The Use of Electric Models in Geography

The use of electrical models, such as conducting sheet analogues, in geography is based on the fact that a wide variety of problems, say, the flow of groundwater and an electrical current, are founded on the same set of differential equations. The technique of electrical analogues is found to be useful in the solution of a number of geographical problems that cannot always be handled effectively by electronic computers. For example, conducting sheet analogues can be used to obtain map transformations in which area is proportional to the magnitude of a particular mapped feature, for example, equidemic projections in which countries or continents are mapped on the scale of their population density. Other problems that may be suitable for analogue simulation include those involving population potential as well as those in which optimization calls for least cost or least effort.     

Toward a Transcendental Human Geography of Places*

The behaviorist research paradigm represented in human geography is anachronistic and manifestly inappropriate for explaining the results of human activities, such as distinctly constructed cultural landscapes. Phenomenological method is appropriate for explaining human actions on an individual scale, but is not applicable as it stands to the group or regional scale investigated by geography. The suggested technique adapts the fragmented reference plain featured by both phenomenology and relativity-based explanation in physics, to afford justifiable explanations of cultural phenomena.     

The Geography of Population and the Geography of Services

In discussing a methodology for a geography of services, a new branch of Soviet geographic research, the authors propose geographically meaningful classifications of services, the use of value and labor-input indicators, the problem of a typology of service regions, and other aspects of research in this new discipline. The geography of services is found to be closely related to population geography because of the correlation between the distribution of services and the distribution of population.     

The Geography Teacher

Ask Dr. de Bli by Dr. Harm de Blij, page 3

Refugees in America by TGT, page 4

TECHNOLOGY AND EDUCATION:

Guinness and the Irish Pub Company, excerpt: H. J. de Blij, Alexander B. Murphy, Erin M. Fouberg, page 6

LESSON PLANS:

All Locations are Relative: This Place is Mine by Michael S. Murphy, page 7

Reading Our World by The Geography-Literacy Task Force, page 10

Population Changes in Cities and Farms by Eui-kyung Shin, Jason Gold, page 12

ARTICLES AND OPINIONS:

Defining a Highly Qualified K-12 Geography Teacher by GENIP, page 16

When the Rivers Run Dry by Jody Smothers Marcello, page 18

The Five Fundamental Themes and the Six Essential Elements by James F. Marran, page 20

A Firm Foundation, a Sturdy Roof by Ed Grode, page 23

Latitude with Attitude by Lydia Lewis, page 27

No Matter Where You Go, There You Are by Ed Grode, page 28

Literature/Geography Quiz by TGT, page 35

Movies as Teaching Tools by Mary Lynn Everhart, page 40

Review: Travels with MusicTM by Steve Ferringer, page 43

Book Reviews: Adventurers and Geo-facts by Jodi Ann Vendor, page 46     

The Geography Teacher

Ask Dr. de Bli by Dr. Harm de Blij, page 3

TECHNOLOGY AND EDUCATION:

Improving Geographic Understanding with a State Atlas by Jerry T. Mitchell, Monti Caughman, Susan Wise, page 4

Girl Wins Geographic Bee by Scott Norris, NG News, page 9

LESSON PLANS, ARTICLES AND OPINIONS

Playing with the 50 States and the Chemical Elements by Antonio Joaquin Franco Mariscal, Maria Jóse Cano Inglesias, page 10

Why Geography Matters to a Teen by Eric Goldfischer, page 13

Reading Our World by The Geography-Literacy Task Force, page 14

The Uses of Geography by James F. Marran, page 18

World Refugees Interview with Lavinia Limón, page 21

Mapping a Secret by Dawn Bryant, Sue Gerstenberger, Dr. Timothy Lintner, page 28

The World’s Human Population by Chuck Fahrer, page 32

Atlantic Canada in Review by Penny Anderson, page 38

Infidel by book review by Jody Smothers Marcello, page 41

Movies as Teaching Tools by Mary Lynn Everhart, page 43

Book Reviews: Now and Then Lydia Lewis, page 46

International Geographic Bee by NG web site, page 48     

Regional Journals in Geography: A Vision for the 21st Century*

Abstract

This paper (originally published in The North West Geographer, 1997, 1(1), 2–17)) contributes to the debate on journals in geography and the production of geographical knowledge by considering a hitherto neglected issue – the role of regional journals of geography. Initially, an overview is provided which considers issues such as the status of the regional journal within the discipline and its fortune relative to the changing concerns of geography in the late 20th Century. A case study of The Manchester Geographer then critically appraises this particular journal's contribution to geographical knowledge. Finally, and in conclusion, some suggestions are offered which it is believed would ensure that regional journals perform a useful and unique role in the production of geographical knowledge in the 21st Century.     

The Geography of Marriage

While some geographical surveys on marriage behaviour concern general marriage patterns and family systems, there are other discussions on regional variations in marriage within specific countries. This article belongs to the latter tradition, charting the regional differences in ages at marriage in Sweden from 1870 to 1900, and exploring potential determinants of the regional variation. The study builds on Sundbärg's division of Sweden into three main demographic regions, the subsequent Swedish research, and the historical-demographic studies on the determinants of marriage. The results do not fit perfectly into Sundbärg's geography but find a basic divide between the west and east/north of Sweden, mean ages at first marriage being one to one-and-a-half years higher in the west. Social norms and socioeconomic structure seem to have influenced the timing of marriage. At county level, family farming and crowding/competition over land and tenure were typically associated with later marriages, while commercial agriculture and a more diverse economy were correlated with a lower average marriage age. Also, in counties where real wages were higher, marriages usually took place earlier. Finally, results indicate that counties characterized by more secular and tolerant values were on average associated with earlier marriages.     

The Status of Geography in Cuba

A review of current Cuban research in geography and associated fields and of the institutions established for that purpose.