At first glance, people think geography has little to do with your day-to-day life and even less to do with a career. You might think that studying geography is nothing more than memorizing state capitals or learning to plot points on a map. But geography is much more than that. While historians study events through time, geographers study where and why. The keys are location and interaction across horizontal space. Maps are crucial for showing geographic information. Another focus of geography is the relationship between human beings and their environment. The world is changing rapidly. Where people once focused on their neighborhood, their town, their country, they are now adopting a more global perspective. They are learning that the earth’s resources are not limitless and that the impact of human beings on the environment is far greater than had been anticipated as little as a decade ago.
Geography is for life and not simply an exercise for its own sake. As the world becomes both more complex and more interconnected—as a result of economic development, population growth, technological advancement, and increased cooperation (and, to some extent, conflict)—the need for geographic knowledge, skills, and perspectives increases among the world’s peoples. Geography is the key to nations, peoples, and individuals being able to develop a coherent understanding of the causes, meanings, and effects of the physical and human events that occur—and are likely to occur—on Earth’s surface.
Consequently, the practical applications of geography (along with other aspects of geographic literacy) need to be fostered in all students in preparation for life as the responsible citizens and leaders of tomorrow.
Successful students develop lifelong skills, including:
• An understanding of the impacts which both physical and human geography can have
and the processes which affect their development;
• A sense of place and an understanding of relative location on a local, regional and
global scale;
• The ability to use and understand geographical data and information;
• An understanding of how communities and cultures around the world and how they are
impacted and constrained by different environments
Geography is for life and not simply an exercise for its own sake. As the world becomes both more complex and more interconnected—as a result of economic development, population growth, technological advancement, and increased cooperation (and, to some extent, conflict)—the need for geographic knowledge, skills, and perspectives increases among the world’s peoples. Geography is the key to nations, peoples, and individuals being able to develop a coherent understanding of the causes, meanings, and effects of the physical and human events that occur—and are likely to occur—on Earth’s surface.
Consequently, the practical applications of geography (along with other aspects of geographic literacy) need to be fostered in all students in preparation for life as the responsible citizens and leaders of tomorrow.
Successful students develop lifelong skills, including:
• An understanding of the impacts which both physical and human geography can have
and the processes which affect their development;
• A sense of place and an understanding of relative location on a local, regional and
global scale;
• The ability to use and understand geographical data and information;
• An understanding of how communities and cultures around the world and how they are
impacted and constrained by different environments