AP Human Geography

Geography Soup is a Vimeo channel designed to include interesting videos that are laden with geographic content in them.  This powerpoint slideshow has resources designed to help you get the most flavor and substance out of these (and any other) video resources.  This is especially great for K-12 students, physical and regional geography.

Tags: K12, video.

Course resource

helps show the different perspectives of our world and how it has changed. also shows many different forms of mapping our world throughout time.

UNIT 1 

This article discusses map projections and how they shape our perception of the world. Maps influence how we see the world, and could change the way we see it as well. These projections show us many different views of the Earth, which is very influential to our perspectives. This applies to unit 1 and its major concepts and underlying geographical perspective such as analyzing maps. 

1G Theme 2: 6 Billion people and me

Useful for explaining population pyramids.

Unit 2

Maps are always changing as a new nation gets added and old lines cease to make sense. Territory is claimed and reclaimed.  This series of seven articles in the New York Times explores regional examples of how borders impacts places from a variety of scholarly perspectives.  Together, these article challenge student to reconsider the world map and to conceptualize conflicts within a spatial context.

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

WOW, some really interesting thoughtdebate points here! very very unit 4

APHG-U4

This article helps give an early start to map skill implementation - even at the earliest levels.

Love this website. Not just this article, but the whole idea. Have a little browse around...

De taal van de kaart: welke  woordenschat hebben kinderen nodig om de kaart te kunnen lezen?

A good teaching tool for explaining the diversity of languages.

Geografia Cultural

Summary- This video explains how so many languages came to be and why. By the early existence of human there was a such smaller variety of languages. Tribes that spoke one language would often split in search of new recourses. Searching tribe would develop in many new different ways than the original tribe. new foods, land, and other elements created a radically different language than the original. 

Insight- In unit 3 we study language as a big element of out chapter. One key question in chapter 6 was why are languages distributed the way they are. It is obvious from the video that languages are distributed they way they are is because of the breaking up from people which forced people to develop differently thus creating a different language. As this process continues, there become more and more branches of a language family.  

When I think of states that constitute as being a part of southern United States, I think of VA, NC, SC, GA, MS, AL, LA, TX, and FL. I never thought of KY as being a state a part of the south. Although its geographical location demonstrate it being relatively close to being in the south, I always thought of KY being a Midwest because of the weather similarities with states that are located in the Midwest.

Unit 1 nature and perspective of geography 

This map is a map of the p.o.v. of a surveyed group stating what they think the south is. They answered with suprising accuracy overall with some outliers. This map shows the stereotypes of the area that people deem it.

This relates to unit 1 because it shows a perceptual map of an area that isn't truly defined. This is a perceptual map because of its undefined borders and a level of accuracy at the personal level.

None of these countries are surprising. However, many of them have to deal with neighbors and regional issues. New Zealand, on the other hand, does not really have to deal with much. Essentially being isolated except for a large(not differentiating between usable and non usable land), and some small islands to the north - New Zealander's just do their thing and govern their sheep. It goes to show that while they are connected to the global marketplace, by maintaining a small profile and keeping to themselves, they can still enjoy standards of living comparable to the richest and largest nations on the planet. It also helps to have a small population.

L'indice de paix global agrège des facteurs comme le taux d'homicide, celui de crimes violents et autres. On a un bon modèle pas lui, tout près: la Belgique, n°10 de ce classement. En règle générale, à l'exception notable de la Nouvelle-Zélande, il vaut vivre au nord de l'hémisphère nord...

For looking at crime

I think I might as well buy some land and plant my own huge garden for this crap coming up and have a fence around my yard too

Unit 2-Population

This video was about the growing population in the world and as a result the growing food demand. This video points out that even though more food production seems like the solution, instead other solutions are more logical. Solutions include reducing wastes, preserving forests, being more productive on current farms and more. It states that farming is a huge business but it goes towards more than growing food for people to eat but also for other things like animals and materials. The worlds population is growing and there needs to be a change in food industries to keep thriving. 

This relates to unit 2 about population since it is thinking of ways to adapt to the worlds growing population. By 2050 it is predicted that population will increase by 33% and something has to change about food in order for people to stay fed. There is too much food being wasted that if that could be decreased it could make a huge difference. The video made a good point that it's not that we need more food it's that we need to manage and prioritize production.  

The article/video relates to AP Human Geography because it involves Thomas Malthus's theory that population is going to surpass food production if we don't fix our priorities. In my opinion this article makes a very valid point that could be true. We don't exactly need to start more farms and spread agriculture, instead, we should pay attention to our priorities and make the right decisions with the food we harvest from agriculture.

This articles discusses which countries use the most electricity and believe it or not, the Nordic countries are at the top of the list. It shows two satellite images in the nighttime for you to get a better visual as to which areas of these countries use the most electricity. There are multiple factors that go into these countries consuming this much energy. One factor that is interesting is the high demand for electricity because of the long winters in these countries. 

These images are really interesting and expose just how much electricity the Scandinavian countries actually use. It is surprising to think of these nations as large energy consumers because of their general reputation as progressive, clean, and liberal places. This brief article is an excellent example of how maps and satellite images can be misleading, though. As opposed to places like the U.S. or China, energy consumption in the Scandinavian countries actually produces only small amounts of greenhouse gases and is based on renewable energy sources. 

This shows an interesting and not immediately apparent geographic distinction between the Scandinavian countries and places such as China and the U.S. Chinese and United States energy consumption is enormous because of those countries' ability and desire to produce large amounts of goods quickly. Household energy use is also high because of the widespread use of electronics such as televisions, computers, and appliances. The Scandinavian countries, on the other hand, have a need for increased energy use because of their geographic location: long, dark winters mean an increased need for electricity and for longer periods. Also, Scandinavia is able to produce energy at lower costs due to its use of renewable energy sources. So though those countries may consume much more energy than their non-Scandinavian counterparts, they are doing so responsibly and for a reason. 

There are so many reasons our immigrant students come to the United States.  Some stories are so complex and painful it can be extremely difficult for Americans to understand.

Interesting!

The Most Complex International Borders in the World

THIS is why we take map tests.

Yet another resource to add to my "this is why we take map quizzes" lecture at the beginning of the semester!!

I like the 'not that hard, though' tag.

Geography explores more than just what countries control a certain territory and what landforms are there.  Geography explores the spatial manifestations of power and how place is crafted to fit a particular vision.  Homeless people are essentially always 'out of place.'  This article from the Atlantic and this one from the Guardian share similar things: that urban planners actively design places that will discourage loitering which is undesirable to local businesses.  This gallery shows various defensive architectural tactics to make certain people feel 'out of place.'  Just to show that not all urban designs are anti-homeless, this bench is one that is designed to help the homeless.     

Tags: urban, planning, architecture, landscape, place.

I'd never really taken notice, or heard of some,  of the architectural deterrents mentioned here. I can't believe that we, as a society, go to such lengths to make life even more difficult for those already struggling. 

APHG-U7

Mega cities and the challenges they face for the future is focus in this article. Great statistics on populations and urban densities are also included.

APHG-U6

Amazing stories on the World's changing Geopolitical status. Current stories about disputed borders, unrecognised territories and  newly declared nations.

Nunca é "Toda a Verdade" ... 

APHG-U1

A showing of the gerrymandering districts of the most absurd kind.

Gerrymandering bases itself off the place of the districts in an attempt to sway voting in favor of one party or another or even for the most equal by dealing with similar human characteristics.

unit 4

Borders can tell us a great feel about the relationship beween the two  nations.

The concept of a political boundary has been developed over many many years into an unbreakable line between two different sets of people with different ideologies, religions, and government styles. The boundary extends into the ground, into the air, and includes any resources within the boundary. These pictures show the different shapes and various lines between countries, and displays the intricacies of boundaries in the world.  

Photographs show how different countries can be even by just the border. Number 3 really stuck out to me that Haiti doesnt have as many regulation reguarding deforestation as the Dominican Republic and its very noticable.

GIS is a key tool in spatial analysis, but it can also be a driving force in using math, science, technology and (yes) geography as interdisciplinary ways of teaching the curriculum.  StoryMaps can be rich with images and videos, but also filled with data at a variety of scales.  ESRI has share a "Maps we love" page with excellent examples of Story Maps and carefully explains WHY these maps work and HOW they were made.  Are you new to using the Analysis tool in ArcGIS Online?  Try this exercise on analyzing flood risk to guide you through some of the steps to learn what is possible for a project of your own.  What stories can you tell in this rich, visual format?  What visual template shown might lend itself best for that sort of project? 

Tags: mapping, GIS, ESRI, geography education, geospatial, edtech.

 Not only Spatial, even plain geography is very interesting and important,  but.....not everybody understands, and want to...

Before I even read the article, my first thought went to the Linneaus classification.  That really damaged history with this one chart.  I think people still think of Africans and blacks(very dark blacks) as dirty or unintelligent.  Which is horrible and couldn't be further from the truth.  Misinforming the public is criminal.  News media and social media need to be careful and educate properly.  I've been asked from a customs offical, "Have you been to Africa in the past 6 months?"  Which is a very blanket question because Africa is a continent.  There were areas that were not hit with Ebola.  

Those who deny the continued influence of racism in our society are blinding themselves to the truth. Contemporary influences of the racism that plagued the preceding centuries are still found in most major media depictions of Africa. The Ebola epidemic has served to highlight the bigotry that plagues Western media, as the assumption that all of Africa is diseased and dirty is continuously perpetuated (when, in reality, Ebola only affected a very small part of the continent). Africa is presented as "other," a backwards continent that is in desperate need of Western help and guidance- in what was is that different from the European colonizers who also viewed their actions as benevolent attempts to "civilize" the uncivilized? That mindset has not left Western circles, and yet we continue to pat ourselves on the back and congratulate ourselves for suddenly being so tolerant. The insensitivity of Western audiences to the concerns of black individuals both at home and in Africa related to the prevalence of racism highlights how determined mainstream media is to deny the existence of a problem. Until we recognize the Eurocentrism that continues to plague our media and make the necessary moves to correct the practice, harmful depictions of Africa will continue to loom large in Western media and in the opinions of many Europeans and Americans alike.

Africa has long been treated by the western media as a dark , brutish, uncivilized place. Africa is a place were people starve and murder each other in large numbers. There is so much more to Africa than the picture I just described. The problem is, many people just do not accept the existence of a culturally complex Africa. That narrative would destroy the traditional  darker narrative of the past 500 years. A narrative grounded in the beliefs that blacks are inherently inferior beings. During the Ebola crises, the calls to cut off travel to Africa were quick and demanding. Had the crises been in England, would those same calls have been so loud? I think we all can guess the answer  to that question. Much progress has been made, but we still need to change our cultural depiction of Africa.

"Approximately 70,000 people have now crossed the South Sudanese border with Uganda since fighting erupted in the capital, Juba, between forces loyal to South Sudan’s President Salva Kiir and his former Vice President Riek Machar in early July"

"The revocation of the sanctions, however, will not take effect for another 180 days, and will occur only if Sudan sustains “these positive actions” over the next six months, Obama said in a letter to the Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives and the President of the Senate."