From The Geography Department

The study of change and processes which operate at various levels, from local to global, is a core part of the IGCSE and AS Geography syllabus. In our current climate we find change being a constant and adaptation to it being necessary for survival.

We live in an increasingly connected, globalised world. A geographer’s eyes analyse these connections and the spaces in which they operate. When the Spanish Flu hit in 1918, steamships and steam locomotives allowed the spread to take place at a fast rate. In 2020 we are able to travel physically over many thousands of kilometres in a matter of hours. Our economies are global and much of what we use on a day to day basis started its journey on another continent before reaching us.

We are also living in an urbanized world with over half the world living in cities. It is densely populated globally connected cities which have been hardest hit by Covid-19. We can track the spatial paths that the virus has travelled in these cities and globally to find patterns to aid us in its combat. Demographically distinct patterns can also be seen in the virus’s victims.

2020 has shown us that we are in this together. The local affects the global and one person’s behaviour can have an impact on neighbours and communities that are further afield. We are reminded that we are not alone and that the challenges faced by individuals are being faced by all. Visit https://coronavirus.jhu.edu/map.html and https://informationisbeautiful.net/visualizations/covid-19-coronavirus-infographic-datapack/ for various data lenses through which to view Covid-19.

Ann Donald
High School Geography Teacher