Geography Reference
In-Depth Information
foundation — a base — upon which you can build and develop deeper understandings. The bottom
line is: There is more to geographic awareness than
whereness
. And the goal of this topic is to uncov-
er how to get beyond whereness when finding out about geography.
In what country is New Mexico?
New Mexico bills itself as “The Land of Enchantment.” That slogan is written on their li-
cense plates. Or rather, it used to be. Now the license plates say, “New Mexico, USA.”
Geographic ignorance is the reason for the change. Sadly, many Americans do not know
that New Mexico is one of the 50 States. They figure the name refers to that country south
of Texas. Think I'm kidding? Some New Mexicans can tell you geographic horror stor-
ies. Take the high school student who applied for admission to a Midwestern university,
only to be told that his application had to be re-routed through the foreign student office
because, well, New Mexico is a foreign country. Naturally, tourism and business develop-
ment can't help but suffer if Americans don't know that New Mexico is part of their coun-
try. So the New Mexicans have seen to it: good-bye “Land of Enchantment” and hello
“New Mexico, USA.”
Taking a Look at the New Geography
Geographers still make maps and study them, and certainly, geography still consists of subject matter
that cries out to be memorized. But the “old geography” of map memorization and descriptive studies
has been complemented by a “new geography” that emphasizes analysis, explanation, and signific-
ance.
What is the capital city of Nigeria?
To highlight the difference between old and new geography, first consider this question: What is the
capital city of Nigeria? Do you know? The question is classic “old geography,” and the answer is
Abuja.
Why is Abuja the capital of Nigeria?
