Why Geography Matters
by Harm J. de Blij · Harm de Blij
De Blij argues that geographic illiteracy weakens American policy, working through climate change, China's rise, and terrorism as cases. Readers finish with a sense of how physical geography and regional context constrain political and economic decisions.
This link may earn us a small commission at no extra cost to you. Affiliate disclosure
More resources on Introduction to Geography
Visible Earth (NASA)
NASA's catalog of satellite images, animations, and data visualizations of Earth, searchable by topic and by the instrument that captured them. Each entry carries a caption explaining the phenomenon shown and the sensor and date involved.
Geography Realm
Caitlin Dempsey's long-running geography publication, formerly GIS Lounge, carries articles on physical and human geography, cartography, and GIS, plus map explainers drawing on USGS, NOAA, and Census data. Useful for background reading on specific geographic concepts.
National Geographic Education
The National Geographic Society's classroom portal, with encyclopedia entries, lesson plans, maps, and activities spanning physical geography, ecosystems, and human systems. Learners get grade-tagged explanations of core concepts and can trace a topic through linked reference articles.
Crash Course Geography
A fifty-episode video series hosted by Alize Carrere. The first half covers physical geography, including maps and projections, climate, landforms, and water; the second half covers human and cultural geography, migration, agriculture, and urbanization.
aag.org
AAG.org is the official site of the American Association of Geographers, a professional organization for geographers. It provides teaching resources, scholarly journals and publications, career and conference information, and geography news and education tools.
Fundamentals of GIS
Explore the world of spatial analysis and cartography with geographic information systems (GIS). In this class you will learn the basics of the industry’s leading software tool, ArcGIS, during four week-long modules: Week 1: Learn how GIS grew from paper maps to the globally integrated electronic software packages of today. You will install ArcGIS on your computer and learn how to use online help to answer technical questions. Week 2: Open up ArcGIS and explore data using ArcMap. Learn the foundational concepts of GIS, how to analyze data, and make your first map. Week 3: Make your own maps! Symbolize data and create an eye-catching final product. Week 4: Share your data and maps and learn to store and organize your data. Take Fundamentals of GIS as a standalone course or as part of the Geographic Information Systems (GIS) Specialization. By completing the first class in the Specialization you will gain the skills needed to succeed in the full program. Students who need an ArcGIS license will receive a non-commercial, 1 year student license for participation in this course and specialization.