World Affairs 2024

1. Set Focus
Pose the following essential questions: What are atlases and almanacs? How can they help us make sense of current events?

2. List Vocabulary
Share with students some of the challenging vocabulary they’ll need to make the most of World Affairs 2024 (see below). Encourage them to use context clues to infer meanings as they read.

• population density (p. 9)
• urbanization (p. 9)
• literacy rate (p. 9)
• per capita GDP (p. 9)
• gauge (p. 9)
• average income (p. 9)

3. Engage
Have students discuss times they have used, or could have used, an atlas or an almanac. Discuss why these reference tools must be updated regularly.

4. Read 
Ask students to preview the maps and almanac tables in World Affairs 2024. Draw their attention to the fast facts and figures related to each continent and region. Have students locate the countries mentioned in these blurbs on the maps and in the tables. (If students are working online, they’ll need to open the “Presentation View” of the magazine to see the maps.)

5. Discuss
Use the following prompts to explore the kinds of information students can extract from an atlas and almanac. These prompts appear without answers on the PDF Explore the Atlas & Almanac.  

• What map features do you notice in the continent and region maps in World Affairs 2024? What purpose does each feature serve? (Some of the map features include lines of latitude and longitude, which can help readers pinpoint the precise location of a place; a scale of miles to find the distance between places; a compass rose to determine directionality; and a key that helps identify what the markings on the map mean.)

• Use the maps in the atlas to identify at least one place where physical geography (landforms, bodies of water, etc.) has shaped human geography (where people live, migrate, etc.). (Many links between physical and human geography are evident on the maps. For example, many cities around the world are located along coasts or rivers. That’s because cities often sprouted around ports, where trade was conducted. Another example is the comparatively few cities within the Arctic Circle, which is extremely cold and where farming is difficult or impossible. Warmer areas, with better farmland and abundant forests for lumber, are more heavily populated.)

• What is a country’s date of origin? Why do you think some fairly old countries (for example, China and India) have relatively recent dates of origin? (The date of origin is the year the nation was established, gained independence, or took on its modern form. Some countries, like India, were under colonial rule before becoming independent states. Other countries have had significant changes in form through the years. For example, China became a republic in 1912 after thousands of years of imperial rule.)

• Based on the tables, which part of the world is seeing the greatest population decreases? What challenges might a shrinking population present to a government? (The countries with decreasing populations are mostly in Europe. A shrinking population often results in a smaller workforce, consumer base, and tax base. This creates challenges for a government in maintaining a healthy economy and adequately funding government programs.)

• What is per capita GDP? What is HDI? What correlations do you notice in the tables between per capita GDP and HDI? What do these correlations suggest? (Per capita GDP is the value of all goods and services produced within a country in one year divided by population. It is a way to gauge a nation’s wealth. HDI, or the Human Development Index, is a measure of well-being that incorporates life expectancy and other factors. Countries with higher per capita GDP tend to have higher HDI numbers. This suggests that wealthier countries have better health-care systems, more doctors, and stronger health education.) 

• Study the sample almanac entry on page 9. If you were a business owner planning to expand internationally, which three pieces of data would you rely on most to select a country in which to do business? Why? (Answers will vary. Students should support their responses by explaining how each piece of data would help them. For example, per capita GDP may be important because it’s a measure of economic health. Population may tell students if there’s a sizable labor force or market for a business’s products. And a nation’s political system may help determine whether that nation is friendly to foreign businesses.) 

6. Research & Writing
Have students use World Affairs 2024, past Upfront articles, and outside sources to write a two-page paper comparing and contrasting the governments, economies, and other aspects of two nations from the same continent or region.

7. Quiz
Assess comprehension with our open-book quiz.

8. Blank Maps
Have students use the blank maps to map data, such as color-coding countries in the Middle East by ranges of literacy rates.

9. Video
For a deeper look at how and why maps can be misleading, watch the video “Why Every Map You’ve Ever Read Is Wrong” on Upfront’s website. Discuss the challenges that mapmakers face and how distortions in maps might affect how we think about the world.