Learning the map of Earth -- benefits of doing so!

[Tasaio]

Greetings

I've lived in Toronto, Ontario, Canada for my entire 20 years of life. In that time, the only "maps" I learned were those required for school; namely, the map of Canada.

Sure, I could vaguely tell you where certain countries were, and what the continents looked like, but I had no idea what various countries' capitals were.

Incredibly, I probably knew the least about the US -- for instance, I thought Washington D.C. was located in Washinton state!!!

But a few days ago, I realized how beneficial memorizing world maps could be.

To date, I've restudied Canada, I've learned the US states and capitals, the Mexican states, Central American countries, and I've moved down to South America.

I've noticed some great benefits of doing so:

- History becomes easier. When I read about "there was a skirmish along this border", I'm able to internalize the info much more readily

- My mind seems more organized. Before, any facts I learned about geographic locations were all in a jumble; now, they're carefully inserted into a 2-D map I've constructed in my mind.

- I find it inspiring. Whereas before, I thought "learning the entire world map is impossible", I now realize that it's entirely possible, if you take it one step at a time!

- I have a greater desire to learn about other places. Prior to tackling this project, you could probably call me "ethnocentric".

To me, Canada was my world, and every other country was "foreign". But learning about these countires, in relation to Canada, has made them seem less like "them" and more like "us".

- The world seems smaller. I say "smaller" in the sense that it no longer seems unthinkable to travel to Japan, or visit the US -- everything seems so much closer to Canada.

- The world seems bigger. Whereas everything seems "closer", I've come to realize how much of the world remains unexplored -- incredibly, there are places above and under the sea that people have never visited. There's so much more to explore.

- I'm less depressed about Earth's future. Whereas before, I pretty much thought "Earth is doomed from global warming, we need to move to another planet". Now, I've rekindled a sort of connection with the rest of the world --I actually feel a sense of love for Earth, and a desire to leave it.

My question is, how and why did you learn the world map, and what benefits did you experience from doing so?

[Erki]

I learned nearly the whole world map when I was maybe 4 or 5. I had a huge map of world on my wall and I could stare at the map for ages. I didn't learn it in a sense that I now go and memorize this and this many countries and their locations, I just liked to look what's where and how it looks and what's its shape and colour(on the map). The colours didn't stay in my head because after some time I got my hands on an atlas(more detail, wheee! ) and the colours didn't mesh. After a while, I just knew nearly all the countries, their location and their capital cities.

I remember I had a thing for all kinds of maps and schemes so I liked to look at them and try to understand them... worth mentioning that that big map on my wall was in fact written in Russian, I have no idea how I managed to understand it all. I had little cubes made out of wood with letters on them, some of them were Latin and some Russian letters, maybe that's where I picked up the Russian letters and their Latin equivalents.

Benefits? I had a lot of fun. (No geeky smilie here?) It perhaps improved my memory too, I have quite good one(at least I used to have). And yes, knowing that it's more than 3,000 miles from Estonia to USA(a teacher of mine once said it) without having to consult with a map is also useful.

I have to tell though, that these days my geographical knowledge is much more vague but I reckon it still wouldn't take me more than 15 seconds to look for a country on a map.

OK this message box has grown quite large now, have to stop bragging.

[RT Wolf]

Good post. I've added learning the world map to my someday/maybe list.

If you goal is to encourage people to learn the world map, perhaps you could help us to visualize how to fit it into our lives. You could put up a link to a good map of the world, or encourage people to get a large poster of the world (like Erki said) from our local office supplies store or something. I know it sounds like it isn't make a big difference, but it does.

[Tasaio]

Originally Posted by RT Wolf

Good post. I've added learning the world map to my someday/maybe list.

If you goal is to encourage people to learn the world map, perhaps you could help us to visualize how to fit it into our lives. You could put up a link to a good map of the world, or encourage people to get a large poster of the world (like Erki said) from our local office supplies store or something. I know it sounds like it isn't make a big difference, but it does.

I find Wikipedia the simplest source of maps, but this is also a good site:

World Atlas: Americas, Europe, Asia, Africa, Middle East, Oceania, … — Infoplease.com

I tend to memorize, say, a country or continent's subregions just before going to bed. Once I've got the countries and states down, I'll move onto the capital cities.

[RT Wolf]

Thanks.

[Perseus]

Have a look at this freeware program for memorising countries, flags and capital cities. Seterra - Learn Geography. Free Software.

So far i have memorised Europe and the US states but i plan to eventually learn the world map. I've found it pretty useful when reading about history or watching the news. I think it helps you understand more if you can visualise where somewhere is.

[ElizaJ]

Tasaio, great thread! Thanks for starting it. I like all the well-thought out points you made.

[Liara Covert]

Tasaoi, I agree with others that this is a really great thread! Maps are a splendid source of inspiration for learning, sharing thoughts and also building greater understanding. Their boundaries may be a source of contention, but they can spur dialogue and incite debates.

I've been fascinated by maps since a very young age. I was born in New Brunswick, Canada and maps were like a window into the world for me. At age 11, I read an article about a summer camp for kids from all over the world that was based in the western U. S. I decided to save up money so I could attend. My parents may not have thought I'd do it, yet to motivate me, they said if I managed to save half the money, they would provide the balance. By age 13, I managed to do this.

This experience changed my life because I reached out to meet people from different parts of the world I had only seen on maps before that. As the result of being inspired at that camp, I made friends of different nationalities and acquired foreign penpals. I also nurtured a dream that I would find ways to visit as many countries as I could to learn about cultures and civilisations of the people. I developed an intense desire to learn, to become more open-minded and in so doing, I've learned a great deal about myself.

In my lifetime thus far, I've visited over 50 countries. I'm fortunate to visit friends and make new ones in many of these places. Such experiences have nutured qualities in me that prompt me to raise awareness of the benefits of tolerance, difference and meaningful exchanges. I agree with Stephen Covey who highlights the importance of making consistent efforts to renew and improve in four dimensions of one's life: physical, spiritual, mental and social/ emotional. My experience is that travel abroad and travel inside yourself enable all of this. Maps offer us a sense of known geographical options and we have the choice to evolve based on what we read, how we make choices and navigate our way through the life we create for ourselves.

"The single most powerful investment we can ever make in life--investment in ourselves, is the only instrument we have with which to deal with life and to contribute." -Stephen Covey

[Lynn 007]

Although I still have so much to learn about world maps some of the things that have engaged me to learn are:

1. Family games
Growing up we would play georgraphy games for prizes. ie alphabetically list all canadian provinces east to west, list all american states by size or alphabetically, on a blank world map (only borders shown) list as many countries in a certain time limit as possible.

2. Work
At work I've arranged to have a world map in the kitchen of the office. There are about 60 people in the office from all over the world. Each person in the office is given round stickies to mark their itinials on, where they were born and places they visted. As staff travel on vacation everyone sends us a postcard, so our world map is also surrounded by postcards from people we know.

3. Friends
I am very grateful I live in one of the most multi-cultural cities in the world and most of my friends were not born in the same country as me. By getting to know people from different walks of life, born in different countries it allows me to become more familar with other countries and how far they've come to be in Canada.

4. Travel
My goal is still to have a cup of tea in darjeeling, India but I've been fortunate enough to travel to some countries (all major cities in north america, caribbean, asia, australia). The people I've met traveling the main conversations have been: where you been? where you going? That has also helped me learn more about georgraphy because I can put a face to a place.

Lynn

[C33]

Thank you Taio,

Learning about world geography and history is part of my N.Y resolutions.

I feel like a fool because I can never locate places of major conflicts in the world, and when I watch the news ( extremely rare occurrence), I can't locate the places where the events happen. I feel it is a lack of respect. I don t know how I would feel if there was a major conflict in my country and people wouldn t know where it is!

Being curious about the world can start anywhere with geography ,history, art. It is easy in countries like the U.S and Canada to be America-centric, because most of the news are centered on national issues. I was born and raised in France, and because it is such a small country surrounded by other countries, it creates a natural awareness of the world around.Plus the educational program, at least in my days, was heavy on world geography. (not that I retained anything).

Yet, there is such a lack of inclusion of different cultures in the educational system. For example, I learned recently, that there is a whole side of philosophy that is completely swept under the rug: philosophy stemming from Asia, Arabic countries and so forth. People think philosophy started with the Greeks but it is not so. I was ignorant of this fact.

Curiosity is a great thing and it can lead to many adventures, new encounters, and life enrichment.It starts with a map, and it ends in travel! Great thread!

PS:If anyone could suggest a freeware or any book about learning more about history, I would appreciate it. I would like to understand how the major conflicts came about: especially Israel/ Palestine, Ireland/U.K, Irak/U.S. I would need a global ( simple)understanding of these conflicts, how they came about, so I don t feel lost when I watch the news.

[Megan]

Great thread topic, and thanks for the links, all.

I'm map challenged because I'm challenged in spatial orientation altogether, for reasons I can't fathom--maybe because in kindergarten they tried to make me write with my right hand. But who knows?

I just have this nagging little underlying feeling that you're not really living in reality if you can't even orient yourself spatially, know what I mean?

I've looked at a map of my state countless times, but I'd be embarrassed if anyone gave me a test on the major cities. Getting spatial information to "stick" is one of my challenges.

I'll try the freeware and see if I can start to shift that. Thanks a bunch!

Here's a quote for you:

Map me no maps, sir, my head is a map, a map of the whole world.
--Henry Fielding, 1707-1754

[Megan]

I downloaded this freeware program (thanks Perseus!):

Seterra - Learn Geography. Free Software.

I tackled Europe first.

First try: 58% correct; time 6 minutes, 58 seconds (I kid you not)

Last try: 100% correct; time 1 minute, 27 seconds

This is fun! I really didn't think I could do it. Just goes to show....

[placebo]

I simply can't believe that you are writing this. I thought that everybody knows at least positions of bigger world countries. I've learned it when i was 6 years old and considered that everyone did the same. But now i see i was wrong.

So little tip before you start, buy new map of the world. Countries like Yugoslavia, SSSR or Čehoslovakia don't exist anymore.

[Megan]

Some of us were dealing with severe home situations in grade school, or poor teachers, or any number of things, I'm sure, that are not conducive to learning.

Hey, now I know where Moldavia and Macedonia are. Should I be feeling badly because I learned something I missed in grade school? Or because I have learning disabilities?

It feels good to learn something whenever you learn it.

I didn't know it was a race--I just love learning, to paraphrase...you.

Did you also think everyone learned to read in the first grade? Would you say what you just said to an illiterate adult? An illiterate teenager?

Do "winners" put down people who know less than they?

Illiteracy in the United States

• 50 million Americans cannot read or comprehend above the 8th grade level.
• Existing literacy programmes reach less than 10% of these people.
• The U.S. has a dropout rate of 29% compared to 5% in Japan and 2% in Russia.
• Illiteracy costs business in the U.S. $225 billion a year.
• 60% of prison inmates are illiterate.
• Almost 50% of adults who receive welfare are illiterate.
• Almost 75% of those who are unemployed are illiterate.
• Children of unemployed parents are 5 times more likely to drop out of school.
• Almost 90% of juvenile offenders are illiterate.

The Communication Initiative - Base Line - Illiteracy in the United States -

On a Personal Development forum, I say we cheer on all kinds of development!

Good for you, and all of us who continue learning, Tasaio!

[Tasaio]

Originally Posted by Megan

Some of us were dealing with severe home situations in grade school, or poor teachers, or any number of things, I'm sure, that are not conducive to learning.

Hey, now I know where Moldavia and Macedonia are. Should I be feeling badly because I learned something I missed in grade school? Or because I have learning disabilities?

It feels good to learn something whenever you learn it.

I didn't know it was a race--I just love learning, to paraphrase...you.

Did you also think everyone learned to read in the first grade? Would you say what you just said to an illiterate adult? An illiterate teenager?

Do "winners" put down people who know less than they?




On a Personal Development forum, I say we cheer on all kinds of development!

Good for you, and all of us who continue learning, Tasaio!

Thanks Megan!

I can't believe that all these years, I thought "New Zealand" was actually "The Philippines".

[Megan]

Tasaio wrote:

I can't believe that all these years, I thought "New Zealand" was actually "The Philippines".

Don't get me started! Well, at least we know where Croatia is now, huh?

Before, I didn't even know what continent Surinam was on, and now I've got Europe and Central and South America squared away. Yea!

Thanks for starting this thread--it's very empowering!

PS: I'm also math challenged. I should take courage from you and start a thread!

[Emile]

Pretty interesting thread! (And hi folks, I'm new here )

Wikipedia's the best place for learning about other countries! I used to regularly look at the lists of countries classified by size and by population, and read about them until I had a good enough grasp of their "story" - "Turkmenistan's the one with the loony dictator" (he's dead now tho, yay!), Kyrgizistan's the one that had a bloody interethnic civil war after the fall of the soviet union ... or was it Tadjikistan? As you see, my knowledge is still far from being perfect I haven't been doing that systematic learning recently, but do look things up as soon as I'm a bit unsure of the details.

I occasionally try to draw maps of parts of the world - it's a good way to learn! Afterwards when I see the map I'll automatically look for the bits I didn't know about. Last time I took the plane I had a magazine with some advertisement that had part of a world map, so I played filling in the countries to pass the time I got a lot of them wrong though ... but I'm getting better!

[Liara Covert]

One thing I appreciate about maps is that national boundaries are frequently changing and this gives me new opportunities to learn. When I was back in school, Canada only had 10 provinces and two territories. Only later, did it designate a third territory and revise boundaries. Among other things, this led me to buy a new crossword puzzle for my goddaughter in France. School texts still had the old map of Canada and didn't keep up with changes. The fact that countries break up or refine national and state boundaries can also be a constant challenge for people who usually memorize things once and then don't review. I like to ask questions, yet I can always learn new details. I feel grateful that I don't feel I'd ever know everything. This keeps me ready and willing to interact and seek new answers.

"The purpose of learning is growth, and our minds, unlike our bodies, can continue growing as we continue to live." -Mortimer Adler

[ferociousgoals]

I would like to thank Perseus for providing the link to Seterra!

Five days ago, I could only locate four countries in Africa (and had never heard of many). I had some of Europe and Asia down, but only the big countries and a few select places that frequent the news. I thought I knew where all the States were, but I missed more than a couple of them.

Now I have all of Africa down cold and can identify all the major countries in the world in under 2 minutes. It feels GREAT to immediately know where something is happening when it comes up on the news (problems in Guinea, for example) and it increases my awareness of the depth of political interaction to know who shares borders (I had no clue that India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, and the surprisingly massive Kazakhstan shared a border with China).

I highly recommend taking this on as a project (it won't even take thirty days!) and third the praise for the freeware.

[Megan]

Isn't that Seterra freeware just the best--thanks again, Perseus! Every school should have it.

Thanks for motivating me to go try Africa again, ferociousgoals--I was really dismal the one time I tried it.

All the countries in under two minutes? Whoa...now I'm really challenged!

Hi Emile--have you tried Seterra? I'll have to graduate to Wikipedia when I get the names and places all down--good suggestion.

[ferociousgoals]

Megan, I got through Africa by using the North Africa/South Africa option at first, then moving on to the whole continent. I'm still using a lot of little memory tricks to locate countries, but I know if I keep using it, it will move to real memory.

My next plan, once I don't have to use the tricks, is to get the capitals for the world down! That one may be a month-long project, hah.