About Geography

New Orleans Was Fastest Growing City in 2008

2009-07-03T15:16:43Z

Recently released data from the U.S. Census Bureau shows that New Orleans was the fastest growing city in 2008, as it grew by 8.2% as it welcomed home residents who evacuated from Hurricane Katrina. Four of the ten fastest growing cities in 2008 were in Texas and all ten can be considered part of the Sunbelt:

1. New Orleans, Louisiana
2. Round Rock, Texas
3. Cary, North Carolina
4. Gilbert, Arizona
5. McKinney, Texas
6. Roseville, California
7. Irvine, California
8. Raleigh, North Carolina
9. Killeen, Texas
10. Fort Worth, Texas

Suez Canal

2009-07-03T15:09:25Z

Egypt's Suez Canal is a 101 mile (163 km) long canal that connects the Mediterranean Sea with the Gulf of Suez, a northern branch of the Red Sea. Learn all about the Suez Canal and its fascinating history in this latest article from Amanda Briney.

New Additions and One Subtraction from World Heritage List

2009-06-28T16:45:27Z

UNESCO has added thirteen new sites and has deleted one site to the much coveted World Heritage List. The deletion of the Dresden Elbe Valley in Germany from the list is the first European deletion from the World Heritage List in the nearly 40-year history of the list. The World Heritage Committee removed Dresden from the list due to the start of construction of a four-lane bridge, the Waldschlösschen Bridge, in the heart of the cultural landscape.

Geodesy

2009-06-28T17:11:03Z

Geodesy is a branch of science responsible for measuring the Earth's size and shape with surveys and mathematical calculations. Learn all about geodesy and the size and shape of our planet from Amanda Briney.

New Museum in Athens Hopes to Pressure UK

2009-06-29T12:23:11Z

The New Acropolis Museum in Athens, Greece is said to be "the ultimate showcase of classical civilization." However, most notable is the lack of a complete collection of the Elgin Marbles, most of which are on display in the British Museum in London. London has been unwilling to give the artifacts back but now that Athens has a beautiful location to display them properly, there might be more diplomatic pressure to return them. Read the fascinating story in The New York Times.

Orienteering

2009-06-28T16:58:13Z

Orienteering is a great geographical family sport using navigation with maps and compasses to find various points in unfamiliar and often difficult-to-follow terrain. Learn about orienteering and how to get involved in this great sport from this latest article on orienteering from Amanda Briney.

Geographical Careers Video

2009-06-25T22:29:21Z

I don't usually post videos because there are so many, I would just clog up the blog but this professional video from the Royal Geographical Society is worth watching. It includes interviews with people who studied geography at university and are now working in related fields. It's inspirational and might get you thinking about various career options in geography.

The Presidential Map

2009-06-25T12:09:28Z

In the above fantastically geographic photo, we see President Barack Obama in the Oval Office, looking at a map donated to the White House by the National Geographic Society. The photo was taken on June 10, 2009 by Pete Souza, White House photographer. It's great to see the Commander-In-Chief using a map and thinking geographically about the issues at hand. Thanks to Geographile for pointing out this great photo.

World's Senior Population to Triple

2009-06-23T15:20:28Z

The U.S. Census Bureau is reporting that between now and 2050, the population of those aged 65 years and over will triple from 516 million in 2009 to 1.53 billion in 2050. During that same period, the percentage of those who are under 15 will only increase by 6%.

No Surprise in 2009 Failed States Index

2009-06-24T12:01:22Z

The annual 2009 Failed States Index has been released and the results are not a surprise. The top failed states of 2009 are: 1) Somalia, 2) Zimbabwe, 3) Sudan, 4) Chad, and 5) Democratic Republic of the Congo. Nonetheless, there is some great content with the report, so check it out.