting the environment, economics and peoples way of life.
This is a must read book which has won Geography awards and very insightful.
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"Aerial photo tour across countries and continents with a French photographer Yann Arthus-Bertrand"
Seth Dixon's insight:
I love Yann Arthus-Bertrand's photography; so many of them are geography lessons in and of themselves as he captures compelling images of the cultural landscape. This particular gallery shows 32 stunning images including this one above showing urban agriculture in Geneva, Switzerland.
"Worldwide, there are 800 million amateur farmers in built-up areas. In estates in south eastern Asia and some towns in central and South America, many people depend on this activity for survival. It’s the same story in Europe; in Berlin there are more than 80,000 urban farmers, and in Russia more than 72% of all urban homes till their own patch of land, balcony or even roof. Urban agriculture is on the [rise] and there could be twice as many people enjoying it within twenty years."
Tags: agriculture, food, landscape, images, urban, unit 5 agriculture, unit 7 cities.
Chris Magee's comment,
April 28, 12:53 PM
Many of these pictures are eye-opening and really bring to light how differently things are done around the world. I was very interested when reading about the Palm Jumeirah artificial island in Dubai. I have heard and seen this project before but never knew the ridiculous amount of money and labor which went into it. As an American it is an odd phenomena to see something another country is doing and think "Wow, that's a little excessive/unnecessary." when I am so used to other countries always saying that about our actions. The "massive" amount of imported labor used for the project could have been put into their own country instead of paying other countries workers to build the resort.
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If you look at this map of #NewYork when it was New Amsterdam, you will understand why Wall St is so named twitter.com/HistoryNeedsYo…
— Matthew Ward (@HistoryNeedsYou) February 19, 2013
Seth Dixon's insight:
Tags: historical, landscape, NYC.
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"A basic truth about the cultural geography of the California border [is this]—two very different city-building traditions come crashing into each other at one of the most contentious international boundary lines on the planet. In this collision, in the shocking contrast of landscapes, lies one critical ingredient of the border’s place identity."
Seth Dixon's insight:
As a geographer native to the San Diego region (with family on both sides of the border), I found this article very compelling. 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. Herzog analyses three distinct factors that have shape the landscape of the California-Mexico border zone: urbanization, NAFTA, and global interruptions (9/11).
Tags: borders, AAG, political, landscape, California, unit 4 political, Mexico.
Ann-Laure Liéval's curator insight,
January 27, 6:29 AM
Les territoires de la mondialisation: les frontières. Une frontière qui se ferme et pourtant, une urbanisation continue mais contrastée.
Emma Lafleur's curator insight,
February 7, 5:45 PM
It is interesting to see how this border has transformed from a fence to a guideline and back over time. Researchers of these two cities can learn a lot about how the events of one country affect the other country, such as in the case of 9/11. This place is also a great place to study culture because it is here where researchers can study a melding of two cultures in action. Overall, this area gives great insight into how two bordering countries affect each other politically, economically, socially, and culturally.
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"Can you use physical and cultural geography clues to match the ground photograph with its location? Identify the 10 cities and 10 countries. In so doing, you are thinking spatially and considering language, culture, climate, landforms, land use, transportation methods, etc. to determine the correct answers."
Seth Dixon's insight:
This quiz and others like it are great ways to get students utilize all the information available in a photograph and really plumb the depths of their knowledge about places.
The School Aranda's curator insight,
January 21, 6:00 AM
Should be great for FCE speaking speculation. . . .
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Hawaii, Kauai Island...where they shot the Jurassic Park...
Sometimes we all want to see a fabulously gorgeous physical landscape and marvel at the beauty that is in this world. For some other spectacular images, here is a great collection of images (without much geographic specificity though).
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USA Route 66 Cross Country Road Trip Map, Data, Summary, Photos, Equipment Used: http://www.defreesproductions.com/road-trip-route-66-cross-country-usa-2012 ...
I saw this video on an Atlantic Cities article and was struck by the rural and "off-the-beaten path" feel that timelapse of the Mother Road manages to capture. Route 66 looms large in Americana, in part because it represents a bygone era, a time when the automobile was new and exciting. This empowered many to make a cross-country road trip, but during this time the car was not so ubiquitous that it was the overwhelming force that is so visually prominent in urban landscapes as it is today. The historical and cultural critique of the U.S. automobile culture in the Pixar movie Cars may be fictional and for a child audience, but it is quite accurate in noting that cities disconnected from the interstate system sharply declined and were never the same. These places represent for many people then, a classic pop culture landscape of yesteryear.
Tags: transportation, landscape, place, culture, timelapse.
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In a world where photoshop has made the unreal seem ordinary, these unearthly seemingly landscapes might seem likely fakes. The world can be that extraordinary. Pictured above is the "Door to Hell" in Turkmenistan. Rich with natural gas, Soviets were drilling in 1971 when the drilling rig collapsed and left a huge (230 feet wide) hole. In an attempt to stop gas leaks they hoped a fire would burn off any discharge, but it is still burning today. Enjoy this gallery of 25 'unnatural' images.
Sam Capron's curator insight,
March 27, 9:48 PM
These landscape at really breathtaking! I hope to one day be able to visit some of them myself and take pictures of my very own! By the way the photo of the Gullfoss in Iceland is now my computers background image. :)
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The remarkable pictures show scenes from France today with atmospheric photographs taken in the same place during the war superimposed on top.
In this fastinating set of images, Dutch artist and historian Jo Teeuwisse merges her passions literally by superimposing World War II photographs on to modern pictures of the where the photos were originally taken. This serves as a reminder that places are rich with history; to understand the geography of a place, one must also know it's history (and vice versa).
Matt A.'s comment,
April 16, 9:16 AM
These photos are incredibly interesting. It takes you back in time but shows you the present. It gives you perspective of what the battles looked like. You not be familiar with something when you see a picture of it from 70 years ago, but when it is combined to today it gives you a different perspective. It relates to geography because it gives us a sense of where these places are. How they were different then from today. It shows why things may be different. Why there may be monuments or plaques of rememberence.
Meg Conheeny's comment,
April 25, 4:43 PM
These photos really can open your eyes. You could be at a place that looks and feels normal but 50 years ago it was a bloody battlefield. So many places around the United States are filled with stories of history and culture. By standing in an area that was once a battlefield one can sense the presence of the men that once fought there. We can feel their strength and what they went through to give us freedom. Even though the environment and the landscape of a place can change overtime, the history and culture along with the individuals involved will always be engraved in that particular place.
Magnus Gustafsson's comment,
April 26, 3:53 PM
Yeah, this is interesting and give us possibilities to understand history is real.
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This lesson plan was specifically designed with Arizona examples and aligned to the Arizona state standards, but it be easily adapted. I saw a presentation based on this lesson at the NCGE conference as was incredibly impressed. Also, you'll note that like this one, there are many other lesson plans freely available on the Arizona Geographic Alliance website.
Tags: K12, borders, political, landscape, migration, unit 4 political.
oyndrila's comment,
October 14, 2012 11:40 AM
I found very useful resources on the website. Thank you for sharing it.
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For decades, south Louisiana residents have watched coastal landmarks disappear as erosion worsened and the Gulf of Mexico marched steadily inward.
Sylvain Rotillon's comment,
May 9, 2:57 PM
The eprverse effect of maps is that they give the false idea that our physical world is steady. It's the case as we see here for coastal environments, but also for rivers.
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Seth Dixon's insight:
I love this visualization of New York City's evolving skyline from 1876-2013. The urban landscape of America's prominent cities has changed dramatically.
Tags: historical,urban, architecture, landscape, NYC.
Louis Culotta's comment,
May 1, 11:32 AM
I wonder if the tallest building in the first picture is the first stage of the Brooklyn Bridge??????
Louis Culotta's curator insight,
May 1, 11:35 AM
if you look at the first picture...it looks like the tall building on the water could be the first stage of the Brooklyn Bridge...any suggestions to this?
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If a NYC location got a shout out in some rap lyrics, Jay Shells has probably made a sign out of them and placed it at that specific location for his amazing new project.
Seth Dixon's insight:
Street art has a subtle, but powerful connection with place. How does an art installation alter a neighborhood's sense of place? How does a place alter the meaning(s) of an art installation?
Tags: art, mapping, NYC, culture, landscape, place, socioeconomic, neighborhood.
bancoideas's curator insight,
April 24, 7:59 AM
¿que tal esta idea de arte callejero? Letras de rap y señaléticas de tránsito
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See a photo of an aerial view of a terraced rice field in China and download free wallpaper from National Geographic.
Seth Dixon's insight:
This image shows is one of the more beautiful cultural landscapes that shows the great extent of agricultural modifications of the environment. National Geographic's photo of the day is a great source for images that start class discussions and can enliven class content. You may download a high resolution version of the image here.
Tags: National Geographic, agriculture, landscape, China.
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"The Los Angeles of America’s imagination is rarely downtown Los Angeles. When we envision L.A., we think of the beach, 15 miles away, or the starred sidewalk of Hollywood, or the sprawling suburbs of the San Fernando Valley. While not the center of our Los Angeles, downtown Los Angeles is nonetheless visible —it is a backdrop to films and television shows set in L.A., and, just as frequently, serves as Any City, U.S.A., easily transformed into New York City, Washington, D.C., and the generic cities of car, cell phone, or drug store commercials."
Seth Dixon's insight:
This AAG annual meeting will be in Los Angeles this year, and geographer Jennifer Mapes gives readers a virtual walking tour of downtown LA before thousands of geographers converge on the city.
Tags: Los Angeles, AAG, urban, landscape.
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I Have a Dream Speech Martin Luther King's Address at March on Washington August 28, 1963. Washington, D.C. When we let freedom ring, when we let it ring fro...
Seth Dixon's insight:
There is much to glean from Martin Luther King's famous I Have a Dream speech as a fantastic rhetorical device. This speech has a profound impact on the the psyche of the America culture and it has endured as a pivotal moment in history. As we celebrate his life and legacy this Monday, it is an appropriate time to contemplate that the ending of segregation (a spatial division of races) has reshaped the United States.
Many streets in the United States bear the name "Martin Luther King Jr." to memorialize both the man and the Civil Rights movement. This streets, as this YouTube video suggests, are often in poor, crime-ridden and violent neighborhoods. This video highlights the irony between the historical memory of Martin Luther King Jr. and places of memorialization that bear his name. This video echoes much of what the authors of the fantastic book "Civil Rights Memorials and the Geography of Memory" say (in fact one of the authors is shown in this video).
Questions to ponder: If Martin Luther King Jr. represents non-violence, then why are streets bearing his name often in 'violent' neighborhoods? Where should Martin Luther King be memorialized in the United States? Only in the South? Only in predominantly African-American communities? What does the geography of the spaces where he is memorialized say something about the United States?
Tags: historical, culture, landscape, place, race, unit 3 culture, USA, urban, poverty, unit 7 cities, book review.
Cindy Riley Klages's curator insight,
January 20, 10:38 AM
Teachers: How great would it be to use the actual speech? Can you say, "primary source?" Here's an idea: Print it out and let students close read this important speech, too.
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Time lapse video compilation Civilization: Part I - Europe by professional photographer Dominic Boudreault. Shot in England, France, Spain and Italy.
Seth Dixon's insight:
This is a gorgeous video that was very intelligently constructed. The title 'civilization' coupled with the images of iconic architecture, makes me think differently and question how we conceptualize the ideas of civilization and society.
Tags: landscape, historical, Europe, time lapse.
Tony King's curator insight,
January 17, 10:41 AM
Best way to get up-close and personal with these spectacular locations is from a charter yacht. We can arrange a hassle-free charter booking for yu, sail or power. www.americanyacht.net
Brett Sinica's comment,
April 15, 9:14 PM
First of all, this video was appealing and refreshing from the lighting and time elapsing which really helped capture all the landscapes with their colors and architecture. From the countryside and seashore, to the urban areas of some of Europe’s cities, it shows even centuries-old infrastructure can still pack a punch and heavy influence in other parts of the world. At the last scene in the video which captured Paris with the Eiffel Tower and the streets lit up reminded me of the Central Place Theory and how many of the streets branch off from one designated center, usually a roundabout. Other places that tend to have this are London, England or the Cambridge section of Boston, MA, among other U.S. cities where the cities borders act in a circular manner.
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When I embraced the medium of photography, I felt that taking a picture that represented only what was within the frame of the lens wasn't expressing my personal and inner experience of the world around me.
This whimsical photography creates a fantastic visualization of what a miniaturized planet (such as those portrayed in the classic book The Little Prince) might look like in the mind's eye.
Via planetMitch
Seth Dixon's insight:
This whimsical photography creates a fantastic visualization of what a miniaturized planet (such as those portrayed in the classic book The Little Prince) might look like in the mind's eye.
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"Why would they want to pull down these walls?” asks William Boyd mildly as he offers me a cup of tea in his home at Cluan Place, a predominantly Loyalist area of east Belfast.
These walls, orginally installed in the late 60s to protect Belfast residents during "the Troubles." Today, some argue that these walls are now barriers to the peace process as they continue defacto segregation. Walls, as barriers to diffusion, stifle communication, cooperation and interaction. Still, these walls are symbols of communal identity and icons in the cultural landscape. For more academic work on this, see Peter Shirlow's Belfast: Segregation, Violence and the City.
Questions to Consider: How would a wall through an already culturally and politically divided city impact both sides of the wall? Today, are the walls beneficial to peace in Northern Ireland?
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The death and life of the industrial corridor linking New York and Washington.
This article is a great example of analyzing the landscape to observe changes in any given place. This corridor is home to 8 of the 10 wealthiest counties; at the same time this transportation corridor is also home a half a dozen of the country's most broken cities. Exploring this area is way to analyze the changing economic geographies of the United States. For a visual representation of these same themes, see this 5 minute video that corresponds to this NY Times magazine article.
Tags: industry, economy, unit 6 industy, transportation, neighborhood, landscape.
Don Brown Jr's comment,
November 20, 2012 12:06 PM
I can’t help but think of Rhode Island, specifically communities in Providence and how the decline of the textile industry and rise of the automobile has affected the contrast in standards of living and opportunities between the residents of the East Side and South Providence.
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The U.S. Postal Service celebrates the beauty and diversity of America's landscapes as seen from above with the Earthscapes (Forever®) stamps.Offering an opportunity to see the world in a new way, the 15 stamps are issued in 3 rows of 5, showing 3...
These stamps are the perfect way to decorate your letters while showing your love for the Earth and geography.
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DB: The aesthetics of architecture within a society not only reveal the communities interpretation of what is considered beautiful or pleasing in appearance but also differentiates between what is considered sacred or important. The symbolic significance of aesthetics in colors, designs and a place of residence can be indicative of socioeconomic standing is within society and what the community values. Jodhpur, India is well known for the beautiful wave of blue houses that dominate the landscape of a rather dry region. However, it is believed that these blue houses originally were the result of ancient caste traditions.
Brahmins (who were at the very top of the caste system) housed themselves in these “Brahmin Blue” homes to distinguish themselves from the members of other castes. Now that the Indian government officially prohibits the caste system, the use of the color blue has become more widespread. Yet Jodhpur is one of the only cities in India that stands steadfast to its widespread aesthetics obsession with the color blue which is making it increasingly unique, creating a new sense of communal solidarity among its residence.
Questions to Consider: How has color influenced the cultural geography of this area? How are the aesthetics of this community symbolic of India’s traditional past, present and possible future?
Tags: South Asia, culture, housing, landscape, unit 3 culture.
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Ett kul geografispel. Testa!
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