Why Geography Matters More Than Ever

by de Blij, Harm

• ISBN13: 9780199913749
• ISBN10: 0199913749
• Edition: 2nd
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2012-08-17
• Publisher: Oxford University Press

Summary

In recent years our world has seen transformations of all kinds: intense climate change accompanied by significant weather extremes; deadly tsunamis caused by submarine earthquakes; unprecedented terrorist attacks; costly wars in Iraq and Afghanistan; a terrible and overlooked conflict in Equatorial Africa costing millions of lives; an economic crisis threatening the stability of the international system. Is there some way we can get our minds around these disparate global upheavals, to grasp these events and their interconnections, and place our turbulent world in a more understandable light? Acclaimed author Harm de Blij answers this question with one word: geography. In this revised edition of the immensely popular and influentialWhy Geography Matters, de Blij tackles topics from the burgeoning presence of China to the troubling disarray of the European Union, from the dangerous nuclear ambitions of North Korea to the revolutionary Arab Spring. By improving our understanding of the world's geography, de Blij shows, we can better respond to the events around us, and better prepare ourselves to face the global challenges ahead. Peppering his writing with anecdotes from his own professional travels, de Blij expands upon his original argument, offering an updated work that is as engaging as it is eye-opening. Casual students of geography and professional policy-makers alike will benefit from this stimulating and crucial perspective on geography and the way it shapes our world's events. America, de Blij warns, has become the world's most geographically illiterate society of consequence. Indeed, despite increasing global interconnectivity and rapid change, Americans seem to be less informed and less knowledgeable about the rest of the world than ever. In this compelling volume, de Blij shows why this dispiriting picture must change, and change now.

Author Biography

Harm de Blij is John A. Hannah Professor of Geography at Michigan State University. He was the popular Geography Editor on ABC's "Good Morning America" for seven years, was Geography Analyst for NBCN News, and was the writer of and commentator for the original PBS Series "The Power of Place." The author of over 30 books, he is an honorary life member of the National Geographic Society.

Table of Contents

Dedication	p. v
Preface	p. vii
Why Geography Matters ... More Than Ever	p. 3
Reading Maps and Facing Threats	p. 33
Geography and Demography	p. 71
Geography and Climate Change	p. 96
Climate, Place and Fate	p. 123
The Geography Behind War and Terror	p. 148
Interpreting Terrorism's Geographic Manifestations	p. 189
Red Star Rising: China's Geopolitical Gauntlet	p. 210
Europe: Superpower in the Making or Paper Tiger of the Future?	p. 241
Russia: Trouble on the Eastern Front	p. 265
Africa in a Globalizing World	p. 293
Epilogue: More Than Ever	p. 320
Works Cited	p. 331
Index	p. 337
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