D. Doğu ATES
Geography Teacher

“I understand the logic and purpose of all subjects, but geography feels completely outside my area of interest. After all, I can easily find all kinds of information about any place thanks to communication tools. Even when I change neighborhoods within the city, I can learn in just a few seconds what I can do, what I can eat, which streets to explore, or what historical sites to focus on by using my smartphone. Beyond that, I can instantly find the height of mountains, the depth of oceans, or the features of lakes through Google. So, is there really a need for this memorization-based subject? Soon, thanks to thousands of satellites orbiting the Earth, we will be aware of everything on the planet, even ‘a fly taking off from the ground.’ Given this, why do we need a subject that forces us to memorize information about places on Earth?”
This question, posed by Boran, a 17-year-old student in Ankara, to his teacher, raises an important issue: How should we respond to convince him and make him appreciate geography? Indeed, by 2025, the speed of information circulation worldwide has reached an incredibly high level*. The developments in the world show that Boran is, in a way, correct. Today, humanity can instantly learn about anything related to the world without needing anyone else, all from the comfort of their homes. Therefore, the question “Why do we need geography?” poses a serious challenge, requiring a logical and satisfying answer.
With the Age of Exploration, humans learned about every habitable place on Earth. During the Cold War, they grasped everything about the Earth’s characteristics in space. Moreover, thanks to smartphones, the speed at which humans can access information about place, location, space, and environment has increased even further. Accordingly, geography must move beyond its traditional perception and focus on new topics that meet the needs of modern humans. Today’s geography lessons should address:
• Presenting numerical data in an understandable way on paper.
• Interpreting and analyzing maps based on different patterns.
• Global Climate Change and the resulting disruptions in general atmospheric circulation.
• Morphogenetic processes that vary by country due to Global Climate Change.
• Negative changes caused by Global Warming.
• Modern population concepts.
• The current population dynamics of the world.
• The demographic transition theory and countries that fall outside this developmental pattern.
• New types of migration resulting from human movements.
• Modern settlements and urban geography.
• Changing economic patterns worldwide.
• Globalization.
• Global Development Organizations.
• Environmental issues (air, water, and solid waste pollution).
• The disappearance of borders and the formation of regional unions.
• The significant changes in the speed of information and document exchange.
The new geography curriculum, in addition to the points mentioned above, should focus on nurturing individuals who are environmentally conscious rather than development-focused, who prioritize sustainability for the Earth, who are in harmony with the environment, who recognize the importance of biodiversity for our survival, who understand that Global Warming stems from humanity’s negative development mindset, and who aim to address this issue.

*The highest internet speed achieved to date is 1.02 Petabits per second (Pbit/s). At this speed, it is possible to transfer 127,500 Gigabytes (GB) of data per second. This remarkable achievement represents a significant milestone in the field of data transmission and highlights the rapid advancements in network technology. Such speeds could revolutionize industries, enabling unprecedented levels of data processing, communication, and innovation.