Dr. Edmar Bernardes DaSilva (Masters in Geography and Doctor of Geography Education)
Geography in reality has a utilitarian value in the modern world. As the interconnectedness of the world accelerates the practical need for geographic knowledge becomes more critical and extremely necessary. Imagine a doctor who treats diseases without understanding the environment in which the diseases thrive and spread, or a manufacturer who is ignorant of world markets and resources, or a postal worker who cannot distinguish Guinea from Guyana or Austria from Australia. With a strong grasp of geography, people are better equipped to solve issues at not only at the local level but also at the global level. A lot people still do not understand that we live in a Global Village and the interconnection is impossible to stop.
Then you read in the news that a president of a country confuses Austria and Australia or the economic data from one country with another one or even confuses cultural life styles of one country and another which many times offends people that are proud of their language and cultural make up. A typical American geographical mistake is to confuse Rio de Janeiro as the capital of Argentina and Buenos Aires as the capital of Brazil. A statesman who arrives in a country and doesn’t know what country he is in and how he got there should not be a statesman at all, because his position already implies that he needs to know the geography (physical, cultural, political, economic...) of his country and also the entire world.
In short, all themes and concepts of geography are very useful and important in our everyday life, and when you take your learning of geography for granted, you are a candidate to become a world affairs illiterate, who will always confuse Portuguese and Spanish, German and Dutch, Austria and Australia and so on.
Then you read in the news that a president of a country confuses Austria and Australia or the economic data from one country with another one or even confuses cultural life styles of one country and another which many times offends people that are proud of their language and cultural make up. A typical American geographical mistake is to confuse Rio de Janeiro as the capital of Argentina and Buenos Aires as the capital of Brazil. A statesman who arrives in a country and doesn’t know what country he is in and how he got there should not be a statesman at all, because his position already implies that he needs to know the geography (physical, cultural, political, economic...) of his country and also the entire world.
In short, all themes and concepts of geography are very useful and important in our everyday life, and when you take your learning of geography for granted, you are a candidate to become a world affairs illiterate, who will always confuse Portuguese and Spanish, German and Dutch, Austria and Australia and so on.
Physical Geography
Cartography - GIS and Remote Sensing
Biogeography
Human Geography
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