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In recent years a spate of books and articles have argued that the world today is so mobile, so interconnected and so integrated that it is, in one prominent assessment, flat. But as Harm de Blij contends in The Power of Place, geography continues to hold billions of people in an unrelenting grip. We are all born into natural and cultural environments that shape what we become, individually and collectively. From our \"mother tongue\" to our father's faith, from medical risks to natural hazards, where we start our journey has much to do with our destiny, and thus with our chances of overcoming the obstacles in our way.

Over the next half century, the human population, divided by culture and economics and armed with weapons of mass destruction, will expand to nearly 9 billion people. Abrupt climate change may throw the global system into chaos; China will emerge as a superpower; and Islamic terrorism and insurgency will threaten vital American interests. How can we understand these and other global challenges? Harm de Blij has a simple answer: by improving our understanding of the world's geography. De Blij demonstrates how geography's perspectives yield unique and penetrating insights into the interconnections that mark our shrinking world. Centuries ago a surge of climate change halted China's maritime plans; more recently, environmental calamity altered the course of geopolitical events in East Asia; today, terrorists look for failed and malfunctioning states to base their operations--and some of these are in our own hemisphere. Preparing for climate change, averting a cold war with China, defeating terrorism: all of this requires geographic knowledge. In Why Geography Matters, de Blij makes an urgent call to restore geography to America's educational curriculum. He shows how and why the U.S. has become the world's most geographically illiterate society of consequence--and demonstrates that this geographic illiteracy is a direct risk to America's national security. In this personal and engaging book, de Blij provides a geographer's perspective on the challenges of this new century. As he states, \"We are crossing the threshold to a century that will witness massive environmental change, major population shifts, persistent civilizational conflicts [and] while geographic knowledge by itself cannot solve these problems, they will not be effectively approached without it.\"

Our world is experiencing rapid transformation, from climate change and the international economic crisis to the burgeoning presence of China and the revolutionary Arab Spring. In Why Geography Matters, Harm de Blij affirms that the only way to understand our changing world is through the framework of geography--and shows why the geographic illiteracy of the U.S. is a direct risk to America's national security. A unique and consistently popular title, the revisions in this updated edition will ensure that it remains the key book on geography in the market for years to come.

A large ocean liner was confronted with severe weather in the central Indian Ocean. Meteorological information received on the bridge contradicted observations on board. A near-catastrophic event required emergency measures while correct weather data were requested. Fundamental principles of climatology helped clarify the synoptic situation and for a period of seven hours guided the decision-making on the bridge. The area of occurrence is not well served by weather stations; previous emergencies have had fatal consequences. Sea as well as air transport across this zone is affected. Unexplained events give rise to notions of a Garcia Quadrangle here.

The subject of continental drift arouses great interest among students, for whom the idea that the landmasses are raft-like and in constant motion is new and exciting. The concept can be used with great advantage to persuade students to look in a more productive way at the shapes of coastlines, the distribution of mountain ranges, and landscapes in general. Some topics that may be useful to teachers are discussed in this article.