The myth of the continents: A critique of metageography- Martin W. Lewis and Kären E. Wigen’ summary

In the novel, 1493: Uncovering the New World Columbus Created, Charles C. Mann enlightens and captures how Columbus’s expeditions united the lands of Eurasia and America. It is a well-written and informational book that successfully displays much of the development and foundation of our present all from the European discovery of the new world. Charles C. Mann’s main objective with this book was to extend on the geographer, Alfred W Crosby’s explanation of “Ecological Imperialism.”

The author, Robert B. Marks introduces the book, The Origins of the Modern World by introducing the reader to a global narrative of the origins of the modern world starting from 1400 to the present. The book presents the rise of the west as an issue of globalization of Asia, Africa, and the New World. Throughout the book, we see the connection made by the author between the environmental condition and the present economic status of a particular place. By the end of the book, readers are able to understand and reason out what created and solidified a gap between the east and the west, industrialized and non-industrialized and parts of the world that today are defined as the modern world.

The Dumas family was surprised at Americans lack of knowledge of geography. To respectfully tell the people that they did not live where they thought they would say, “ You’ve heard of India, Japan, or China? We’re on the same continent” (Dumas 90).

Euorcentrism is a term that is used in this book to describe how history has been written with its influence mainly from Europe or a European perspective. This unfortunately bases the way history is written and taught for example, textbooks use Christopher Columbus and 1492 as the day the Americas were ?discovered? and by whom. Quite to the contrary the Vikings had landed in North America in approximately 1005 AD, but have been neglected when it comes to being given credit for the ?discovery?. (Lies?43) The real catcher to all of this is that the Americas had been inhabited during all of this by Native Indians who supposedly lived

Loewen is able to further develop his argument by pointing out events that American history textbooks simply avoid or cover up. For the most part, each chapter in this book discusses a certain time in history that is not covered to the fullest extent. For example, chapter two of this book talks about Christopher Columbus and how he was the one to discover The Americas. When in fact, there is a huge possibility that the Phoenicians made a voyage to The Americas or even an African voyage, “Of all the textbooks I surveyed, only two even mention the possibility of African or Phoenician exploration.” Loewen points out that textbooks like to think of the Europeans being the best and the smartest.

The argument begins with a brief summarization of Diamond’s theory. The main point being that the distribution of wealth or success to countries or continents is decided geographically. And within the geographic category is the importance of farming and domestication of animals. Diamond says Eurasia’s advancement happened because of their

C.A country likely constitutes a formal political region because within its boundaries certain conditions of nationality, law, and political tradition prevail.

Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies, by Jared Diamond, attempts to explain why history progressed differently for people from various geographical regions. Diamond introduces his book by pointing out that history followed different courses for different people because of differences among peoples’ environments, not because of biological differences among people themselves. Through his convincing explanation for how civilizations were created and evolved throughout the course of history, he argues that environmental factors gave some societies advantages over others, allowing them to conquer the disadvantaged societies. While I agree with Diamond’s argument that the orientation of continental axis, availability of potential

Main Idea: In Chapter 15, Diamond examines the hemi continents of Australia and New Guinea, why they are ‘primitive’, and why Europeans succeeded to develop in one and not the other.

Diamond states “Technology, in the form of weapons and transport, provides the direct means by which certain peoples have expanded their realms and conquered other peoples.” Most significant inventions in this field (firearms, ships, steel equipment, printing presses, glass, and steam engines, to name a few) were all of Eurasian invention. Diffusion, the author argues, either didn’t exist or didn’t unfold as quickly or efficiently as other areas. Geography, the main factor Diamond argues about history’s development, is included here in the fact that Eurasia is continuous and Europe/Asia is easily accessible to its included North African region through the Suez Canal. The Americas don’t apply in this situation as the connect between the two, the Isthmus of Panama, forty miles wide, “virtually transects the Americas geographically”, and ecologically the Isthmus separates the Darien rainforests of South America and the northern Mexican desert, Diamond explains. The lack of continuity in this case does not allow for a fast, fluid spread of ideas and communication for obvious reasons. Australia, for example, as the most isolated continent, and located so the weather pattern doesn’t allow for proper support of large populations, is why Australia is “the sole continent still without metal artifacts in modern times.” Additionally, Johann Gutenburg’s invention of the

The Sixteenth Century Journal Vol. 29 No.1 (Spring 1998) 19-33. Karl W. Butzer (a professor of Geography at the University of Texas at Austin) argues that the agents of the European encounter with the Americas triggered scientific advancements in “From Columbus to Acosta: Science, Geography, and the New World.” Thane R. Ford (a professor at Brigham Young University) contends that Acosta is an example of how the New World challenged Jesuit cosmology of the Renaissance

While Christopher Columbus first explored The Americas, he falsely accused it of being part of Asia. After claiming this, even King Manuel believed what Columbus had found was nothing new. If it wasn’t for the thinking of Amerigo Vespucci and the crew he had traveled out with, it’s hard to tell what would have happened to what society would have thought was true and what wasn’t. Amerigo, though his expeditions started late in his life, soon became an important part of American history, and our past will continue to remember his very

This quote is certainly true for the 1540 Map of the Western Hemisphere from the Princeton Exhibition: The Pacific Ocean: 250 Years of Maps. Indeed, the map is full of various clues, images, and labels that help to make sense of the colonial world, and help to see the world of colonial South America in a new light. From this map, the confidence of the Europeans, despite their lack of knowledge and limited exploration of the New World, becomes clear. Indeed, this contrast is the most significant take-away from this image: the arrogance of the European colonizers in the face of their arrival to the newly unexplored continent. Through careful analysis of the size of the oceans and landmasses, the orientation of the map, and numerous added

All the continents were once joined together. They loved each other and were the best of friends. Everything was shared between them, and they couldn't imagine how they would survive without each other.

The part of the Middle East being discussed involves the following: Iraq, Transjordan, Palestine, Syria and Lebanon. All of which were directly impacted by the borders which were set up by European countries in the early 20th century. The borders had benefits of course, but they also brought with them quite a few problems. While the Middle Eastern borders are important to dividing that part of the world into different countries, the borders seem to have brought with them a lot of problems that the people living in this part of the world have had to deal with. There are multiple factors involved with this topic, including a few treaties, the Anglo-Persian Oil Company and the start of World War I. The different treaties were the Sykes-Picot Agreement and the Balfour Declaration, both of which involved European countries deciding the future of these countries. All of these factors had a direct impact on the Middle East and had a lasting effect on the people who live in this area of the world.