Geography+Standards

The goal of the National Geography Standards is to produce a geographically informed person who sees meaning in the arrangement of things in space and applies a spatial perspective to life situations. The geographically informed person knows and understands:

1. How to use maps and other geographic representations, tools, and technologies to acquire, process, and report information from a spatial perspective 2. How to use mental maps to organize information about people, places, and environments in a spatial context 3. How to analyze the spatial organization of people, places, and environments on earth’s surface
 * The World in Spatial Terms**

4. The physical and human characteristics of places 5. That people create regions to interpret earth’s complexity 6. How culture and experience influence people’s perceptions of places and regions
 * Places and Regions**

7. The physical processes that shape the patterns of earth’s surface 8. The characteristics and spatial distribution of ecosystems on earth’s surface
 * Physical Systems**

9. The characteristics, distribution, and migration of human populations on earth’s surface 10. The characteristics, distribution, and complexity of earth’s cultural mosaics 11. The patterns and networks of economic interdependence on earth’s surface 12. The processes, patterns, and functions of human settlement 13. How the forces of cooperation and conflict among people influence the division and control of earth’s surface
 * Human Systems**

14. How human actions modify the physical environment 15. How physical systems affect human systems 16. The changes that occur in the meaning, use, distribution, and importance of resources
 * Environment and Society**

17. How to apply geography to interpret the past 18. How to apply geography to interpret the present and plan for the future
 * The Uses of Geography**

More detailed information on the standards by age group is here.

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