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How to Become Geographically Literate
From your Geography Guide
In our increasingly global interactions, it's very important to know about places around the world. These simple steps can help make you geographically literate.
Difficulty Level:
Average
Time Required:
10 minutes
Here's How:
- Read newspapers, newsmagazines, or online news sources daily.
- Any time you encounter an unfamiliar place name in the news or in everyday reading, locate the place in a good atlas or geographical dictionary.
- Use flash cards to memorize the names of major cities and capitals.
- Use a globe as a reference tool, as well. A map doesn't nearly show the planet as a globe does.
- A picture is worth a thousand words but a map is worth even more. When encountering maps in books, study them for at least as long as you would have spent reading text that would occupy the space.
- Recognize that the media often makes geographic errors - be sure to verify questionable geographic statements with your trusty atlas.
- Subscribe to the free email Geography Newsletter to stay updated about geographic changes around the world. New countries and capitals pop up, so be sure to know what's going on.
Tips:
- It's important to use an atlas on a regular basis. By looking up places, you'll gain a much better sense of the world - helping you to understand where and why things happen where they do.
- Reading geography textbooks or taking geography courses (especially a 'World Regional Geography' course) at a local college can really help give you an fantastic overview of the world.
Related Information:
More How To's from your Guide to Geography
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