Harm De Blij, Why Geography Matters More Than Ever

Many scholars have a moment in their life where they knew exactly what they wanted to do for the rest of their lives. Many had to go through several events until they figured it out but for some they just knew. For the case of Harm de Blij, he found himself around time of world war two, memorized by the idea of learning about places all around the world in the comfort of his local library. It was this idea of leaving the place where he was that inserted him into geography. In this Harm found the importance of geography “If, therefore, I write of geography with enthusiasm and in the belief that can make life easier and more meaningful in this complex and changing world, it is because of a lifetime of discovery and fascination.” (Harm de Blij, Why Geography Matters More Than Ever ) Harm built up from his knowledge and later became a professor in Michigan State University. He worked on the National

He knew how essential it was to know your surroundings. That is was more than just maps and being able to pin point where on earth you stood. Geography is about knowing the demography, climate, and much more. For example, when buying a house, first one must identify that where that house is located. That it is not located where it might be affected by any massive natural disasters or even social disputes. Geography can help us determine how climate change will alter different regions and help us understand our environment. Becoming geographic literate has become most important now that modern society is incredibly globalized. Businesses often operate in multiple countries, and consequently they hire people who understand how to market and sell their products to diverse groups of people from different geographic locations. The place where it is vital to know geography is in political affairs. So many disputes could have been avoided if only people would have paid a little more attention to geographic