NATIONAL GEOGRAPHY STANDARDS
The goal of the National Geography Standards is to produce a geographically informed person whosees meaning in the arrangement of things in space and applies a spatial perspective to life situations.The geographically informed person knows and understands:
The World in Spatial Terms
1. How to use maps and other geographic representations, tools, and technologies to acquire, process, and report information from a spatial perspective
2. How to use mental maps to organize information about people, places, and environments in a spatial context
3. How to analyze the spatial organization of people, places, and environments on earthÕs surface
Places and Regions
4. The physical and human characteristics of places
5. That people create regions to interpret earthÕs complexity
6. How culture and experience influence peopleÕs perceptions of places and regions
Physical Systems
7. The physical processes that shape the patterns of earthÕs surface
8. The characteristics and spatial distribution of ecosystems on earthÕs surface
Human Systems
9. The characteristics, distribution, and migration of human populations on earthÕs surface
10. The characteristics, distribution, and complexity of earthÕs cultural mosaics
11. The patterns and networks of economic interdependence on earthÕs surface
12. The processes, patterns, and functions of human settlement
13. How the forces of cooperation and conflict among people influence the division and control of@earth's surface
Environment and Society
14. How human actions modify the physical environment
15. How physical systems affect human systems
16. The changes that occur in the meaning, use, distribution, and importance of resources
The Uses of Geography
17. How to apply geography to interpret the past
18. How to apply geography to interpret the present and plan for the future