Summary Of Harm De Blij's Why Geography Matters

After seven weeks of studying the history of Ohio I have gained extensive knowledge of the state. Not only has my understanding of the state’s history broadened, but my view of Ohio in general has been elevated. I’ve learned about how geography has affected Ohio’s growth and development, and also how Ohio has influenced the growth and development of the nation. Ohio has played a major role in our country socially, economically, and politically.

Strange New Land The time period and events of when slavery took place is a topic that is frequently and heavily covered in United States history. Peter Wood’s book, A Strange New Land gives an intrinsic synopsis of slavery from the very beginning of slavery in the Americas dating 1492 all the way through the start of the American Revolution in 1775. Wood reveals insight into the excruciating lives and the daily challenges slaves in the Americas endured.

REFLECTION ESSAY 2 Introduction In the following essay I intend to elaborate on the five main themes of geography as they relate to Weeki Wachee, Fl. “The geology of Florida makes Weeki Wachee a unique playground. The state is a patchwork of springs that discharge fresh water from underground aquifers” (Ayers & Matson, 2010). Ultimately, I plan to describe not only the changes the area has gone through, but the impact these changes has had on the community.

The book, “Where Am I Wearing?”, by Kelsey Timmerman tells the journey that Timmerman embarked on to discover where his clothes were made and who made them. He traveled to rare places like Honduras, Bangladesh, Cambodia, and China to talk to the people behind his clothing in an attempt to better understand globalization and to minimize the difference between small-scale and large-scale stories and processes. “Where Am I Wearing?”, connects themes from Geography 2750 such as population dynamics, urbanization, and economics through small-scale stories and puts emphasis on how they affect large-scale processes. In the book, Timmerman helps explain the themes of population dynamics on page 172 of his book.

Growing up, I have always had an interest in geography and thinking about different countries and what makes them the way that they are. I have not been in a geography class since middle school and Human Geography was a class that made me think about things I have never thought of before. The readings of both Kropotkin and Mackinder brought up very interesting points, some that conflict and others that agree. Each author writes in a way that stimulates and makes you think about geography and certain topics in different ways which I find to be very rare in writings from this time period. Discussing Kropotkin’s and Mackinder’s general ideas, points they disagree or agree on, and my own views on the topic will all be discussed in this final paper.

In David S. Landes book, The Wealth and Poverty of Nations, he decides to take a historical approach on the reasons behind why some people remain poor and how others are so rich by trying to comprehend the reasons that lead to advances in economies and modernization in certain regions around the world over the past few decades. In other words by asking how we have come to where we are today in the sense of making, getting and spending. Throughout the book, Landes talks about how we live in a world filled with inequality and diversity therefore leading to classifying those who are poor and unable to afford medical health care living in the North and the wealthy in the South. David S. Landes aim was to basically make people aware of how it is actually geography that is responsible for this division between countries that have caused a lot of hardship for the unprivileged people by making it impossible for them to improve economically as a result of their geographical location on the map.

Geography affected World War 2 a lot. They had to deal with things like miles and miles of sand, desert and no water in extreme heat even on islands had lack of live plants and water to drink. Geography also effected The Vietnam war , like in the cold areas like Alaska temperatures were below zero and it was a lot of snow. Also in other areas there was mountains rocks, trees and very little flat land that actually slowed them down. Another thing that were important to talk about that were one of the main things of the war is what tactics and weapons and things of that natural were used.

The Middle region would have been the best area to reside in during colonial times. In my opinion, the Middle region would have been the great place to live in because it had great soil to farm. Middle region soil gave the opportunity for farming, thus no matter what one 's economic status was they could grow their own food. In addition, the middle region had religious tolerance, thus, one could practice their own religion without fearing for one 's life. Southern Colonies would be my least preferred region to live because of slavery.

Iraq and the World The Middle Eastern country of Iraq is very interesting and widely talked about today in our news and schooling. Not only is Iraq’s history and overall geography fascinating, but events occuring right now are intriguing to explore and learn. The “five themes of geography” are five aspects of a country’s geography such as its location and region.

In James W. Loewen’s “The Land of Opportunity,” he states that social class affects the way children are raised. He discusses the inequality in today’s society and how the textbooks in high school do not give any social class information. The students in today’s time are not taught everything they should be taught. He states that your family’s wealth is what makes up your future. Loewen discusses that people with more money can study for the SATs more productively and get a better score than someone who has less money.

Geography and Its Vital Effects during the American Revolution What is the most important factor to winning a war? Is it the army, the country, or the leader? No, it’s actually none of those. It’s geography that is the most important! The side with the better geographical features usually ends up winning.

McNeill claims that Diamond’s argument is misguided, in that he has overemphasized the role of physical geography in the growth of societies and lacks discussion of the role of culture and economics in this historical divergence. McNeill criticizes Diamond for dismissing cultural idiosyncrasies, the role of human psychology, and the conscious mind, in his explanation of the varying development in different parts of the world. In his review, McNeill expands on his initial thoughts by stating that he believes, “the propagation of an idea or cluster of ideas can provoke a group of human beings to alter their concepts of reality, and then by acting accordingly make all sorts of changes in their social and physical environments” (McNeill

In the chapter “Geography Matters”, Thomas C. Foster explains the effect of geography on a story. Geography contributes greatly to themes, symbols, and plot, and most authors prefer to use setting as a general area with a detailed landscape rather than a specific city or landmark. In Cormac McCarthy’s The Road, he does not reveal the actual region of America that the man and boy are traveling in, but describes the mountains and eventual beaches of their path. McCarthy might not have revealed their location because it might ruin the reader’s interpretation of the setting. For example, the pair come across a generic “gap” between mountains and this is a turning point because it confirms the man’s planned path to the south.

Physical geographers apply the positivist approach in trying to understand the physical world. Bennett defines positivism as “a philosophy of meaning, of what you say that something is true, when you offer it as something which others must also accept because it is, according to some allegedly neutral standard true” (2009, 310). In this paper the way in which geographers use the positivist theory to understand the physical world will be discussed along with the advantages and limitations of using this method. There are a host of factors involved in the positivistic approach to physical geography. Physical geography is viewed by many as being hands on work with less theory.

INTRODUCTION Geo Politics is defined as the impact created by a country on other neighbouring countries due to its Geopolitical position. This impact also affects the politics of the region as a whole. Pakistan is at a location which is of great importance in political ,strategic and economic sectors. It has been centre of activities of great powers since the start and has witnessed intervention of three great powers i.e Britain, USSR, and USA. Pakistan is located in Southern Asia and shares border with four countries which include India, Afghanistan, China and Iran all of which are of great importance in the international politics and play a major role in it.