7 People Who Know It Pays To Learn Geography

There’s more to the study of geography than you might know. Knowing geography helps you understand the relationship between people and their environment, the way culture and location can impact the world, and how place makes a difference on our lives. Here are some folks who know that geography can be the deciding factor in fame or notoriety, success or failure, and even life or death. *Celebrate Geography Awareness Week Nov. 16-22*

1. The A Student

In 2004, a 10 year old girl named Tilly Smith saved nearly a hundred people at Maikhao Beach in Thailand when she recognized warning signs of a tsunami. Smith had learned about tsunamis in her geography class only two weeks before, and alerted her parents to the receding shoreline and frothing bubbles on the surface of the water. Maikhao Beach was evacuated, and was one of the few beaches on the island with no casualties. Here’s to paying attention in class.

2. The Warrior

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Geography has determined the winners and losers of wars countless times, but if you want a classic example, see the Battle of Thermopylae. In 480 BC, the ancient Greeks used the local geography, the pass of Thermopylae and the Straights of Artemisium, to block the much bigger Persian army. In the end, their secret weapon worked against them when a local betrayed the Greeks and revealed a small path that lead behind Greek lines. Still, the 300 Spartan warriors who fought so bravely are famous to this day.

3. The Local

Shopping locally for food and other products can help creates jobs in your community, reduce waste, save you time and money, and help you get to know your community better. People who strive to know more about their local region learn about geography in more ways than one. Knowing where your food comes from, your carbon footprint, and who makes the products you buy can have a big effect on your life. As they say: Location, location, location.

4. The Beauty Queen

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In 2007, Miss South Carolina pageant contestant Caitlin Upton gained notoriety when her epically rambling answer to a question about the absence of geography in American education went viral. As a guest on NBC’s The Today Show, Upton had another chance to answer the question, and redeemed herself by saying she believed that there should be more emphasis on geography in our education so people will learn how to read maps better. And how.

5. The Zoologist

In 2013, scientists discovered a new mammal species right under their noses. The olinguito, a member of the raccoon family that looks like a cross between a cat and a teddy bear, was mistaken for its cousin, the olingo, for hundreds of years. Though the olinguito and the olingo occupy the same geographic region, the adorable olinguitos live in a different habitat—the cloud forests of the Andes Mountains of South America. This may be the cutest proof that geography can’t be reduced to just borders that we’ve found.

6. The Foodie

Everyone knows food geography basics, like the best seafood comes from restaurants right off the coast. True foodies, though, must be geographic experts when it comes to food. In the United States you can find international cuisine on the street corners of every major city, but the truth is the best food can only be found in its native region. Taste the gumbo in New Orleans, the brisket in Austin, or the crab cakes in Baltimore and you’ll have proof enough.

7. The Martian

The only Martians we’re sure about are NASA’s Mars Exploration Rovers, Spirit and Opportunity. The twin geologists made the mission to Mars to characterize the rocks, soil, and water activity on the red planet, but they didn’t start from scratch. The team behind the rovers used hundreds of years of Earth geography to make educated decisions when guiding the rovers on the red planet. There’s no limit to the places geography can take you!