The American Society of Civil Engineers selected Seven Wonders of the Modern World, engineering marvels that exemplified the abilities of humans to construct amazing features on Earth. This seven-page document will guide you through these Seven Wonders of the Modern World and will describe each "wonder" and its positive impact.
I post a lot of geographic information and news on my feeds on Facebook and on Twitter which I cannot possibly post here. Here is a roundup of a few of my favorite geographic stories over the past few weeks that I previously posted on social media. Enjoy!
There are numerous examples around the world of cities divided by international borders. These cities can be divided naturally through settlement on either side of a river or by human-caused means, such as the construction of something like the Berlin Wall. Geographer Dimitar Zhelev writes about cities divided around the world, from major capitals to small towns caught by border disputes.
The National Geographic Society has re-branded the fight against geographic illiteracy as "geo-literacy." For decades, the society has been the major voice in the fight for U.S. federal government funding of geographic education in schools. In an editorial Daniel C. Edelson (@NatGeoEdelson on Twitter) writes, "The National Geographic Society's concern for geo-literacy comes from our mission. We see geo-literacy as providing the tools that will enable communities to protect natural and cultural resources, reduce violent conflict, and improve the quality of life worldwide. However, having a geo-literate populace is also critical for maintaining economic competitiveness, quality of life, and national security in our modern, interconnected world." As part of this re-branding, the society has just launched two great videos that I highly recommend watching, What is Geo-Literacy? and Why is Geo-Literacy Important?. Here on my site I have an article about the efforts of the National Geographic Society and others to improve geographic education.