Geography News Network

Should a marine wildlife preserve be created in Antarctica? This podcast explores the rejected proposal for a wildlife preserve in the Ross Sea. Discover the three differing opinions from conversationalists, fishermen, and scientists about priorities for thriving wildlife the environment and scientific study. To read this article click here. 

When it opened in July of 2012, Zaatari was intended to hold a maximum of 60,000 refugees.  However, UNHCR currently estimates the camp is housing nearly 150,000 people, 60% under the age of 18, making it the fourth largest population center in Jordan and more than three times the size of nearby Mafraq town.  The people of Jordan are beginning to speak up out of concern for their own welfare, and many are questioning the longevity of the current solutions.

This GNN podcast explores the chilling tale of the Salem witch trials. Discover the factors that pushed the villagers of Salem, Massachusetts to their breaking point and led twenty villagers to be accused of witchcraft, imprisoned and executed. This hair-raising story has arrived just in time for Halloween. To read this acticle click here! 

Listeners will discover the New Century Global Center in Chengdu, China. The building houses 14 I-Max theaters and an indoor beach, fully equipped with artificial sun. The building was created to shelter the residents from the city's extreme heat and poor air quality caused by environmental and geographic challenges. This lesson will discuss the amenities created for center, the reasons behind building it and the other cities that may consider an option like this in the future. To read this article click here! 

Discover the threats facing the Great Barrier Reef of Queensland, Australia. This massive ecosystem is in danger due to the expanding coal industry and climate changes, which are induced by increased carbon dioxide levels and pollution. Listeners will learn about the efforts to slow the harvesting of natural resources, in order to save the Great Barrier Reef. To read this article click here! 

Since Croatia joined the European Union in July 2013, Croatian is now the 24th official language of the Union. But not everybody agrees on what constitutes the Croatian language and whether such a separate language exists at all. What makes a form of speech a distinct language or a mere dialect? Serbian nationalists insist that everybody shares the same language, “Serbian”. But many Croats persist in making their national language, still based on the Shtokavian dialect, as distinct from Serbian as possible. As so often occurs, politics intrudes on language, and in so doing changes the map of linguistic patterns in unexpected ways.To read this article please visit Maps101 or click here! 

Many people, including the president, have argued that the world has a moral responsiblity to destry or at least diminish the Syrian government's ability to use chemical weapons. Is there a moral difference between killing innocent people with explosions and killing them with poison gas? Should America and the International community have gotten involved on moral grounds to protect innocent lives before now? While the world debates, Syria suffers. This article takes students on a geographical journey through the tensions of Syrian (and surrounding Middle Eastern countries) relations to the rest of the world. For corresponding maps and lesson plans to aid this article (as well as a PDF version of the article itself), please visit www.maps101.com. 3 Critical Thinking questions are included in this episode: 1.         President Obama says that he wants only to destroy Syria’s ability to kill people with chemical weapons.  What kinds of information would the Pres

A historical description of Christopher Columbus's journey to discovering the Americas. The article begins with his early life and his quest for financing from Spain and Portugal. It covers his the voyage by sea, the discovery of the Americas, and the impact that the discovery had on Europe and the future. To read this article please visit Maps101 or cick here!

Chernobyl is a place known around the world. The meltdown at the Chernobyl power plant in 1986 made front-page news, and until Japan's Fukushima disaster of 2011, was considered the world's worst nuclear accident. With North Korea's recent threats of a nuclear strike aimed at South Korea, Japan and the United States, the geography of Chernobyl's impacts and the lessons learned are worth repeating to each generation. 

Among the world’s longest-lived hotspots is the Caucasus region, rivaling only the Balkans as a volatile kettle of violent and rebellious ethnic cultures. Attention is now focused on Chechnya and the Caucasus region because of the ethnicity of the alleged Boston Marathon bombers. Geography in the News is written by Dr. Neal Lineback and Mandy Gritzner, and is made possible by Maps101, a Maps.com Education resource for the best K-12 common core standard geography lesson plans, articles, maps, and videos. To learn more about how to join the thousands of teachers already subscribed to Maps101, go to our website at www.maps101.com. While all Geography in the News™ articles and lessons can be read online, they have also been converted to PDF format which makes downloading and printing fast and easy. Subscribers have the option of printing color or black and white versions of each article, which can then be photocopied for distribution. All of the articles' PDF versions are formatted to print on a

The Lewis and Clark expedition is a spellbinding adventure story for all generations. Each summer brings a flood of tourists to view or travel portions of the famous route. Take a journey with us as we explore the epic route of these two courageous travellers in our recent Geography in the News article. Geography in the News is written by Dr. Neal Lineback and Mandy Gritzner, and is made possible by Maps101, a Maps.com Education resource for the best K-12 common core standard geography lesson plans, articles, maps, and videos. To learn more about how to join the thousands of teachers already subscribed to Maps101, go to our website at www.maps101.com. While all Geography in the News™ articles and lessons can be read online, they have also been converted to PDF format which makes downloading and printing fast and easy. Subscribers have the option of printing color or black and white versions of each article, which can then be photocopied for distribution. All of the articles' PDF versions are formatted