Sep 23rd, 2011 at 5:00PM: "Where's South Sudan?" my five-year-old asked me.
Being my kid, he's big into maps. He has a map of Africa with all the flags on it hanging above his bed. Using it, he's been able to trace dad's adventures in Ethiopia and Somaliland. It's been marked up a bit since I got it for him more than a year ago. I had to draw the boundary of the unrecognized state of Somaliland on it, and we had to add ...Click on a label to read posts from that part of the world.
geography posts
My kid is more up-to-date on geography than Google Maps
Sep 23rd, 2011 at 5:00PM: "Where's South Sudan?" my five-year-old asked me.
Being my kid, he's big into maps. He has a map of Africa with all the flags on it hanging above his bed. Using it, he's been able to trace dad's adventures in Ethiopia and Somaliland. It's been marked up a bit since I got it for him more than a year ago. I had to draw the boundary of the unrecognized state of Somaliland on it, and we had to add ...657 new islands discovered across the globe
Apr 21st, 2011 at 8:00AM: A new geographic survey, conducted by researchers from Duke University and Meredith College, located in Raleigh, N.C., has discovered more than 650 new barrier islands, spread out across the globe. The team used a collection of satellite images, navigational charts, and topographical maps, all of which are available to the general public, as part of their research. They counted 2149 barrier ...BBC mapping tool Dimensions creates unique mashups
Oct 30th, 2010 at 3:30PM: Ever wondered about the size of Saint Peter's Basilica in Rome? Or the how long the infamous Running of the Bulls route is in Spain? The BBC has a great new mapping tool, called Dimensions, to help give visitors and interesting perspective on these unique sights, historical marvels and famous events. Dimensions drops the outline of famous cities, tourist hot-spots and historical points of interest ...National Geographic awards prestigious medal for first time in 30 years
Jul 14th, 2010 at 8:00AM: Earlier this week the National Geographic Society honored Dr. Roger Tomlinson and Jack Dangermond with the Alexander Graham Bell Medal, an award that hasn't been given to anyone in 30 years. The two men are visionary pioneers in the area of geographic information systems (GIS) who have had a massive influence on the way we think about geography and the use of geographical data to analyze problems. ...Grab a book of matches before leaving the room - Hotel tip
Feb 13th, 2010 at 12:52PM: When visiting a foreign country, especially one with an unfamiliar language, grab a book of matches from the hotel where you're staying as soon as you arrive.
If you get lost in town during your stay, and you know just a little of the language, the book of matches will be a great way to show locals where you need to go, and have them direct you to the right place. ...Geography lessons: Can you draw a map of the U.S. as well as Al Franken?
Sep 18th, 2009 at 11:00AM: Watching Minnesota senator Al Franken draw a map of the United States reminded me of 7th grade. Back then at Olympia Jr. High in Columbia, South Carolina, I had one of those social studies teachers who handed out blank pieces of paper and had us draw a map with every new unit. Perhaps you, Gadling reader, learned geography in a similar fashion.
For example, if we were going to study Europe, we ...The most accurate world map available as a free download
Jul 17th, 2009 at 11:30AM: Finally, our tax dollars going to something cool.
The folks at Caltech's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, along with NASA and the Japanese government, have come together to make the world's most accurate topo map. And it's available for free!
The ASTER project, which stands for Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (say that ten times fast) is a minutely detailed look at the ...Africa: How big is huge ?
Jun 2nd, 2008 at 1:30PM: A few years ago, I was asked to be a guest speaker at a conference geared towards teachers. Each session had to do with either Japan, Germany and Africa. So, there you have it. A vast, diverse, complicated continent with the same billing as two countries. I narrowed my topic down to comparing Nigeria and The Gambia.
To really see Africa's impact all one needs to do is see which of the world's ...The best place for Santa to live is Kyrgyzstan
Dec 22nd, 2007 at 9:00AM: Last night was Tuttle Park's annual holiday party. Every year this small recreation center of Columbus Parks and Recreation treats kids from surrounding neighborhoods to craft projects, food treats, games and Santa. Our Bolivian friends and Japanese friends were there, as were assorted other folks who I recognized from other years.
When Santa arrived about an hour into the party with not the ...Beauty queen in Belgium gets a royal booing by the audience for not knowing Dutch
Dec 20th, 2007 at 1:30PM: Neil wrote a post about Miss South Carolina who hopelessly and sadly botched a geography related question in a beauty contest. Just imagine what this would have been like if she would have had to say her answer in another language spoken in the U.S.--say Spanish. That's what happened in a beauty contest in Belgium. It wasn't geography that created a problem, it was not knowing how to speak Dutch. ...Kellie Pickler and some insight into America's geographic ignorance
Dec 2nd, 2007 at 3:00PM: I had a good laugh this morning when I saw that World Hum had created a category on their weblog entitled "Hot Americans on Television Botching Geography Questions", thanks to Miss South Carolina and more recently American Idol Kellie Pickler. She appeared on US television game show "Are You Smarter Than A 5th Grader" and was asked what country Budapest was the capital of. She had never even heard ...Geography Awareness Week Begins Today
Nov 11th, 2007 at 5:01PM: Out friends at Intelligent Travel remind us that National Geography Awareness Week kicks off today, and they've got a link to an awesome video of a young explorer who really knows her map! The week-long event is a joint effort among various organizations seeking to promote and foster geographic learning. This year there is a special focus on Asia. Geography events and programing focusing on this ...Tim Cahill goes down Death Valley
Oct 23rd, 2007 at 3:30PM: If, in Tim Cahill's words: "the sight of Death Valley National Park is something akin to scientific pornography for hard-rock geologists," the piece he wrote on his travel there is soft-porn for the solitary adventure travel-writer. Metamorphosis used to vaguely tickle my curiosity in geography class at school, but other than that, I have absolutely no interest in geology. I still managed to read ...The reason why Americans are so bad at geography as explained by a 19-year old beauty queen
Aug 29th, 2007 at 7:25AM: So, why can't 20% of Americans find the United States on a world map? I've been asked this question a number of times while traveling, usually by Aussies or Kiwis who normally quote a much higher percentage when subtly mocking my fellow countrymen. Frankly, I don't know the reason why some Americans can't find their own country on a map. It's embarrassing. Miss South Carolina has no idea ...
Extreme Geography in the United States
Aug 20th, 2007 at 12:30PM: Catherine's post on the not-so-well-known geographical center of the United States got me thinking: there's something fun and intriguing about visiting, say, the northernmost point in a country, or perhaps driving eastward until you can drive no further -- if only so that you can say, "There's no one further east than me," unless there's someone else standing next to you. If so you'll have to say, ...Test Your African Geography Knowledge with Statetris: Africa
Aug 14th, 2007 at 3:00PM:
Okay, we've got the original Testris-Geography mashup game called Statetris for the U.S., and then things got a bit tougher (for me) with the follow-up, Statetris: Europe. Now we've got new one: Statetris Africa. This one's a doozy. Africa is tough! I'm struggling to put countries like Liberia and Côte d'Ivoire in their correct places -- and I was a Geography major in school! Problem is, ...Test Your US Geography Knowledge with Statetris
Jul 24th, 2007 at 4:00PM:
I ran across this game over at our sister blog Download Squad -- it's called Statetris (States + Tetris = Statetris). It's just like Tetris, only the colorful blocks that fall from the sky have been replaced with states. This is actually a bit harder than it looks, especially when the East Coast states like New Hampshire and Vermont and Rhode Island start to fall. Plus, the states don't always ...Nina Katchadourian: Geographic Art
Jun 25th, 2007 at 9:08AM:
Nina Katchadourian is a multimedia artist who works with video, sound, photography, paper and sculpture forms. One of the subjects that she explores often in her artwork is geography and maps. Take a look at some of the cool stuff she has done: shredded paper maps of actual roadway networks or subway systems; geographic pathologies and moss maps, discovered from actual lichen growing on granite ...National Geographic Society: Museum at Explorers Hall
May 27th, 2007 at 8:30PM:
Another cool thing to do at the headquarters of National Geographic is to visit the Museum at Explorers Hall, which offers free admission to a variety of rotating exhibits throughout the year. Currently showing is Maps: Tools for Adventure, produced by the Children's Museum of Indianapolis in collaboration with National Geographic. It's a super cool interactive exhibit for explorers of all ...National Geographic Society: Library Resources
May 27th, 2007 at 2:08PM:
On the first floor of one of the main buildings that make up National Geographic's Headquarters is an impressive library whose primary purpose is to provide National Geographic staff with the resources and information they need to do their jobs. For example, the team that creates the annual Geography Bee questions uses this library frequently. What many folks may not know, however, is that ...
