Today we began to look at a variety of the world's longest roads. The Pan American Highway which begins in Prudhoe Bay, Alaska, and stretches all the way down to Ushuaia, Argentina covers 13,000,000 miles! The longest walking distance possible is a route that requires no flights, boats or other water crossings: just open roads and bridges. The route takes the traveler up through Africa, past the Suez Canal, through Turkey, Central Asia and across all of Russia to Magadan and the coast of the Sea of Okhosk! The journey would take 4,492 hours to walk, meaning 187 days if a person were to walk non-stop. If we assumed a walking pace of 8-hours per day (no rest days!), the journey would actually take 562 days. Sights along the way may include: Table Mtn., S. Africa, safaris in Botswana, the pyramids & Sphinx in Egypt, Petra in Jordan, Lake Van, Turkey, Tbilisi, Georgia, the expansive central area of Russia.

Today we began to examine Queen Elizabeth I as she isn't only a major figure in history, the geography of Europe was greatly altered during her reign. Queen Elizabeth was the daughter of King Henry VIII and his second wife, Anne Boleyn. Kaitlin was interested to learn that Queen Elizabeth never married or had children. We will continue learning more about this fascinating figure in world history tomorrow.

Have you ever wondered where all the super-smart people in America actually live? According to a recent analysis by PennStakes.com, New England shines with some of the brightest brains in the nation.

To determine the overall smartest states in the U.S., researchers looked at a few key factors, including the number of academic degrees within the area’s population, as well as the average IQ, SAT, and ACT scores of residents. Massachusetts, home of Harvard University and a plethora of other prestigious colleges and schools, earned the top spot, with an overall index score of 93.9. The Bay State had the highest percentage of bachelor’s degrees (44.98 percent) and advanced degrees (20.30 percent) within its population, as well as the highest overall average ACT scores (27.6), and second-highest average IQ scores (103.1) in the country.

Aside from Massachusetts, Connecticut—which is home to Yale University—had the second highest rank in the nation with an overall index score of 73.8. Maryland (72.8), Virginia (72.5), and Vermont (72.2) round out the top five. While New Hampshire didn’t make the top five, the Granite State did have the highest average IQ score (103.2) in the U.S., while Minnesota had the third-highest IQ scores (102.9) and the most stellar SAT scores (1263).

Is your state one of America’s smartest? Find out the brain power of the top 20 below, according to the results.

The fertile land of the Italian peninsula provided Rome with all the tools necessary to grow in relative safety until they were prosperous enough to begin their empire & conquests. Rome was likely founded by the Latins, a barbarian tribe, and later conquered by the Etruscans, who ruled over the city for a century. The Roman Empire rose slowly from central Italy. The Palatine Hill became the center of the empire, and though myth and time have shrouded much of the truth of the history of Rome, there is no denying the legacy left behind by the Romans. The history of Rome is also a borrowed one, for they adopted many Etruscan, Latin, and specifically Greek religious rites, artistic and architecture. There were differences in the way they ruled, such as the relatively high status women held in Etruscan kingdoms versus the Roman Empire. With Romulus' namesake and the legacy of the first laws he laid down, Rome would prosper, growing into one of the largest influences in history.

The US ranks 3rd in population and size. It has different jurisdictions, including the District of Columbia and 50 states. Although different colonies had been established in the Americas, many of them failed due to diseases that killed many people, starvation as people exhausted their food, conflict with Native Americans, and war between the colonial powers. The US was formed by the 13 colonies that rebelled against colonialism. These colonies were divided into the Middle colonies, the Southern colonies, and New England. In 1803, the US acquired the whole of Louisiana for $15 million from France. The Louisiana Purchase paved the way for westward expansion, during which settlers began moving to the west in search of natural resources such as gold, coal, iron ore, and oil. These minerals played a critical role in shaping settlement in America. There was also adequate space and fertile land in the Great Plains and Midwest. However, the expansion was faced with challenges as there were no railroads, and maintaining contact with the east was difficult. Geographical features, especially the Rocky Mountains and the desert in the Southwest, also made it difficult for people to travel. The land also required irrigation since it was dry.

Today we began to look at the 7 Wonders of the Ancient World:
What are the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World? In ancient Greece, the Seven Wonders were famous architectural achievements located in the Mediterranean and Middle East regions of the world. The list of these ancient wonders of the world includes:
The Great Pyramid of Giza in Egypt, The Hanging Gardens of Babylon,The Statue of Zeus in Olympia, Greece, The Temple of Artemis in Ephesus, Turkey, The Mausoleum at Halicarnassus
The Colossus of Rhodes. The new Wonders of the Wold are: The Great Wall of China
Chichen Itza in Mexico
The stone city of Petra, in Jordan
Machu Picchu in Peru
Christ the Redeemer statue in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
The Colosseum in Rome
The Taj Mahal in Agra, India
The Lighthouse of Alexandria in Egypt

Today was our first class together! We began with a review of the 5 Themes of Geography. 1. Location: The study of the physical position of places on Earth. 2. Place: Studies the physical and human characteristics of a place. 3. Human Environment Interaction: The study of how humans interact, impact, and adapt to the environment. 4. Movement: The study of how humans physically move themselves, as well as information and goods, around the planet. 5. Region: The division of the Earth into different regions that are easier to focus on and study. Kaitlin likes Geography and feels more comfortable knowing the location of U.S. states on a map than the international map. Kaitlin worked on completing a blank U.S. map. She labeled virtually everything without needing much assistance - not even a bank of the 50 state names most people need to ID. Going forward we will focus on world/international geography. Well done, Kaitlin!

Physical characteristics are things that are part of the land, describing land forms such as rivers, coasts, bays, mountains, canyons, valleys, and lakes. Physical maps are the best way to display the physical characteristics of an area. Human characteristics are the features of a geographical area caused by humans, including cities, towns, roads, and communication links. We took a virtual tour of the U.S. Carson is now in the northern panhandle of Idaho, between WA and MT, in the Pacific time zone. He learned there are 5 time zones in the US. The largest cities in the U.S. are New York, L.A., Chicago and the Washington, DC area. In most cases, major U.S. cities are near bodies of water (lakes, oceans, and rivers). New York, New Orleans, DC, and Philadelphia are near rivers. Water is important for population growth. It provides fertile land for farming, transport for trade, and in the case of rivers and lakes, freshwater for drinking. The Rocky Mountains stretch for 3,000 miles. There are also the Appalachian Mountains, the Cascades, and the Sierra Nevada mountains. The Missouri and Mississippi Rivers are the largest and most important rivers in the U.S. The US also has some huge lakes: the Great Lakes, the Great Salt Lake, and Crater Lake. Carson says the two places he has enjoyed traveling to are the Bahamas and Nicaragua.

We continued Mercer's geography work with the digital "Timeline of National Flags." It's a great way to see how the world changes over the course of history through to present day. Mercer really enjoys this.

Review on the Five Themes of Geography