PRINTER'S NO. 2437
No. 187 Session of 1989
INTRODUCED BY D. R. WRIGHT, SEPTEMBER 26, 1989
REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON RULES, SEPTEMBER 26, 1989
A RESOLUTION
1 Declaring the week of November 12 through 18, 1989, as
2 "Geography Awareness Week" in Pennsylvania.
3 WHEREAS, Geography is the study of people, their
4 environments, and their resources; and
5 WHEREAS, The United States of America is a truly unique
6 nation with diverse landscapes, bountiful resources, a
7 distinctive multiethnic population, and a rich cultural
8 heritage, all of which contribute to the status of the United
9 States as a world power; and
10 WHEREAS, Historically, geography has aided Americans in
11 understanding the wholeness of their vast nation and the great
12 abundance of its natural resources; and
13 WHEREAS, Geography today offers perspectives and information
14 in understanding ourselves, our relationship to the earth, and
15 our interdependence with other peoples of the world; and
16 WHEREAS, Statistics illustrate that a significant number of
17 American students could not find the United States on a world
1 map, could not identify Alaska and Texas as the nation's largest
2 States, and could not name the New England States; and
3 WHEREAS, According to a recent Gallup poll, Americans ranked
4 among the bottom third on an international test of geography
5 knowledge, and those age 18 to 24 came in last; and
6 WHEREAS, Geography has been offered to fewer than one in ten
7 United States secondary school students as part of the
8 curriculum; and
9 WHEREAS, Departments of geography are being eliminated from
10 American institutes of higher learning, thus endangering the
11 discipline of geography in the United States; and
12 WHEREAS, Traditional geography has virtually disappeared from
13 the curricula of American schools while still being taught as a
14 basic subject in other countries, including the United Kingdom,
15 Canada, Japan and the Soviet Union; and
16 WHEREAS, An ignorance of geography, foreign languages, and
17 cultures places the United States at a disadvantage with other
18 countries in matters of business, politics, and the environment;
19 and
20 WHEREAS, The United States is a Nation of worldwide
21 involvements and global influence, the responsibilities of which
22 demand an understanding of the lands, languages and cultures of
23 the world; and
24 WHEREAS, One-third of adult Americans cannot name four of the
25 sixteen NATO member nations, and another one-third cannot name
26 any; and
27 WHEREAS, National attention must be focused on the integral
28 role that knowledge of world geography plays in preparing
29 citizens of the United States for the future of an increasingly
30 interdependent and interconnected world; therefore be it
19890H0187R2437 - 2 -
1 RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the
2 Commonwealth of Pennsylvania declare the week of November 12
3 through 18, 1989, as "Geography Awareness Week" in Pennsylvania
4 and call upon the Governor to issue a proclamation asking the
5 people of Pennsylvania to observe the week with appropriate
6 ceremonies and activities.
I11L82WMB/19890H0187R2437 - 3 -