Geography : realms, regions, and concepts
(Book)

Includes index.

"What are your expectations as you open this book? You have signed up for a course that will take you around the world to try to understand how it functions today. You will discover how interesting and challenging the discipline of geography is. We hope that this course, and this book, will open new vistas, bring new perspectives, raise your awareness of place, and help you navigate our increasingly complex and often daunting world. You could not have chosen a better time to study geography. The world is changing on many fronts and is doing so ever faster in response to the rapid advancement of communication technologies. The world truly is " shrinking," and the likelihood has never been greater that your professional career will be taking you to places far from home. Moreover, the United States is still the world's biggest economy, with political influence to match. Intentionally or not, the United States is affecting nations and peoples, lives and livelihoods, from pole to pole. That power confers on Americans a responsibility to learn as much as they can about those places, nations, and livelihoods, so that the decisions of their government representatives are well informed. But in this respect, the United States is no superpower.Geographic literacy is a measure of international comprehension and awareness, and Americans' geographic literacy ranks low. That is a liability, for both the United States and the rest of the world, because such geographic fogginess afflicts not only voters but also the representatives they elect, from local school boards to the federal government"--,Provided by publisher.