Page 186 - NS-2 Textbook

Maritime Geography

Geography is the study of where things are on the Earth. It to control the world from geographic strongpoints so
is also more than that. It is about the relationship of they can spread their economic, political, and military
things in a given area-natural resources, land, climate, control across the globe. All U.s. citizens should under-
soils} people, governments, and economics, among other stand these geopolitical goals.
things. For naval science students, an important part of Understanding geography requires the use of maps.
geography has to do with the location of important In geography, a map is the most basic tool. In this unit
places and the transportation routes between them, by you will learn ,vhere important cOlmtries and places are
both land and sea. Also of particular interest is the rela- located. And you will learn about the oceans and seas
tionship of geography and politics (called geopolitics) around these places. To assist in the correct pronuncia-
and a field of study called military geography. tion of place names, the more difficult ones in the fol-
In the next two chapters, we will talk about many of lowing two chapters are followed by syllabic pronuncia-
these aspects of geography, especially the seas. We will tion guides.
call our approach to this subject maritime geography. Dur-
ing this study, it would be very helpful if you refer to a
THE WORLD OCEAN
large globe or world map to find the places we will talk
about. When we speak of the world oceall, we mean the 71 per-
cent of Earth's surface covered with salt water. If you
were to add freshwater surfaces to those of salt watel;
WHY STUDY GEOGRAPHY?
you would find that barely one-fourth of Earth's surface
Geography has been considered an important subject for is land. Since nearly three-fourths of our world is water,
study since ancient times. A knowledge of geography is it is clear that the seas are of great importance to life on
needed if you want to be a good citizen of your counhy Earth. The science of oceanography deals with this vital
and the world. Only by knowing your own country will aspect of all life.
you be aware of its strengths and needs. Geography The world ocean is the political, economic, and mili-
helps supply such knowledge. tary lifeblood of much of the world. It carries raw mate-
Citizens today need to know about more than jnst rials, food, and manufactured products throughout the
their own country. We are all citizens of the world, as world. It provides the people of the world protein-rich
well. An intelligent citizen must be concerned about seafoods. It is also becoming an important source of min-
problems in other lands. Only by tmderstanding other erals.
people and their needs can we hope to create a peaceful 11,e continents are large islands in this vast ocean.
world. Not all nations are blessed with great resources. They divide the ,"vodd ocean into six major ocean basins.
We need the reSOluces other cDlmtries can provide to Still smaller, partially enclosed subdivisions of the
maintain our standard of living. oceans are called seas. The six ocean basins, listed in
We also must be aware of the dangers posed by pos- order of size, are the South Pacific, North Pacific, Indian,
sible enemies. GiU' nation ,vishes to maintain its inde- North Atlantic, South Atlantic, and Arctic.
pendence and security. But it is clear that some other na- There are many "seas" that are really only part of
tions do not have such good intentions. 111ey seek to these oceans. Some of the more important from the
change governments and bring nations tmder their con- standpoint of location and nahual resources are the
trol. And their objectives are not just political and social. Mediterranean Sea, Caribbean Sea, North Sea, Baltic
Their actions are geared to world geography. They want Sea, Black Sea, Red Sea, Arabian Sea, South China Sea,

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