📝 Support us on Substack: https://geographyiseverything.substack.com/📽️ YouTube: @GeographyByGeoff 📷 Socials: https://linktr.ee/geographybygeoff📖 Check out Hunter's atlas' here: https://www.indiebound.org/search/book?keys=hunter+shobeMaps distort our world. They elongate some areas and squish others. They emphasize one place at the expense of another. Even the very nature that north is up and south is down, is a myth perpetuated by the humble map. So how did we end up with maps that are so dang wrong all the time? In today's episode, we break down the history of maps, the most famous map, the Mercator, and a few other popular world maps and how each distorts the world. And why they kind of have to!

📝 Support us on Substack: https://geographyiseverything.substack.com/📽️ YouTube: @GeographyByGeoff 📷 Socials: https://linktr.ee/geographybygeoff📖 Check out Hunter's atlas' here: https://www.indiebound.org/search/book?keys=hunter+shobeCatalonia is an autonomous region of Spain with its own distinct culture, history, and even language! And because of this, people within this region, mostly known as the region Barcelona lies within, want to be their own country! Unfortunately for Catalonia, Spain has repeatedly throughout history stymied any efforts for Catalonia to become its own country. In this podcast, we run through the vast and deep history of Catalonia, why it wants independence, and what is happening today with regards to a free and independent Catalonia.

📝 Support us on Substack: https://geographyiseverything.substack.com/📽️ YouTube: @GeographyByGeoff 📷 Socials: https://linktr.ee/geographybygeoff📖 Check out Hunter's atlas' here: https://www.indiebound.org/search/book?keys=hunter+shobeThe bicycle is truly a marvelous piece of technology. Through an ingenious method of combining pedals and gears, humans managed to create the most efficient mode of transportation that requires no fuel or electricity, but yet can get people around cities almost as fast as public transportation or vehicles with very little effort. And because of this, bicycles have become a cultural icon the world over, as cities and people have used it to move around.

📝 Support us on Substack: https://geographyiseverything.substack.com/📽️ YouTube: @GeographyByGeoff 📷 Socials: https://linktr.ee/geographybygeoff📖 Check out Hunter's atlas' here: https://www.indiebound.org/search/book?keys=hunter+shobeSolar energy truly feels like magic. Sunlight hits panels on top of buildings and, in turn, powers the things inside. This is because the sun, despite its distance from Earth, is so powerful that it sends a lot of energy out way. Despite this, solar energy still only accounts for a fraction of our global energy production. So where does solar energy make the most sense? And can we potentially power our entire planet on nothing but the sun? Listen now to find out!

📝 Support us on Substack: https://geographyiseverything.substack.com/📽️ YouTube: @GeographyByGeoff 📷 Socials: https://linktr.ee/geographybygeoff📖 Check out Hunter's atlas' here: https://www.indiebound.org/search/book?keys=hunter+shobeThe "big earthquake" was always thought to be the San Andreas faultline earthquake in California that's supposed to hit sometime in the future. However, in recent years, the Cascadia Subduction Zone off the coast of Northern California, Oregon, Washington and British Columbia will unleash an earthquake unlike anything we've ever experienced in the United States. And when it does hit, the Pacific Northwest will be hit hard!Enjoy this "remixed" episode from February 2023.

📝 Support us on Substack: https://geographyiseverything.substack.com/📽️ YouTube: @GeographyByGeoff 📷 Socials: https://linktr.ee/geographybygeoff📖 Check out Hunter's atlas' here: https://www.indiebound.org/search/book?keys=hunter+shobeGreenland is the world's largest non-continental island, but it's probably still not as large as maps have lead you to believe. And in addition to its misleading size, is its misleading name! Greenland doesn't not have all that much greenery. Join Geoff and Hunter as they explore this vast icy island, what goes on there, and why the United States tried to buy it back in 2019.

📝 Support us on Substack: https://geographyiseverything.substack.com/📽️ YouTube: @GeographyByGeoff 📷 Socials: https://linktr.ee/geographybygeoff📖 Check out Hunter's atlas' here: https://www.indiebound.org/search/book?keys=hunter+shobeChristmas is a dominant global holiday! But it didn't start out the way it is today. In fact, Christmas, as a holiday, has a long tradition that spans different festivals, religions, and customs. So how did we get from a holiday meant to celebrate a Christian religious figure to a consumer holiday? We break it all down for you!

📝 Support us on Substack: https://geographyiseverything.substack.com/📽️ YouTube: @GeographyByGeoff 📷 Socials: https://linktr.ee/geographybygeoff📖 Check out Hunter's atlas' here: https://www.indiebound.org/search/book?keys=hunter+shobeTarget and Walmart are almost completely synonymous with the shopping experience in the United States and even in some other places around the world. But the way in which they both spread geographically is very different. Target opted for a more urban-oriented pattern while Walmart spread as fast and as far as it could. This has lead to fairly dramatic differences in their dispersion through the country and world.

📝 Support us on Substack: https://geographyiseverything.substack.com/📽️ YouTube: @GeographyByGeoff 📷 Socials: https://linktr.ee/geographybygeoff📖 Check out Hunter's atlas' here: https://www.indiebound.org/search/book?keys=hunter+shobeThe Great Recession was a hard time for a lot of people in the United States. Homes were foreclosed, people lost their jobs, and overall the economy just stank! But while it may have started in the United States, the world felt the effects of the Great Recession as the economic crisis spilled across borders. In today's episode, we run through what a recession (and depression!) is, the history of recessions in the United States, the effects of the Great Recession on the U.S. and how it spread globally.

📝 Support us on Substack: https://geographyiseverything.substack.com/📽️ YouTube: @GeographyByGeoff 📷 Socials: https://linktr.ee/geographybygeoff📖 Check out Hunter's atlas' here: https://www.indiebound.org/search/book?keys=hunter+shobeEnjoy this extra special bonus episode from our Invasive Species episode. Think of it as a "lightning round" where we blaze through a few other invasive species and what their impacts are around the world.