The Trivia Lover's Guide to the World

by Fuller, Gary

• ISBN13: 9781442214033
• ISBN10: 1442214031
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2012-08-16
• Publisher: Natl Book Network

Summary

Gary Fuller's entertaining and engaging guide enhances geographic know-how with good, old-fashioned fun, using trivia to open up new worlds of knowledge for all readers. Often dismissed as unimportant, trivia here highlights issues that are far from trivial, pondering, for example, what peaceful country requires citizens to keep guns in their homes; what continent contains at least 75 percent of the world's fresh water; and why New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, and Philadelphia aren't the capitals of their respective states. An inveterate traveler and geographer extraordinaire, Fuller provides extensive background, clear illustrations, and thorough explanations for each intriguing question, carefully grounding the text in practical geographic concepts. Both enjoyable and enlightening, this book challenges today's global generation to truly get to know their world.

Author Biography

Gary Fuller taught at the University of Hawai'i for thirty-five years before broadening his scope to lecture aboard cruise ships; A former winning contestant on the TV program Jeopardy! and a seasoned world traveler, Fuller is eminently qualified to educate as he entertains. He currently resides in Kailua, Hawai'i.

Table of Contents

List of Maps	p. xi
Acknowledgments	p. xv
Introduction	p. xvii
The Effects of Geographic Ignorance on the Modern World	p. 1
We Think Big, Sometimes Too Big	p. 6
Maps Are Flat, the World Isn't	p. 11
Africa Bashing? What's That?	p. 14
Places Aren't Always Where You Think They Should Be	p. 17
State Capitals and American Politics	p. 22
The Exception to Everything	p. 26
Married to a Stranger	p. 30
Why Old Maps Look Funny	p. 34
Military Uses of Geography	p. 39
Really Big Cities	p. 44
Agriculture and Tourism	p. 48
Geography and Religion	p. 52
Geographic Pockets of Isolation: Preserving Old Ways	p. 56
Geographic Incoherence	p. 60
Countries Breaking Apart	p. 65
Unity in Disunity	p. 69
Maps Fool Us Again!	p. 73
Culture Hearths: Ancient and Modern	p. 76
Population Decline: Change on the Horizon	p. 81
Geographic Differences and Civil War	p. 86
New Agricultural Crops	p. 90
Domestications	p. 93
Continental Tidbits	p. 101
Islands Divided	p. 114
Oceans and Seas	p. 124
Bridges	p. 130
Rivers	p. 134
Medical Geography	p. 142
Border Issues	p. 149
Geography of Sports	p. 157
Geography and Religion Revisited	p. 162
The North	p. 167
Prison Islands	p. 173
Canals	p. 184
Land and Sea Battles	p. 193
Buildings	p. 204
Mountain Peaks	p. 210
Lakes	p. 217
Outliers	p. 224
Cities: Planned and Fiat	p. 231
Whatever Happened to …?	p. 236
The Wild West	p. 241
Spatial Diffusion	p. 246
Parks	p. 252
Climate and Weather	p. 258
Index	p. 264
About the Author	p. 270
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