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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".
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?
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.
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 ...
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