Why Geography Matters: Three Challenges Facing America: Climate Change, the Rise of China, and Global Terrorism | 
 enlarge | Author: Harm De Blij
Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
Category: Book
List Price: $16.95
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Rating:  20 reviews
Sales Rank: 5259
Media: Paperback
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 320
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1
Dimensions (in): 9.2 x 6.1 x 0.9
ISBN: 0195315820
Dewey Decimal Number: 910
EAN: 9780195315820
ASIN: 0195315820
Publication Date: February 12, 2007
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Product Description
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.
In Why Geography Matters, de Blij demonstrates how geography's perspectives yield unique and penetrating insights into the interconnections that mark our shrinking world. Preparing for climate change, averting a cold war with China, defeating terrorism: all of this requires geographic knowledge. De Blij also 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 the great risk this poses to America's national security.
Peppering his writing with anecdotes from his own professional travels, de Blij provides an original treatise that is as engaging as it is eye opening. Casual or professional readers in areas such as education, politics, or national security will find themselves with a stimulating new perspective on geography as it continues to affect our world.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 15 more reviews...
 Somewhat Interesting, but No New Insights November 27, 2008
Blij tells readers that improving our understanding of the world's geography is key to understanding the key challenges of the next half-century: Population growth to nearly 9 billion, climate change possibly causing chaos, China's emergence as a superpower, and Islamic terrorism threats for America. Unfortunately, Blij's efforts to convince us of the need to re-emphasize geography fails.
A globe tells us that most of the earth's surface is water or ice, and much of the land is mountains or desert. It also tells us that the Northern Hemisphere countries dominate the world because most of the habitable territory is north of the Equator.
All titles and other legal documents in the U.S. have been expressed in English measures - converting to metric would be impractical.
Assuming you are in North America, the room you are in will move about 1/2" in the next year; over a geologic time of 1 million years it will move 8 miles.
About 200 years ago the Earth's population was only about 900 million, reaching 1 billion in 1820. Another 110 years was required to double (2M), and only 45 more years to double again (4M in 1975). Blij anticipates doubling again by 2035, reflecting a slower growth rate. However, Blij reports that it is important to look at the data for individual countries.
Increasing lifespans adds another important dimension. Currently 35 of every 100 in Europe are of pensionable age, and this will rise to 75 by 2050.
Blij sees Sunni Muslims as a greater potential terrorism problem due to their decentralized nature, vs. Shiites (ayatollahs, imams). Haiti and Paraguay in South America, and Sudan and Somalia in Africa are potential future terrorist hotbeds - large Muslim population, weak states.
Russia remains the largest territory, almost twice the size of #2 Canada. Having 13 neighbors, and lying roughly entirely north of Boston are problems for it. If trends continue it will have a mere 100 million population by 2050.
 Good read for anyone September 15, 2008
I teach AP Human Geography and every time I pick this book up I find a little more to share with my students. Of course, I would recommend this book to anyone with an interest in the world today.
Geography Does Matter May 14, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Why Geography Matters is a well-researched and written book by an expert in the field, but the subtitle is a bit misleading. Sure, the book covers the three threats the author claims are confronting the United States, namely climate change, a growing China and global terrorism, but it also covers geology and the history of the world from the beginning of time. The author also spends considerable amounts of time with chapters on the European Union, Russia as well as Africa. While there are some insights and useful information contained in the book, the arguments tend to be articulated better in other sources. I wholeheartedly agree that geography is a critical discipline that does not often get the respect it deserves, but this book is not the final authority when it comes to geo-politics and the current state of the world.
 Occasionally insightful, but generally uninspired August 29, 2007
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
I would describe this book as the rambling--but occasionally insightful--musings of a thoughtful scholar. Unfortunately, many, if not most, of Blij's arguments are not made from a geographic perspective. For instance, his chapter on the European Union rambles on for page after page about the history of the EU from the European Coal and Steel Community, to the European Economic Community, to the European Community, and, finally, to the European Union. That's not to say that's not and interesting and important history lesson for people who are unfamiliar with EU history, but its not geographic! I was hoping for a book of theories explaining human events using reasoning built on spatial orientations or location. Why Geography Matters had some of that, but Blij could have, in my view, omitted much of the voluminous background information. Doing some would have made his book more concise and allowing his genuine insights to be featured more prominently.
And for what its worth, the book could have used a better editor. For instance, on p.160 it refers to "South Ossetia" as a Russian Republic instead of North Ossetia. I noticed a couple errors like this.
Perhaps, I would be more positive about this book if its last chapter hadn't been the low point. The chapter on Africa had absolutely nothing original to say (AIDS is bad, we need to do more to stop it; colonization and slavery were bad too; Africa has been plagued by bad leadership; etc.).
Important book August 28, 2007
This is an exceptional and needed introduction to Geography and how it relates to world problems.
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