Social: #GeoWeek2020 #GeoWeek
Twitter: @theAAG
Facebook: geographers
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Website: www.gisday.com
Geoliteracy has never been more vital.
The year 2020 is best seen through its geographies. From the searing bushfires in Australia to the summer floods that affected 10 East African countries, from the devastating wildfires in Siberia to those on the Pacific Northwest coast of the US, from a global pandemic that radically altered humanity’s understanding of shared and separate space to the profound racial, social, and economic disparities that COVID-19 threw in sharp relief, we have needed the tools and practices of geography to better grasp what is happening where, and why.
This year, geographers responded to the widespread public need for knowledge. We developed dashboards and databases on COVID-19; mapped and measured severe climate events; and demonstrated how the historic and systemic roots of racial segregation continue to threaten economic opportunities, mobility, safety, and health for Black, Indigenous, and People of Color.
This proliferation of maps, visualizations, and storytelling about space and place in 2020 has informed public policies and personal choices, opening a window on how geoliteracy—the understanding and application of geographic concepts and reasoning—can support complex, relational perspectives and decision making for the Earth’s future.
Help us celebrate the rich knowledge and practice of geography during #GeoWeek2020, to ensure that more people know their world--and can act on what they know. Here are a few ways you can participate:
Follow @theAAG on Twitter and Instagram using the #GeoWeek2020 and #GeoWeek hashtags, or visit us on Facebook and LinkedIn.
Download resources for teaching and awareness—Coming soon!
Add your event to our Geography Awareness Week map—Coming soon!
About Geography Awareness Week
Geography Awareness Week is an annual celebration of geography and the important role it plays in our lives. Founded by presidential proclamation in 1987, Geography Awareness Week is observed during the third week of November each year.
Geography Awareness Week is funded through AAG’s general funds. As a nonprofit organization, we appreciate the individual support that makes activities like this possible. To make a tax-deductible gift to AAG's unrestricted funds, visit our donations page.