World Affairs Annual.

Even the most far-flung parts of the world don't seem as remote as they used to. In the age of the Internet, 24-hour news channels, and global, terrorism, it's neither possible nor wise to ignore what's happening around the globe. These days, events that take place thousands of mites away can affect all of us back here in Seattle, Dallas, Atlanta, or wherever we Live. That's where the World Affairs Annual comes in.

Inside you'll find the most current maps and an almanac with information about 193 countries: from capital cities and the kings, presidents, generals, and prime ministers who preside over them, to which of the world's 6,000-plus languages are spoken on the streets. (You can also find out which countries drink the most soda, and what the most popular Google searches are.)

We hope that you'll save this issue for year-round reference, and that it will give you some of the background you need to understand what's happening in the news as we head into 2005.

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WORLD ATLAS

Maps do more than help locate countries. They can also provide information about a region's history and culture.

TEACHING OBJECTIVES

To help students understand how to use maps and how maps can help them better understand the world's cultural, economic, and political diversity.

MAP STUDY/CRITICAL THINKING: Tell students that maps can provide clues about a country's people and even its history. For example, have students locate South Africa on the Africa and world maps. Then tell them that nearly 14 percent of that country's 43 million citizens are descendants of the Dutch and British. What might account for this on a continent where the vast majority of people are native Africans?

The world map offers a clue. South Africa was a stopping-off point for Dutch and British traders and explorers who were searching for routes to Asia but stayed to settle in the region.

Or take a look at Iceland on the Europe map. Tell students that Icelandic teenagers can read literature that was written more than a thousand years ago as easily as American teens can read their school newspaper. The reason? Iceland's isolation long insulated it from outside influences and preserved the language of the ancient Vikings who settled there.

MAP/SCAVENGER HUNT: One way to personalize world maps for students is to have them identify products they own or use that come from other countries. For example, since much of the clothing sold in the U.S. is manufactured in other countries, it would be an easy task for students to scavenge through their closets to find foreign-made clothes. The same is true for TVs, radios, and computers.

Students can list items and then use the maps--and the almanac--to locate and research the countries where the products were made.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

* How does the North America map support the theory that ancestors of American Indians came from Asia?

* How does the South America map explain why animals of the Galapagos Islands are unique to the area?

FAST FACT: Many scientists believe that the first world map the so-called Vinland Map--showing northeast Canada, Africa, Europe, and Asia, was produced by Vikings about 1434, some 60 years before Christopher Columbus's first voyage to America.

QUIZ 2

Atlas

(This is an open-book test.)

1. A few countries have more than one capital. In South America, -- is the only country with two capital cities.

2. Airplane crews heading for any of these three U.S. cities --, -- and -- would find them located at 30 degrees north latitude.

3. U.S. soldiers are currently stationed in the tiny northeastern African country of --, whose capital city is the same as the name of the country.

4. Teresa Heinz Kerry, wife of presidential candidate John Kerry, was born and raised in the African nation of --, whose capital city is Maputo.

5. In late September, two terrorists were sentenced to death in the Middle Eastern country of -- for their part in the 2000 bombing of the USS Cole in the port of Aden, which killed 17 American sailors.

6. Many U.S. companies have transferred their call centers to --, a country bordered in part by China and Nepal.

7. --, a republic of the former Soviet Union, borders the Black Sea and has the same name as a southern U.S. state.

8. During World War II, the U.S. sent thousands of supply ships to the northern European port of -- on the Barents Sea to help the Russians fight German invaders.

9. Three South American capitals --, --, and -- are located at almost the same latitude.

10. -- is the only capital city in Oceania not located adjacent to the ocean.

11. As the crow flies, it is almost exactly 600 miles from Mexico's capital to the Texas city of --.

12. The Economic Map of the World shows that the Middle Eastern country with the highest per capita GDP is --.

Answer Key

Upfront Quiz 2 * page TE5

1. Bolivia. 2. Jacksonville, New Orleans, Houston. 3. Djibouti. 4. Mozambique. 5. Yemen. 6. India. 7. Georgia. 8. Murmansk. 9. Santiago, Buenos Aires, Montevideo. 10. Canberra. 11. San Antonio. 12. United Arab Emirates.