GUNS GERMS and STEEL

RECAP--- In our unit on guns germs and steel I learned that earth's geography has a big effect on the social disorder among the world. Jared Diamond, a historian, suggested that it all came down to something called geographic luck. Geographic luck comes down to being put where you have been put with the resources that have been given to you. For instance, people in in America and Europe have been given lands fertile for farming and temperatures appropriate to raise cattle and other farm animals. Farm animals decreased the work that needed to be done by people because they now had big sturdy animals to do the job. Animals also provided a food source. With the worry of having enough food and good lands out the way, people of the Americas and of of Europe could worry about other things and advance on new technologies and government, allowing them to rise to the top of the social order, all because of the simple luck of having good lands. In other areas though people were not so lucky. Like in the area of Papau New Guinea the geography is harsh and not suitable for farming stable foods like wheat and barley. Papau New Guinea is located deep in the rain forests full of humid days and rainy nights, this sort of condition is hardly suitable for crops. So instead of the people there being able to move on and focus on technologies and government, they spend all their time working on getting a good food source for the day. The people there have to do all the work too because the rain forest is no place for a big sturdy farm animal. The people in Papua New Guinea owe there struggle of advancement to the harsh hand of geography. Geography gave them a rough environment to work with, but it's not just them it's places all over the world. It's just how it plays out, some are given luck and some are given a challenge.

REVISIT--- In the area Zimbabwe the struggle of advancement still thrives in depth. Zimbabwe is a very old country with cultural tribes dating back to 200 B.C. The first time Zimbabwe came in contact with a European force was in the 1850's, the British. They took over and named the territory Rhodesia. In 1923, the British settlers became the self-governors of Southern Rhodesia. Northern Rhodesia broke apart and voted for Independence, and is now known today as Zimbabwe. The advancements of the British was the reason they could take over Zimbabwe so facile, the Europeans had the advancements and the people of Zimbabwe were still looking for today's meal. http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0108169.html Zimbabwe's growing problem for advancement is not being helped much with the rapid decline of the number of children in schools. Teachers are also leaving the profession because it does not provide sufficient pay. With the children out of school, and the children being the future of Zimbabwe, the advancement on their poverty ridden issue does not look to well. http://english.aljazeera.net/news/africa/2009/12/2009121311478761915.html Zimbabwe is reach in natural resources, the only problem is they lack the resources to get them out. Zimbabwe's economy is in such a rough spot they can't even find the profits to use the only thing that would actually help there country. They rely on foreign resources to help them advance in this movement, simply because they can't do it themselves. http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/5479.htm Zimbabwe went down hill when they were granted their tough geographic civilization, and then for years they worked as slaves to the Europeans, this left them no time for advancement in their country.

REFLECT--- I think that geographic luck is exactly as it sounds. You either got lucky or you didn't. I know I got lucky being put in a family who has managed a wonderful life for me. We are most certainly not rich but we have what we need and some extra money for a little of what we want, my parents work hard to send me to a great school where the best education possible is being provided for me, I, was blessed with this geographic luck. Now the people who got the good side of geographic luck, I believe, that they need to realize the situation of the social disorder and use the technology and advancements that they have and take some responsibility to help the countries who didn't get so "lucky". It's upsetting to think that there is such a huge gap in the social order of life, but it's what we have been given and we should try to make the best out of our situations.