Exploring Your World [antikvár]

FOREWORD I vividly remember my excitement as a child each time an explorer visited our home. As I listened to one fascinating story after another, I came to see geography as an African plain full of wildlife, or the teeming, fragile web of life in a rain forest, or a polar region where only the howling wind seemed alive. Geography illuminated the world for me. Many people do not have the opportunity to travel widely, but everyone can —and should—feel the wonder of learning about the earth and its peoples. As President of the National Geographic Society and as a parent, I have made geography education my top priority. I am trying to see to it that everyone discovers that geography is fun, that it is exciting, and, most important, that it is necessary. In the future, the peoples and places of the world will be even more interdependent than they are today. Local events will more frequently have global consequences. Tomorrow's leaders must understand the worldwide effects of environmental hazards, trade imbalances, religious conflicts, and a host of other issues that are grounded in geography. With these things in mind, the staff of Exploring Your World: The Adventure of Geography has spent more than three years working with educators and experts in many fields to produce this unique volume. Between its covers is an unparalleled amount of geographic information for students of all ages, conveyed through text, photographs, maps, and art. This book invites readers to explore the "hows" and "whys" of our planet—its processes and interrelationships—as well as the "wheres." Though its nature has changed, exploration has become perhaps even more exciting since the Society was founded in 1888 for "the increase and diffusion of geographic knowledge." Now, as the Society moves into its second century, Exploring Your World reaffirms our commitment to nurturing thoughtful citizens of tomorrow's world.