Maps & Geography
  The Great Canadian Geography Challenge
  CanaTREK Mapping Activity
  The World of Mapping
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   



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Maps & The Great Canadian Geography Challenge

Just remember, no matter where you go ... there you are.

The world is a wonderous place, and for those who are new to, and unaware of, the vast variety of places and people and cultures and geologic formations that exist, it is going to be an amazing journey of discovery that will never end. Even for the seasoned traveler, there are simply too many places to visit in a lifetime and there is always a surprise around the next corner that this little blue marble in a never-ending ocean of black space will deliver up to take your breath away and make you go "Wow!" or "Whoooa" or ... "I had no idea".

Whoooa!

And for anyone with just a smidgen of innate curiosity, a lot of fun and adventure awaits. Now, in this day and age of digital devices and "e-everything" at your fingertips, it's easy to take a lot for granted. It's easy to say, "Oh ya, I saw that online. Been there, seen that". But you can't be online and connected 24/7/365 from everywhere (well, at least not yet anyway). And you'll very quickly learn that when you physically visit a place, when you truly see something with your own eyes and are encompassed by the surroundings, breathe and smell the air, feel the wind and temperature, and hear the true local sounds of a place, nothing in an "e-anything" format will compare. No matter how hi-def any screen is (or becomes) ... HD-3D will never beat the experience of what we shall be the first to call: Real-D ... actually being "there" in person.

The beginning of any journey starts with knowing where a place is and what you'll find there. Stories that you see on tv or read about in a book or magazine or online usually assume that you already know a lot of these details. Everday we hear in the news of this place or that place, or this or that group of people. But by no means does just hearing the names of places or geographic subjects or people and cultures mean that's all there is to know. And looking up a place online or in an atlas once or twice also doesn't necessarily mean you really and truly know where it is. How many people, even those who have looked up a location or subject before, can later point to a blank map of the world, or even their own country, and remember a location ... correctly pinpoint it on the map?

Where is that place anyway!? And what's there? Let's check it out!

Which brings us to the rich world of maps and geography. These subjects are interesting to most people, and perhaps not for a few others. But take 15 minutes of free time and sit down with an atlas, a large globe, a wall map, or yes ... even Google Earth, and even those who says it's boring will probably find themselves totally tuned in exploring all kinds of places and subjects they never even knew existed. Next thing you know, an hour has gone by!

Why? Because maps tell us about the bigger world around us. Maps and geography:

  • show us where we are in relation to everything else in the world, whether it's local, national, global or yes - even universal. There's nothing like a larger perspective to broaden your mind compared to ... "Umm, I'm right here." Errr, ok.
  • show us how to get "there" from "here" if we want to travel to another place.
  • can get us out of a bind and show us how to get back if we get lost.
  • can tell us what we'll find when we get there. And that, of course, can help us prepare what to take with us, or leave behind.

And without maps and geography and information about where we are, where we're going, how we'll get there, and what we'll find, adventures such as the Summits of Canada Expeditions could never take place.

Map your way to new discoveries!

So get comfortable, dig in, look around, enjoy the topics we've made available, and have fun learning a thing or two about new things you never even knew you didn't know til now. And then go and challenge someone else about what they think they know with what you now know about something new you never knew you didn't know about ... before now! Get all that? Good! :)

 

Check out the Great Canadian Geography Challenge

Are your students feeling confident in their knowledge of geography? Ready to put that to the test? The Great Canadian Geography Challenge is a national student competition designed to foster an interest in geography among young Canadians, and to raise the profile of geography with teachers and the public. >> Learn More ...

CanaTREK Mapping Activity

This section encourages "wonderment", sparks the imagination, and begins the process of exploration with a simple challenge that is fun for all ages. >> Learn More ...

The World of Mapping

This section includes links to a lot of fun and interesting topics such as:

  • North American Geography
  • World Geography
  • History of Mapping
  • Types of Maps
  • Map & Geography Glossaries
  • >> Learn More ...