The National Geography Standards
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Political geographers study the forces of conflict and cooperation as they influence the division and control of Earth's surface. We can read some of the trends in conflict and cooperation on the linguistic landscape of the United States. |
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Jerusalem, Israel/ Al Quds, Palestine -- Nowhere is the conflict over territory more accentuated than in that part of the Middle East between the Mediterranean and the Jordan River. In the hills between the two is a city the Israelis call Jerusalem and the Palestinians call Al Quds, "The Holy." Within the city, Muslims' Dome of the Rock (the golden dome) and the Jews' Western Wall (where people are congregating on the plaza) are only paces away. |
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Saqqara, Egypt - The step pyramid of Zoser (ca. 2650 B.C.) has come to symbolize the control which the kings of Egypt extended over the people of the Nile Valley. Construction of such "wonders of the world" depends on the ability of "the state" to command the armies of workers devoted to preserving the body and soul of the king. It was here at Saqqara that the Pyramid Age began. |
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Israeli Settlements in the Golan Heights, February 1992 - The Golan Heights was seized by Israel in 1967 and later annexed. Syria, however, continues to claim the Golan and insists on its return as a condition of peace in the Middle East. The Golan is a zone of conflict rather than cooperation. Source: Central Intelligence Agency, 724711 (R00412). |
A Sample Question from the National Geography Challenge 1996 (Grades 7-9) which illustrates . . .
STANDARD 13 -- COPERATION AND CONFLICT
These days the two Koreas are often headlined in news reports. To what countries do these reports refer?