Geography

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.

The question, "What is geography?" is a great one. Fortunately, I have a plethora of resources to help you find the answer. First, take a look at this collection of definitions of geography and this overview of geography. From there, you might want to learn about physical geography and cultural geography. Once you're on your way, don't miss the four traditions of geography, five themes of geography, and eighteen national geography standards. If you still have questions, browse the categories at the very bottom of every page of my site or just contact me!

In 2011, more than 62 million people visited the United States from a foreign country. A majority of those visitors come from Canada (21 million) and Mexico (13.4 million). However, millions of tourists visited the U.S. from other countries. According to the U.S. Department of Commerce's Office of Travel & Tourism Industries (OTTI), these are the top fifteen countries for visitors to the U.S. in 2011:

1. Canada - 21 million
2. Mexico - 13.4 million
3. United Kingdom - 3.8 million
4. Japan - 3.25 million
5. Germany - 1.8 million
6. Brazil - 1.508 million
7. France - 1.504 million
8. South Korea - 1.145 million
9. China - 1.09 million
10. Australia - 1.038 million
11. Italy - 892,000
12. Spain - 700,000
13. India - 663,000
14. Netherlands - 601,000
15. Venezuela - 561,000

The OTTI also provides forecasts for the origin countries of tourists over the next few years and the total number of tourists from China and Brazil are expected to rapidly increase through 2016. In 2016, China is expected to be the fifth top source for tourists to the U.S. with 3.2 million tourists (a near doubling). Brazil will be the sixth top source with 2.5 million tourists (an increase of 70% in five years). With this increased demand in tourist visas, the U.S. Department of State has announced plans to increase their ability to process visas from citizens of Brazil and China. In addition to adding staff and increasing hours, in Brazil the State Department will be opening new consulates in Belo Horizonte and Porto Alegre.

Numerous place names have entered the English language as household words, such as meander, archipelago, marathon, and spa. Additionally, place names have yielded the names of several elements on the periodic table. Learn about these toponyms that became regular words from this latest article from geographer Dimitar Zhelev.

Earth Day 2012 is Sunday, April 22! This forty-second celebration of Earth Day is, as always, designed to raise awareness of environmental problems and foster an appreciation for the Earth and the natural environment. First started in San Francisco, Earth Day has become a global event, with millions of people participating in Earth Day-related activities. Learn more about the history and activities of Earth Day from this article by Amanda Briney.

Take a look at this brand-new geographic overview of Croatia from Contributing Writer Amanda Briney. Croatia is one of the world's newest countries (it's just over 20 years old), having been established after the fall of Yugoslavia. Learn about Croatia's history, climate, economy, geography, and more in this new article.

A recent meeting in New Delhi between Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa heralded the expansion of BRIC to BRICS. Apparently, while there has been occasional reference to BRIMC (including Mexico) and BRICK (including South Korea), they were not included in the meeting to discuss creating a development bank among the five countries.

Learn all about trees and their value to the community in this brand-new article, Trees: New Ways to Look at an Old Resource from Contributing Writer Terry Hain. Terry gives 21 benefits of trees and explains how clear cutting has been a major problem for centuries.

The New York Times reports that on Friday rebels in northern Mali declared an independent state of Azawad. While the National Movement for the Liberation of Azawad maintains an English version of their website, it is not up-to-date. However, the group posted their declaration of independence on the French version of the site, declaring "irrevocably the independent state of Azawad, starting from this day, Friday April 6, 2012." Of course, there is a Wikipedia page devoted to Azawad which includes a flag and map of the fledgling state. As of this writing, no other independent country has yet recognized the independence of Azawad.

Take a look at this new overview of the geography of the state of Idaho, one of the United States' fastest growing states. This article from Amanda Briney includes ten unique geographic facts about the state of Idaho.