Geography Reference
In-Depth Information
ted those of Eratosthenes. And that leads to an interesting bit of speculation. Columbus
was familiar with
Geography
, so he was aware of the official calculation of Earth's cir-
cumference — 18,000 miles. Had he known the true circumference was 25,000 miles,
like Eratosthenes said, Columbus would have known that China was thousands of miles
farther to the west than Strabo suggested. And if he had known the true distance to Ch-
ina, would Columbus ever have set sail?
. . . To modern discipline
During the past century, and especially during the past several decades, geography has blossomed
and diversified. Old approaches that focused on location and description have been complemented
by new approaches that emphasize analysis, explanation, and significance. On top of that, satellites,
computers, and other technologies now allow geographers to record and analyze information about
the Earth to an extent and degree of sophistication that were unimaginable just a few years ago.
As a result, modern geographers are into all kinds of stuff. Some specialize in patterns of climate and
climate change. Others investigate the distribution of diseases, or the location of health care facilities.
Still others specialize in urban and regional planning, or resource conservation, or issues of social
justice, or patterns of crime, or optimal locations for businesses. . . . — the list goes on and on. Cer-
tainly, the ancient
ge
and
graphe
still apply, but geography is much more than it used to be.
Exposing Misconceptions: More Than Maps and
Trivia
Geography is a widely misunderstood subject. Many people believe it's only about making maps,
studying maps, and memorizing locations. One reason is that polls and pundits occasionally decry the
“geographic ignorance” of Americans, which usually means the average person doesn't know where
important things are located. Presumably, therefore, if you memorize the world map, then you “know
geography.” Another reason is that on many TV quiz shows, contestants are occasionally asked “geo-
graphy questions.” Almost always, the answer is a fact that can be understood by studying a map and/
or memorizing the locations of things or events.
Knowledge of the location of things is important and useful. Everything happens somewhere; and if
you know the where, then the event has meaning that it otherwise would not. So map memorization
is cool, but you need to keep it in perspective. Memorizing locations is to geography what memoriz-
ing dates is to history, or what memorizing the multiplication table is to mathematics. Namely, it's a
