Blog Topic #11 -- What's Up with Strange Maps?

Before I begin this blog, I must announce that this is to be my last blog.  Sadly it is April, almost May, and that means the end of the semester.  I have enjoyed my blog quite a bit and hopefully I may post here again someday!

For my final topic, I am suppose to find a strange map, post it here, and write a brief paragraph about it.  However, if you look at the rest of my posts, you may notice I am anything but brief.  For once, I intend to follow directions to the letter so here is my map.

Now this is indeed a strange map.  Although it may look like the United States, every state is labeled incorrectly.  For example, Nebraska is called "Nebraska Football".  This might lead one to think that each state is labeled according to a sport, but if you look at other states such as Alaska, which is called "Alaska Airlines", it is quite clear that sports are not the theme of this map.  So how exactly are the states labeled?

Well, if you have ever been on Google, you may have noticed that when you type in the first few letters or words of your search query, the Internet pops up suggestions for you.  It looks something like this...

The creator of this map typed each state's name into Google and chose the first auto-completion option.  He then mapped it onto a United States map and created the image we see above.

Although at first we may think, "Well that's nice and all, but what purpose does it serve to geography?"  Well, if you look at each name, you can determine what is probably an important part of that state or something that is commonly looked up on the Internet by people regarding that state.  For Nebraska, Cornhusker football is fairly important and in Alaska, many people would probably book airline tickets to fly there because driving is not as plausible as flying.  KFC, also known as Kentucky Fried Chicken, is a major fast food chain in the US.  It only makes sense that when one is searching with the term "Kentucky" that KFC is going to be a top hit.  When you really begin to scrutinize the map, most of it just makes sense.

So what can this teach us about Geography?  When people think of Geography, the thought that commonly comes to mind is maps and directions.  But just like this strange map, there is much more to the subject than simply knowing where Zimbabwe is in the world.  There is cultural geography, physical geography, demography, and so much more.  Just like almost anything can be mapped, almost anything in the world is part of the study of Geography.

So I'll end this blog with an encouragement to get out there and explore your world!  You'll never know just what you'll discover!  To finish off, here are a few pictures of my adventures.

Twin Lakes, Mammoth California

Pere Marquett River, Manistee Michigan

Old Towne, Omaha Nebraska

Blog Topic #10 -- What's Up with Africa?

For many centuries, Africa was known as the "Dark Continent" because of the lack of European exploration.  Today it is known for its conflict, corruption, poor living conditions, and bad economic structure.  Because of this many Western countries such as the United States have poured in billions of dollars of financial aid to the poor African countries to help them become good, more developed countries in the new globalized world.  However, most of this money never reaches the poor, but is rather used by the few, elite African leaders.  So the question posed to us today is, "Should we continue to give Africa monetary aid or find some other way?"  Before we can answer this, we need to look at all of the facts.

Many plans have been implemented in the past to help Africa, but all have met with failure.  Starting in the 1960's, $500 billion dollars of aid has been given to Africa from wealthier countries with an average of at least $50 billion each year.  Many relief plans have been created such as the ones the UN in held in 1985 and 1996, but once they are over, nothing changes.  The only thing these efforts have accomplished is dependence.  50% of Ghana and Uganda's budgets are apparently aid dependent.  That means without our aid, these countries have no means of fulfilling their yearly needs. So where has all of the $500 billion gone and where is the current $50 billion going?  According to the evidence, straight into the pockets of the wealthy government leaders.

It is not an unknown fact that there is corruption in the governments of Africa.  The wealthy leaders use the money they receive for their own benefit rather than the benefit of their people.  In fact, about 40% of all money in Africa is invested outside the continent and the World Bank estimates about 40% is deposited in foreign banks!  More evidence continues to pour in with cases like that of Nigeria's Inspector General Tafa Balogun who had apparently deposited around $52 million in 15 different bank accounts.  According to the Nigerian Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, military leaders have stolen around $500 billion.  That is equal to the aid given by Western countries to help Africa!  I think it is quite clear just what has happened to Africa's aid money.

So what are we to do?  With the Per Capita Income lower than it was in the 1970's and with 350 million people, about half the population, living on less than a dollar a day, we cannot just turn our back on Africa.  However, giving them money will not help their cause much either and may even make things worse!  It is a sticky situation that we need to resolve, but there seems to be no clear solution.  I think the best solution is to remove all monetary aid from Africa and begin helping them in other ways, such as providing help with development.  The only successful countries are those that are independent, not dependent.  Already some African countries, such as South Africa, have pulled themselves ahead in the world.  If the same kind of help that was given to South Africa is given to the rest of the countries, I believe that eventually they will pull through as well.

If you are interested in reading more, I found an interesting article online concerning this issue of African Aid.  Check out this link!

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123758895999200083.html

Until next time!

Blog Topic #9 -- What's Up with The Middle East

For many of us, the term "Middle East" usually brings to mind images of conflict, oil, and general unrest.  This region, composed of North Africa and Southwest Asia, is one of the prime areas for conflict.  The problem is, this conflict can directly affect us because of the major resource in the area....oil.  Gas prices are spiking due to recent protests in areas like Libya and Egypt.  General unrest also makes travel to the region unsafe.  The United States often places warnings on areas in the Middle East telling citizens to avoid travel there.  Most recently in April, the U.S. Government told citizens to avoid travel to Syria and Lebanon because of the political strife there.

So what are all these protests about?  Perhaps the protest making the news most recently are those in Libya.  Protesters in Libya have been trying to remove Moammar Gaddafi, the leader for the past 42 years, from power since January of 2011.  Often these protests ended with the calling in of Gaddafi's security forces and the death or wounding of numerous protesters.  In February one protest resulting in around 200 deaths!  More recently, the protesters have turned into rebels who are revolting against the government for their freedom.  While the government continues to deny military action against these freedom fighters, European nations as well as the U.S. have determined otherwise and as of March 11, most European nations have stopped recognizing Gaddafi as the leader of Libya.  Yet the conflict continues despite numerous casualties.

So what are the Libyan people attempting to accomplish?  It is merely a matter of freedom and human rights.  Gaddafi's reign has resulted in the public executions of anyone who did not agree with him and complete dictatorship.  Libya has been named the most censored area of the region.  Because of this, citizens want to be rid of Gaddafi and to have a democracy with free elections.  Considering that oil makes up most of the country's national income, these protest directly affect oil importing countries, especially European countries which import most of the Libyan oil.

Libya, however, is not the only area of the region that is undergoing massive protests and riots.  Egypt has also been experiencing unrest since the removal of President Hosni Mubarak from power.  Protesters pour out daily demanding the trial of their former leader.  Some have even stormed government buildings in hopes of finding incriminating evidence against the former President's administration.  As the country prepares for new leadership, many Christians have been forced to flee Egypt because of the Muslim mobs.  Some Christians have already been killed during the burning of churches by said mobs.  Because most of the country is Muslim, it is likely that the new government will also be Muslim based causing even more reasons for Christians to flee.

With continued growing unrest in the region, it is no wonder we are paying four dollars at the pump!  Oil is such a major part of this region bringing in most of the income for many countries.  Over half of the world's proven oil reserves are in the Middle East and if those areas are in conflict, the worth of the oil is going to spike.  As citizens of other countries, we need to stay informed of these situations to better understand the world around us as globalization continues to bind us together.

Well it will just have to be a shorter blog this time!  For more information on recent events, check out this website.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/special/world/middle-east-protests/

Blog Topic #8 -- What's Up with Google Earth?

Throughout my study of geography, I have come to love and appreciate a simple tool not many people probably use on a daily basis if at all.  That tool is a program created by Google called Google Earth.  When in Google Earth, you can fly around the globe, zoom in to cities or countries, create personal tours, and much more.

Google Earth was released in 2005 for use on people's personal computers.  It's images come from satellites that take pictures of the earth as they orbit.  Because of this, all images can be viewed in 3D thus allowing the globe to also be viewed in 3D as well.  This is beneficial because it can allow a person to view the world as it truly is, not altered as it would appear on a 2D map.  It also has numerous "layer" features that put information onto the globe such as borders, roads, clouds, and many other things. 

One such layer is known as 3D buildings.  This layer makes buildings, mountains, and anything with elevation appear 3D as they do in real life.  This can help also provide perspective into how the area looks in real life.  For example, one could turn on 3D buildings and zoom Washington D.C.,  The image they would receive would look like this...

Using this feature allows one to almost literally tour the location without being there!

As mentioned earlier, Google Earth can also give a better interpretation of what the world is really like.  It can increase perspective and make us think about the world in ways different than we do now.  For example, I always thought that the top of the globe contained a small land mass similar to Antarctica where the North Pole was located.  However, upon looking at this, my perspective was changed.

Apparently the top of the globe consists mainly of Greenland, a few islands, and water. There is no "North Antarctica" like I always imagined; how I saw the earth has changed and that is only in one region.  For example, I can also see that the quickest way from Canada to Sweden would be across the top of the globe, not around the world as we would imagine.  This image also shows just how close Alaska is to Russia, China, and Japan compared to the rest of the United States.  Places that seemed very far away have become closer or farther away by looking at one image.  What would happen if we looked at two?

Now we are looking at the bottom of the globe, at Antarctica.  This shows just how far away we are from Antarctica, but yet how close the tip of South America is to it.  I always imagined that Antarctica was this distant, very isolated piece of land from the rest of the world.  Now I see that it is closer to South America than New Zealand is to Australia!  In fact, it is only about 825 miles away (and yes, I used Google Earth to figure that out)!

So in conclusion, I greatly encourage anyone who has never seen or heard of Google Earth to try it out!  Before long, you'll become a huge fan of it as I have and might even stoop to spending your afternoon touring the globe virtually. (and yes, I have done this several times).  Besides being a great tool, it can help expand your view of our planet Earth.

Have Fun!

Blog Topic #7 -- What's Up with Afghanistan?

Our next stop is a less than peaceful area of the world.  Today we head to the dry, semi-arid, mountainous country known as Afghanistan.  The name is very familiar in the world because of the U.S.'s ongoing War on Terror that is primarily centered in that region.  But before we jump into that, let us take a quick look at the background of Afghanistan.

Afghanistan is a multinational state meaning that its state contains more than one nation.  It covers a landmass of about 250,000 square miles or about the size of the state of Texas.  The land is covered with mountains making it one of the most mountainos countries in the world.  Its name literally means "land of the Afghans"; Afghans are another name for the Pashtun tribe.  Although the country is very diverse in language and tribes, the Pashtun tribe is the largest ethic group in the country.  In fact, the country itself was founded in 1747 by the uniting of the Pashtun tribes.  Unlike other areas in the region, Afghanistan was never colonized by an outside force, such as European countries.

Over the years, Afghanistan has been a hot spot for fighting.  During the colonization of the region by the British Empire, the Afghans resisted and fought the British forcing them to eventually give up.  The Durand Line Agreement, an agreement between British India and Afghanistan, formed the border between British possessions and Afghanistan.  To this day, the 1,600 mile long line serves as the border between Afghanistan and Pakistan. 



In 1979, the USSR attempted to overtake Afghanistan.  Like the British, they were met with resistance in the form of Mujahideen freedom fighters.  However, many Pashtuns fled the country into nearby areas such as Iran and Pakistan.  It was during this time that the famous "Afghan Girl" picture was taken for National Geographic's cover.  With the support of the U.S. government, the Mujahideen pushed the Soviets out of their country in 1989.  However, this led to the rise of another term most people are familiar with, the Taliban.  After the 9/11 attacks on the U.S., troops moved into Afghanistan and removed the Taliban from power in 2001.  Ever since, U.S. troops have been fighting insurgents, terrorists, the Taliban, and other groups in the mountains of Afghanistan.

Recently in class we watched the movie "Restrepo", a documentary like movie that follows one platoon of U.S. soldiers in Afghanistan's Korengal Valley for a year.  With real footage and interviews with the soldiers, it makes the war in Afghanistan come to life, and the picture is not pretty.  Because of the mountains, rough terrain, changing climate, and many other factors, fighting in Afghanistan is not easy.  The British and Soviets were defeated for a reason.  The Korengal especially is a difficult place and considered to have been the most dangerous postings for a U.S. soldier. 

U.S. troops first began fighting insurgents in Korengal in 2005.  Through the hard work and bravery of groups, like the platoon in Restrepo, the U.S. managed to gain a foothold three miles into the valley.  Because of lack of roads, transportation was a problem.  The residents of the valley were also not always pleased by the troops stationed there.  During weekly shuras, or meetings, with local village elders, troops would try to talk about important issues with the elders.  However, often these talks did not accomplish anything.  With the insurgents having free reign of most of the territory and because of lack of cooperation, in 2010 the U.S. government decided to pull out of the Korengal.  All the work and progress that had been made was lost, but it was considered by the government to be an acceptable loss. (I personally feel it is not, especially after watching the movie).

Although we all are familiar with the War on Terror, there is another war going on in Afghanistan, the War on Opium.  Very little land is usable for crops and unfortunately the crop of choice is opium.  In fact, Afghanistan is the world's leading country in opium production.  Under the Taliban, Afghans had no restrictions on what they could do so many made good money by smuggling opium over the borders into Pakistan and Iran.  Since opium is an illegal drug, U.S. Marines have made it their mission to rid Afghanistan of opium production.  This is accomplished through methods such as seed and product confiscation.  In addition, U.S. and British aid agencies have supplied money to fund make-work projects in hopes of turning opium farmers attention to other lines of work.  Although there has been a decrease in production, locals are none too pleased with the interference and continue to try to grow opium rather than wheat or another crop.  Because of this, the war continues on same as the other war.

Visit...

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2002/03/0311_020312_sharbat.html

...to learn more about the Afghan Girl and how National Geographic found her.

For more information about the Korengal and the U.S.'s withdrawal, go to...

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/04/14/AR2010041401012.html?sid=ST2010041401263

To read more about opium in Afghanistan, check out... http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Asia-South-Central/2010/0112/How-US-is-tackling-opium-trade-in-Afghanistan-poppy-heartland

That's all from Afghanistan!  If you get a chance, I highly recommend that you watch "Restrepo" as it gives you a good look at just what our troops are doing.

Blog Topic #6 -- What's Up with China and the Great Firewall

At one point or another, we have all heard of the Great Wall of China, the 5,500 mile long wall built in the 200's BC to protect China from invaders.  However, not as many know about the recent wall built to protect China from a different invader.  That invader is realities of the world and that wall is known as the Great Firewall of China.

The Chinese Internet censoring program has been in effect since around 2003.  To the government, it is known as the Golden Shield Project; to everyone else, it is known as the Great Firewall of China.  Although government restrictions began as early as 1998, it was not until 2003 that a formal program was placed into effect.  It has already completed the first stage (lasting from 1998 to 2006) and the second stage (2006-2008).  Its intensity was increased in 2007 blocking more content than ever before.  The main purpose of it?  To block the Chinese people from seeing and learning certain things from the internet.  Often this is fulfilled through IP address blocking and URL filtering although there are other means as well. 

So what sites are being blocked by the government?  The most commonly known are the three T's.  The three T's are Taiwan, Tiananmen Square, and Tibet - all are political and all are things the government does not want the Chinese population to know about.  Taiwan, which says they are separate from China, is blocked for obvious reasons.  Tiananmen Square is where protestors were killed by the Chinese government back in 1989.  Of course, Tibet is another issue being controlled by the Chinese government and not being given its freedom.  Other censored materials include blog sites (so no Chinese will probably see this); anything considered obscene, pornographic, or related to criminal activity; groups that are consider pro-democracy; or anything the government believes to be subversive.  Obviously, this can add up to quite a few sites being blocked and the truth being withheld from the people.

Some citizens of the country are not completely submissive to the government's censors.  According to this article from Time...

http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1981566,00.html

...people are not sitting still and are attempting to "climb the firewall" quite often.  For example, a blogger from China has posted how to avoid the censor.  Many people read this and used it until the government began to delete his posts.  Eventually he created a website of his own for his tips and tricks which was blocked by the censor.  People still are desperate enough to climb the wall to read his website.

Another attempt comes through people who manage to get on Twitter (another censored site) and are able to post briefly.  Apparently they talk about one of the main issues behind the censor, freedom of speech.  The people of China have had many of their freedoms taken away; this is just another one to add to the pile.  Those that can talk briefly on Twitter about modern issues will repost information on mainland blogs for others to see.  If people are willing to break the censor just for a few quick words with someone on Twitter, I think that shows just how desperate the people are for their freedoms.

However, the greatest threat to the Firewall is the debate over the  

censor!  Recently, Google declared that it will no longer censor websites for China.  How should China manage a battle to censor materials without the backing of Google, one of the main search engines.  Without Google, it is more likely in my opinion that the truth will be found by the people and that the censor will no longer be able to function.  People will continue to bypass the censor until it becomes obsolete.  The only way to stop this from happening is if the government slows the feeds from overseas sites.  They are reluctant to do so, as this would harm overseas communication between companies, a direct result of our friend globalization!

So will the Great Firewall ever be torn down?  I optimistically think yes!  With the people continuing to bypass the censor and without support from overseas, I think it is only a matter of time before the censor is removed and Chinese will finally be given at least one of their freedoms back!  I close on that note.  Until next time!

Blog Topic #5 -- What's Up with Cartograms?

Today we do not head to a particular region, but instead are looking into the odd map know as the cartogram.  What is a cartogram you may ask?

 
^That is a cartogram.  It is actually a cartogram depicting world population.  The formal definition of a cartogram is a map in which some thematic variable, such as population, is expressed in area or distance.  This causes a distorted looking world that actually is more acurate than one may think. 

For example, what can we read from the population cartogram?  The largest country on the map is show to be India or China.  This means that according to the variable of population, India and China are the largest.  They have the highest populations in world with China at 1.3 billion and India closing in at 1.15 billion.  Soon, India may overtake China as the most populous country due to China's One Child Policy.  What else can we learn from this map?  How does the USA compare in size?  It is actually rather small on this map in relation to its actual land mass being about the same as China.  The reason is that in comparison to other countries of the world, the United States does not have as many people coming in at just over 300 million people.

So what does this have to do with our study of globalization and world regions?  Let's take a look at another cartogram.


This cartogram looks similar to the last in that India and China are large countries under this variable.  However, some populous countries such as the United States, Japan, and European states have all but disappeared.  So what variable is this?  It is the percent of population that lives on less than ten US dollars per day.  This is a large characteristic of a certain type of country; of an LDC or Lesser Developed Country.  LDCs are defined as countries that are not fully industrialized or do not have a sophisticated financial and legal system.  In other words, what we commonly know as Third-World countries.

Studying this map, we can notice that not only China and India, but also Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos, Pakistan, and many African countries are quite large.  Some of these are classified as LDCs, however, others are given a different catagory, Developing Countries.  Developing countries are those with low levels of material well-being, but have emerging economies.  From our list, China, India, Vietnam, and Pakistan are Developing countries.

So how does this all relate to us and our everyday lives?  Well, just look at the tag on any items nearby.  Chances are that it has one of those country's names on it where it says "made in".  Most of our products come from LDCs and developing countries.  This is possible once again through the ever stretching arm of, you guessed it, globalization.  It is yet another way in which our world continues to connect and make itself smaller and smaller.

Before I close, here is one last cartogram...

So what does this one represent?  Well, maybe you guessed it, but here is a hint...you are contributing to it right now.  Figured it out yet?  It is Internet Use by People in 2002.  Want to see more?  Check out http://www.worldmapper.org/index.html

That's all for now!

Blog Topic #4 -- What's Up with South Asia/India

Well it has been quite some time since I last posted mainly because this topic required research and, well, actually choosing a topic.  This week we are headed to the subcontinent of India called a subcontinent because of its separation from the rest of Asia by the Himalaya mountain range, home of Mt. Everest.  The subcontinent is actually a peninsula that juts out into the Indian ocean bordered by the Arabian Sea to the west and the Bay of Bengal to the east.  Besides the country of India, the countries of Pakistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, and Nepal are located directly on the subcontinent with Maldives and Sri Lanka south as island nations in the Indian Ocean.

Our focus, however, will be on the main country of India.  India has a population of approximately 1.1 billion people, twenty-eight percent of which live in urban settings.  Although its official language in Hindi, the government recognizes eighteen other regional languages.  The primary religion is Hinduism although there are a few other religious groups such as Buddhism, Christianity, and Islam (although most Muslims moved to Islamic Pakistan during the Partition of India).  It is classified as a developing country although it is not a Least Developed Country.  India has steadily begun to take steps that will move it towards a more developed future.  The Golden Quadrilateral Highway, a recent project, when completed will cover 3,633 miles and connect the main cities of Delhi (the capital), Kolkata, Chennai, and Mumbai.  Other areas, such as the Silicon Plateau or Bangalore, are home to large technological corporations. 

With the development occurring, one would think that India is a budding prosperous nation.  However, the area is the second poorest world region with 300 million of its citizens living below the poverty standard.  Twenty percent of its citizens are undernourished and slums are large in that area.  In fact, the Dharvi slum in the financial capital of India, Mumbai, is the second largest slum in the world and the largest in Asia.  According to National Geographic, it is home to around one million people with 18,000 people per acre!

This "shadow city", however, recently served as the star location for the movie "Slumdog Millionaire".  For anyone who has not seen the movie, it tells the story of how a boy from the Dharvi slum grows up to be on the show "Who Wants to be a Millionaire?" and wins by knowing the answers through his life experience.  It also provides a fairly accurate representation of life and culture in India.  Since the movie's release, a new trend has started known as "Slum Tourism".  Tourists to Mumbai, and other locations with slums around the world, are given a tour of the slum to see how the community works and lives.  It is beneficial to both sides; the tourists are educated in reality and the slum dwellers receive payment.

Slum tourism is not an entirely new concept.  In the 1800's, wealthy citizens of New York would travel through poverty areas to see how the lower class lived.  Only recently has it become a controversial topic.  Some believe that it is beneficial for the afore mentioned reason; one side is educated, the other side receives money.  However, some argue that it is wrong mainly because it makes poverty a form of entertainment.  They argue that when people leave, they really haven't learned anything, but have just seen the sight as if it was any other destination.  They cannot understand what life in slums is truly like by merely taking a tour and returning to their luxuries.  Members of the slums may not feel to happy about it either.  A former slum dweller wrote that a women took his picture making him feel like a tiger in a cage.

While both points are strongly debatable, the fact remains that slums are not going anywhere anytime soon.  Some people have lived in slums for three or four generations.  As long as there is poverty and large urban areas in the world, slums (and slum tours) will continue to exist.  There are ways that people can and are helping.  Pratham, an organization founded in Mumbai in 1994, for example, helps children in slums receive medical care and some education as well as negotiate with factories to release child laborers.  AVSAR (Alliance of Volunteers for Service, Action, and Reform) also works with underprivileged areas throughout India.

For more information on Dharvi, how to help, and an editorial for the New York Times by a former slum dweller, check out these links!

http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2007/05/dharavi-mumbai-slum/jacobson-text

http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2007/05/dharavi-mumbai-slum/how-to-help

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/10/opinion/10odede.html

Or for a good glance, watch the movie "Slumdog Millionaire"...it may be intense at times (or all the time) but it is worth it!  That's all for now; see you next time =)

Blog Topic #3 -- What's up with Southeast Asia?

Today we strangly head north to Southeast Asia.  Consisting of primarily of islands and a tiny penisula off of Asia, Southeast Asia has some of the most diverse collection of countries ranging from advanced countries, such as Singapore, to the least developed countries of the world, such as Myanmar.  It is located in the tropics just above the equator giving most of it a tropical climate although some areas are more subtropical or highlands.  This is, in fact, the vision I and most people think of when Southeast Asia is mentioned.  A tropical paradise located on sandy beaches or in tropical jungles.  However, such is not the case for many inhabitants, especially in the LDCs of the area.  In fact, Southeast Asia contains four out of the nine least developed countries in Asia.  The tropical climate is not always swaying palm trees either as these areas often have monsoon seasons dominated by rain.

One of these countries is that of Cambodia.  This country was of particular intrest to me after seeing a presentation in class of my professor's mission trip there.  So I searched Cambodia on National Geographic to see what my first hit would be.  This video, which describes the Angor Wat, was the first video listed.  It portrays this poor country as a spectacular tourist destination.

In fact, the country's second greatest source of income through tourism.  The greatest source of income for it, however, is through the textile industry, a trait that is common in most LDCs.  I would not immediately think of an LDC country with the conditions that it currently has as a prime tourist attraction.  However, through this video, one would not immediately gain the sense that the country is impovish not evening drinking clean water!  This picture is from the capital city of Phnom Phen and shows the conditions of the main city (as well as the large amount of Motorbikes)

Perhaps the greatest geographic feature that is demonstrated in this video is the diversity of religion.  Religion plays a key role in all civilizations and cultures as well as being geographical.  The temple of Angor Wat was built for King Suryavarman II and was dedicated to Vishnu, a Hindu god.  At the time, Hinduism was the main religion of the area.  This changed however with the spread of Buddhism from India and into areas of East and Southeast Asia.  Now the temple, although the main tourist attraction in Cambodia, serves as a temple for Buddha.  It also is the largest religious center in the world.  The Angor Wat is of such great importance to the people of Cambodia that it is the symbol on their flag! 

Buddhism is the main religion in Cambodia with 96% of its citizens following Buddha's teachings.  It is not uncommon to see Buddhist monks walking down the streets.  In fact, most of the penisula of Southeast Asia is Buddhist.  This changes, however, as you head south into Indonesia, the area changes rapidly from primarily Buddhist to the largest Islamic country in the world, Indonesia.

Once again, I, regretfully, must end the post.  More geographic topics coming soon!

 

Okay maybe I couldn't end my talk about Southeast Asia without a picture of a Tuk Tuk....what can I say except that its fun to say!

Blog Topic #2 -- Whats up with Australia?

Before I begin this topic, apprantly today (Jan 26) is "Australia Day" so happy Australia day everyone :)  Australia Day is a celebration commenorating the landing of the first fleet of settlers (most of which were prisoners) near modern day Sydney.  Since I knew nothing of how Australia Day is celebrated, I looked up an article concerning this year's Australia Day on the Sydney Morning Herald website. 

http://www.smh.com.au/national/a-perfect-day-for-coming-together-in-australias-melting-pot-20110126-1a5ep.html

The article told of how some people enjoyed the day with events such as participating in an ocean swim, watching Aborigines present traditional stories and music, or simply enjoying a relaxing day at the beach.  For others, however, it held more significance as new citizens of the country were welcomed in with a Bar-B-Que.  The new citizens came from many different areas of the world on many different walks of life adding to the "melting pot" as Australians call it.  However, Australian immigration has not always been so diverse.  Until 1973, Australia had a White Australian Policy that promoted the immigration of Europeans and North Americans while strictly limiting nonwhite immigration.  Now, people from all over the world are immigrating to Australia creating a diverse multicultural character.

One of the things that really stood out to me in the article, however, was the fact that the Aborigines were included in the festivities allowing them to tell their traditional stories through word, dance, and song.  One women commented that "it is important for us all to come together on this day."  In fact, Aborigines rights have been improving steadily over the years.  Many live in cities the same as all the other citizens of the country.  Political rights are being granted to them and more control over sacred parklands, such as Uluru Rock, has been given to the Aborigines.  They too are part of the "melting pot" of Australian bringing in their influence, knowledge, culture, and traditions.  They too are an important part of the Australia Day celebration, same as any other citizen.
(pages 646 and 655)

Australia Day celebrates the immigration and settlement of the first European settlers.  So I decided to also see if there were any articles concerning recent or past immigration.  The article I found was somewhat shocking.

http://www.smh.com.au/national/while-immigration-drops-businesses-are-crying-out-for-more-staff-20101206-18mxo.html

It would seem that although people are moving to Australia, more are leaving than coming.  In fact, the melting pot is shrinking to the point that businesses are having trouble finding workers.  In direct opposite to the US's problems, Australia's job market is growing with unemployment rates at only around 5% and expected to decrease.  The problem may not lie with people emmigrating, however, but perhaps with lack of people immigrating.  According to the article, this past year had the lowest immigration rate since March 2004.  My textbook states that a minority was pushing for more restrictive immigration policies due to unacceptance of the cultural mosaic.  The changes brought to the melting pot were possibly not beneficial in their eyes.  In fact, more that 2.5 million residents of Australia speak another language besides English.  Another changing factor is the growing diverse religious aspects.  Although I don't know for sure (but I could research it) it might be possible that more restricitive immigration laws have been inforced causing fewer people to be attracted to immigrating there.  It could also merely be a lag that will soon repair itself.  (page 646)

That's about it for now...Happy Australia Day!

Blog Topic #1 -- What's up with Globalization?

Hello and welcome to my blog!  This is a blog dedicated to a subject that is under appreciated and yet vital to understanding the world around us (okay, I may also be required to do this for class.....but that's beside the point)  Truth is, I have discovered just how much I enjoy geography and can't wait to share as much of it as I can with you!  So lets get started discovering just what is up with geography =D

Globalization -- the increasing interconnectedness of people and places through converging processes of economic, political, and cultural changes.

Daily, our world becomes more connected through the process of globalization.  No matter what it is, whether it be the food we eat or the clothes we wear, somehow we are always connected to another part of the world.  I found items from ten countries in my dorm room without even looking at every item I own!  Electronics from China, clothes from India, and candy bars from Germany?  Just think for a minute about how many miles away those countries are from America...India is at least 7,000!   Back in history, items from other countries were rarities that only the elite could afford; now its just a part of our everyday lives. It isn't just for Americans; the world is connected to us in the same way.  While our calls for technical help are being answered in India, someone in India is answering calls from America! (think about that next time you need tech help) Through globalization, our world is becoming increasingly smaller and smaller. 

This picture does a good job illustrating that fact.  With air travel, satellites, and electronics, such as the Internet, we can practically all "hold hands" together around the world through our connections.  Tourism to other countries is growing more and more each year.  As my teacher stated in class, "To get somewhere today all you need is a credit card to book the airline ticket."  I know plenty of people who have been out of the country (even though I haven't), some as close as Canada and others as far as China.  Ease of immigration brings one country into another, merging together to form a blend of both cultures.  We have restaurants serving food from France in America and restaurants in France serving American food.

 

The most noticeable connection I can think of, however, is the expanse of businesses.  Businesses have expanded far beyond the compounds of their native lands with many large corporations completely global.  Although the menu may differ slightly, there is still a McDonald in Argentina and Sudan.  In fact, the golden arches are located in over 100 different countries!  Even Antarctica has a McDonald somewhere (although I'm not too sure how many costumers they have)  What about Disney?  I'm not sure if there is a Disney store in London or not (see cartoon), but I do know that there are Disney attractions in Paris, HongKong, and Tokyo.  That's quite a jump from LA!  Globalization, however, makes this possible....and not just possible, but common.  So the next time you eat a Big Mac, think about how many other people around the world might be eating one at that very moment (except in India, of course).  A scary notion at times!

That's about all for now...keep watching for the next installment soon!