Comparing electoral maps of Canada and the United States is a challenging exercise. The two countries have markedly different political systems: the United States is a presidential democratic republic and Canada is a nominally monarchical state governed through a Westminster-style parliamentary democracy. Although both counties are organized as federal rather than unitary states, the individual […] The post Comparing Recent Patterns of Electoral Geography in the United States and Canada (Part 1: State/Province Level) appeared first on GeoCurrents.

As I argued in the previous Geo-Currents post, the semi-standard world regional model is indispensable for understanding global geography. But as it is also highly flawed, it should be complemented with other models. I have therefore devised an alternative scheme, one designed to more accurately reflected deep cultural affinities. It is highly idiosyncratic and problematic […] The post A Semi-Serious Historically Based Alternative World Regionalization Model appeared first on GeoCurrents.

While the continental model is ostensibly based on physical features, the world regional model is keyed more to geopolitical factors. As a result, it does not generally divide countries among regions. The one exception is France, whose exclaves (overseas departments) are usually placed in Latin America (Guiana, Guadeloupe, and Martinique) and sub-Saharan Africa (Réunion and […] The post Problematic Countries in the World Regional Model appeared first on GeoCurrents.

Despite my harsh criticisms of the continental model expressed in the preceding posts, I do think that it should be taught to young students. In my ideal scenario, first-graders would be shown, ideally by examining a globe, that there are six very large masses of land that are separated, or almost separated, from each other […] The post From Continents to the World Regional Model appeared first on GeoCurrents.