🍌 What is Geography? Crash Course Geography #1

Summary

This Crash Course Geography episode delves into the complexities of geography beyond simple memorization. It explores the intricate relationships between humans and their environment, using the history of banana plantations in Guatemala as a case study. The video highlights how geography answers profound questions about Earth's story, human impact, and spatial science. It also touches on the political and historical influences that have shaped the geography of regions like Guatemala. The episode aims to foster a deeper understanding of how geographical elements are interconnected, emphasizing the importance of thoughtful, geographically aware perspectives.

Takeaways

• 🌍 Geography is more than memorizing facts; it helps us understand the connections between people and the physical world.
• 🍌 The geography of bananas in Guatemala is tied to the region's climate, volcanic soil, and colonial history.
• 📜 The history of banana plantations in Guatemala is deeply connected to colonialism and the power dynamics between countries.
• 🌱 Geography examines human-environment interactions, like why certain crops are grown in specific areas.
• 🗺️ Maps and satellite images are essential tools for defining and quantifying space in geography.
• 🌐 Geography includes the study of both physical spaces and the subjective meanings attached to those spaces.
• 📖 The story of bananas in Guatemala reveals the complex history of land use, economic inequality, and global trade.
• 💡 Geography is a spatial science that looks at how things vary from place to place and asks 'why here?'
• 🤔 Geographers strive to understand the interconnectedness of Earth's physical processes, human activities, and histories.
• 🎥 Crash Course Geography aims to explore the big picture, highlighting the significant and often surprising backstories behind geographic facts.

Q & A

What is geography beyond just memorizing facts like state capitals?

Geography is the study of the Earth's physical features, how humans interact with the environment, and the stories behind these interactions. It involves understanding the connections between the physical world and human activity, not just memorizing facts.

Why is Guatemala a significant location for banana cultivation?

Guatemala's tropical climate, fertile volcanic soil rich in potassium, and appropriate rainfall make it an ideal environment for growing bananas, which thrive in temperatures between 20 and 35 degrees Celsius.

What historical factors contributed to bananas becoming a major crop in Guatemala?

The introduction of bananas to Guatemala and Central America by European explorers in the 1500s, along with the rise of colonialism and the establishment of large-scale plantations by companies like United Fruit, made bananas a significant crop in the region.

How did the United Fruit Company influence the political and economic landscape of Guatemala?

The United Fruit Company, through land ownership and political influence, played a major role in shaping Guatemala's economy and politics. It secured exclusive deals with the government, controlled significant land, and even influenced US-backed political actions like the 1954 coup.

What does the term 'banana republic' refer to, and how is it connected to Guatemala?

The term 'banana republic' was coined to describe countries like Guatemala where foreign fruit companies, such as the United Fruit Company, held significant control over the government and economy, often to the detriment of local populations.

How do geographers use the concept of space in their studies?

Geographers use the concept of space to analyze the physical features and relationships within a specific area on Earth. This involves studying geographic coordinates, climate, landforms, and other physical characteristics to understand why certain phenomena occur in particular places.

What are human-environment interactions, and why are they important in geography?

Human-environment interactions refer to the ways humans connect with and impact their environment, and vice versa. These interactions are crucial in geography as they help explain how people adapt to and modify their surroundings, influencing culture, economy, and society.

Why are bananas not native to Guatemala, and how did they become a major export?

Bananas are not native to Guatemala; they were brought to Central America by explorers and missionaries from regions near present-day Indonesia and Papua New Guinea. Over time, they became a major export due to the ideal growing conditions in Guatemala and the influence of plantation systems established by colonial powers.

What role did the United Fruit Company play in shaping modern banana trade dynamics?

The United Fruit Company played a central role in establishing and controlling the banana trade in Central America, influencing both the local economies and international trade routes. Their actions set the foundation for modern banana trade dynamics, including the continued dominance of companies like Chiquita Brands International.

How does geography help us understand the broader context of seemingly simple facts like banana imports?

Geography helps us uncover the complex interactions between physical spaces, human activity, and historical events behind simple facts. For example, understanding banana imports involves looking at climate, trade routes, economic policies, and the historical influence of colonialism.

Outlines

00:00

🌍 Understanding Geography Beyond Basic Facts

This paragraph emphasizes that geography is much more than memorizing state capitals or trivia. It introduces the concept of geography as a tool to answer deeper questions about Earth's story, human impact on environments, and the formation of geographical features. The series will cover the vast scope of geography, spanning Earth's 4.5 billion-year history, and aim to highlight fascinating aspects of the subject. The paragraph concludes with a warm welcome to the audience by the host, Alizé Carrère, setting the stage for a deep dive into the world of geography.

05:04

🍌 The Geography of Guatemalan Bananas

The paragraph explores why Guatemala is an ideal location for banana cultivation, discussing the country's tropical climate, rainfall, and potassium-rich volcanic soil. It introduces the concept of 'space' in geography, focusing on the physical characteristics and environmental factors that make a location suitable for specific agricultural activities. The discussion transitions into the human aspect, suggesting that understanding a region's physical geography is crucial before delving into the reasons behind human activities, like the choice of bananas as a major crop in Guatemala.

10:04

🌐 Guatemala's Geographical and Cultural Identity

This paragraph delves into Guatemala's geographical identity, mentioning its coordinates, mountainous terrain, and rich biodiversity. It highlights the importance of recognizing both the physical and cultural aspects of geography. The paragraph notes Guatemala’s diverse indigenous populations, historical names, and the significance of place, which encompasses the emotional and cultural meanings attached to a location. The discussion on bananas continues, revealing that bananas are not native to Guatemala but were introduced by European explorers, further illustrating the intricate layers of geographical study.

📜 The Impact of Human-Environment Interactions in Guatemala

This paragraph shifts focus to the interactions between humans and the environment in Guatemala, emphasizing how geographical conditions influence agricultural decisions, such as growing bananas. It raises questions about the historical and economic reasons behind Guatemala's significant banana exports to the US. The paragraph introduces the concept of human-environment interactions in geography, underscoring the reciprocal impact of geography on human lives and vice versa, and sets the stage for a deeper exploration of these themes in future discussions.

🏢 The History and Consequences of Banana Plantations

This paragraph dives into the history of banana plantations in Guatemala, tracing their origins to European colonization and the establishment of the United Fruit Company. It describes how these plantations, rooted in colonialism, have had long-lasting economic and social consequences, including land inequality and political conflicts. The paragraph highlights the powerful influence of banana companies in shaping Guatemala's political landscape, with examples like the 1954 US-backed coup, illustrating the deep connections between geography, history, and politics.

🍌 The Legacy of United Fruit and the Banana Republics

This paragraph explores the modern legacy of the United Fruit Company, now known as Chiquita Brands International. It discusses how the historical actions of banana companies have led to significant inequalities in Guatemala, contributing to peasant uprisings and repressive regimes. The paragraph connects these historical events to contemporary issues, explaining how the past continues to influence present-day economic and political dynamics in Guatemala. It reinforces the idea that geography is not just about physical space, but also about understanding the complex stories behind seemingly simple facts.

📖 Geography’s Role in Unveiling Hidden Stories

This paragraph reflects on the complexity of geography, using the example of bananas to illustrate how geographical study involves uncovering intricate stories behind simple facts. It emphasizes the importance of understanding the environmental, historical, and economic contexts that shape human activities. The paragraph encourages viewers to think critically about the interconnectedness of Earth and its peoples, suggesting that even seemingly trivial facts can have profound implications when explored through the lens of geography.

🗺️ The Power and Purpose of Maps in Geography

This paragraph introduces the upcoming topic of maps in geography, explaining that maps are not just tools for navigation but also powerful storytelling devices. It hints at the historical and political implications of maps, including how they often reflect modern geopolitical divisions that disregard indigenous perspectives. The paragraph concludes with a call to action, encouraging viewers to learn about the history of their own homes, particularly through the lens of indigenous and aboriginal knowledge, and acknowledges the importance of recognizing these communities' ongoing relationships with the land.

🙌 Supporting Educational Content Like Crash Course

This final paragraph serves as a closing note, thanking viewers for watching and acknowledging the team behind the Crash Course series. It encourages viewers to support the production of free educational content through Patreon, reinforcing the value of accessible education for all. The paragraph wraps up the episode while inviting the audience to continue engaging with the series and its educational mission.

Keywords

💡Geography

Geography is the study of the Earth's physical features, its environments, and the relationships between humans and their environments. In the video, geography is presented as a way to understand not just where things are located but also the complex stories behind those places, like the history of banana plantations in Guatemala.

💡Space

In geography, 'space' refers to the physical location and arrangement of features on the Earth's surface. The video highlights how understanding space involves identifying specific geographic coordinates and features, such as Guatemala's latitude and longitude, and using this information to explore deeper questions about the environment and human interactions.

💡Place

'Place' in geography refers to the meaning, significance, and emotional connection people associate with a specific location. The video explains how Guatemala is not just a space on a map but a place rich in history, culture, and meaning for its indigenous peoples and those who live there.

💡Human-Environment Interactions

Human-environment interactions describe how humans affect and are affected by their natural surroundings. The video explores this concept by examining how the environment in Guatemala supports banana cultivation and how human activities, like the establishment of plantations, have shaped both the landscape and the country's history.

💡Banana Plantations

Banana plantations are large-scale agricultural operations that grow bananas for export. The video discusses the history of these plantations in Guatemala, highlighting their environmental impact and the socio-economic inequalities they have contributed to, particularly through the influence of powerful companies like United Fruit.

💡Colonialism

Colonialism refers to the control and exploitation of one nation by another, often involving the establishment of colonies. The video touches on how European colonialism led to the creation of banana plantations in Guatemala and other regions, profoundly affecting local economies, land distribution, and social structures.

💡United Fruit Company

The United Fruit Company was a powerful American corporation that dominated the banana trade in Central America. The video describes how this company, now known as Chiquita, played a significant role in shaping Guatemala's political and economic landscape, leading to terms like 'banana republic' due to their immense influence.

💡Banana Republic

A 'banana republic' is a derogatory term used to describe a politically unstable country with an economy dependent on the export of a single resource, like bananas. The video explains how this term originated from the influence of fruit companies like United Fruit in countries like Guatemala, where they wielded significant control over the government and economy.

💡Geopolitical Divisions

Geopolitical divisions refer to the boundaries and borders that separate different regions or countries, often established through political processes. The video notes that many of these divisions were created without considering the indigenous peoples' connections to the land, leading to modern-day disputes and a need for greater geographical awareness.

💡Maps

Maps are tools used in geography to represent space, showing the arrangement of features on the Earth's surface. The video introduces maps as a fundamental tool for geographers, allowing them to define space, tell stories, and explore the connections between different places and the events that occur there.

Highlights

Mnemonics are useful for remembering 4th-grade spelling words, but understanding the true meaning of terms like geography requires deeper thinking.

Geography helps us answer big questions about the Earth's story, human impact on environments, and natural formations like mountains.

Geography encompasses 4.5 billion years of Earth's history and even predicts future events.

The study of geography isn't just about memorizing facts, but understanding the connections between humans and the physical world.

Guatemala's geography includes a mountainous terrain with fertile soil from both active and dormant volcanoes, ideal for banana growth.

Bananas, although not native to Guatemala, thrive due to the country's suitable climate, rainfall, and volcanic soil rich in potassium.

Understanding space, place, and the significance of locations is crucial in geography before addressing why events occur in those areas.

Maps and satellite images are essential tools in geography, helping to define and quantify space.

The significance of a place goes beyond its physical characteristics, involving subjective values, meanings, and emotions attached to it.

Human-environment interactions are central to geography, illustrating how humans influence and are influenced by their surroundings.

The history of banana plantations in Guatemala, influenced by colonialism and American business interests, has had lasting social and economic impacts.

The United Fruit Company's control over Guatemala in the 20th century exemplifies the deep ties between geography, politics, and economics.

The banana trade in Guatemala is a lens to explore larger themes of colonialism, economic inequality, and human-environment interactions.

Geography involves more than just locations on a map; it includes the backstories and connections that give meaning to those locations.

Geography as a spatial science seeks to explain the variation of phenomena across different places and understand why they occur where they do.

Transcripts

George Eliot’s Old Grandfather  Rode A Pig Home Yesterday.  

Mnemonics are great for trying to  remember our 4th grade spelling words.  

But actually deciding what that word  geography means is a bit trickier.

Sure, we memorize state and world capitals  [because everyone’s impressed if you can  

rattle them off - like the capital of Canada?  Ottawa.] Or we learn that rivers flow downhill  

or that the US imports more than 3 billion  pounds of bananas from Guatemala each year. 

And those are cool factoids, but  that’s not all Geography is.  

Geography helps us answer bigger questions like  "what's the story of the Earth?", "how do humans  

change their environments?", and "why, of all  places, did that huge mountain form there?"

There's a lot to cover in this series  because geography encompasses all 4.5  

billion years or so of the Earth's history  and even makes predictions about our future.  

So we’re going to do our best to highlight  the weirdest, most awe-inspiring parts. 

I’m Alizé Carrère and welcome  to Crash Course Geography.

Let’s take a closer look at that last factoid  I threw out and... go a little bananas.  

It might come in handy at a trivia game to know  the volume of the US-Guatemala banana trade,  

but there must be more to the story.  Like, why Guatemala? And why bananas?

In geography, we use those questions  to better understand the connections  

between us and the physical world.  So today, let’s start in Guatemala.

We think of the land now called  Guatemala as part of Central America,  

a region between North and South America  that's covered with dense rainforests  

and incredible biodiversity. To look just at Guatemala,  

we’d jump between 13°45’ and 17°48’ north  latitude and 88°14’ and 92°13’ west longitude.

We could even give the absolute location,  or geographic coordinates, of different  

geographic points of interest in Guatemala, from  Volcan de Fuego to the Mayan ruins at Tikal. 

From there we might notice the physical  environment -- like the climate,  

the landforms, or the rivers and waterways.  Guatemala is a mountainous country with both  

recently active and long dormant volcanoes  that have provided rich, fertile soil.

With soil like this, it seems like there’s  no shortage of options for what would grow,  

and yet...bananas.

It turns out, to be successful, bananas need  to grow at a temperature between 20 and 35  

degrees celsius -- Guatemala’s tropical regions  range between 18 and 35 degrees. Bananas need  

about 170 centimeters of rain a year -- most of  Guatemala gets between 70 and 200 centimeters.  

And bananas need well-drained soils rich  i n potassium -- Guatemala's volcanoes  

spew rocks rich in iron, magnesium,  and -- you guessed it -- potassium.

What we’re doing here is identifying the space,  or the features and relationships that occur in a  

given area. Basically it’s the cold, hard facts  about a specific location on Earth’s surface.  

We need to pinpoint where we’re interested in,  

before we can start to answer  why various things happen there.

Working with the idea of space is one of  the defining characteristics of geography,  

and we’ll get into even more  specifics in later episodes.

Historically, maps, and more recently,  

satellite images are tools that  help define and quantify space.

But there are plenty of non-spatial things  we might already have in our minds about  

Guatemala and Central America. For example,  that it’s long been home to large populations  

of indigenous peoples including Mayan  groups like the K’iche’, Kaqchikel, and Mam,  

and non-Mayan groups like the Xinca.  Or that it’s a region known for its  

history of empires like the Mayan or  those created by Spanish colonizers.

Guatemala has been known by many names  including Cuauhtēmallān, a name given to  

the area by Tlaxcalan warriors accompanying  Spanish Conquistadors. Like almost any land  

or mountain or stretch of sea, “Guatemala”  means different things to different people.

It’s a place, or somewhere that has attached  value, meaning, and emotion to it that can’t  

be measured. It’s subjective, for sure,  but a place can be observed and described  

to others. We can think of place as the  significance attached to a particular space.

So as we try to better understand the significance  of bananas and how they fit into Guatemala, the  

space and the place, we’d learn bananas actually  aren’t native to Guatemala or even the Americas. 

Explorers and missionaries brought bananas  to Central America in the 1500s from the  

areas near present-day Indonesia and Papua  New Guinea where bananas grow natively.

Thinking about where bananas  can grow in Guatemala and why  

adds another layer to our  geographical investigation. After all,  

almost one out of every three people in the  workforce works in agriculture as of 2020.

So the next chapter in the “Geography  of Guatemalan Banana Imports” story  

is thinking about interactions  humans have with the environment.

In geography, human-environment interactions  are all the ways humans connect with and live  

within the environment and the impact  the environment has on lives, choices,  

and experiences of people.  This is key to geographers.

So in Guatemala, where there’s enough  flat land and fertile soil and it’s not  

too hot or cold or dry or wet, humans  might decide to grow bananas. But that  

still doesn't tell us how bananas  came to be one of the main crops  

grown in Guatemala or why there’s so much  trade in bananas specifically with the US.

If we think about demand economics, one answer  for why the US imports more than 3 billion pounds  

of bananas from Guatemala each year is because  there are no tariffs or import restrictions,  

and transportation costs are fairly low.

Other banana hotspots like Ecuador,  Panama, and India are a bit farther away,  

so transportation is more expensive.  The greater the ocean distance,  

the higher the price. But  that’s not the whole story. 

To this day, the agriculture industry  in Guatemala relies on the plantation,  

which is a large scale commercial enterprise that  just produces one crop and mostly exports it.

Plantations arrived in Guatemala with  European explorers colonizing the Americas.  

But they can also be found in other parts of the  world that experienced colonialism, like cocoa  

plantations in the West Indies, tea plantations  in Sri Lanka, and cotton plantations in the US.

No matter where they’re located, using  plantations has had long lasting consequences  

we still contend with today. To peel back  the layers, let’s go to the Thought Bubble.

Bananas first became popular as a “rare and  delicious treat” in the United States in the  

late 19th century --even though they’d long  been a diet staple in many tropical regions.  

Sensing an opportunity, American businessmen like  

Minor C. Keith and Andrew Preston started  importing them from around Latin America.

The two men were forced to merge their  lucrative banana empires in 1899.

Tropical Trading and Transport Company in  Central America joined with the Boston Fruit  

Company that dominated the Caribbean, creating  the soon-to-be-infamous United Fruit Company.

Along with others, it would become so  powerful that in 1901 the author O.  

Henry described countries like Honduras  and Guatemala as “banana republics”-- a  

reference to the vast control the fruit  companies wielded over many nations.

For example, in 1904, Keith, as vice  president of United Fruit, signed an  

exclusive deal with President Manuel Estrada  Cabrera that gave the company tax-exemptions,  

land grants, and control of all railroads  on the Atlantic side of Guatemala.

By the 1930s United Fruit was the  largest landholder in Guatemala. 

Across Latin America they became embroiled in  violent disputes, like the 1928 Banana Massacre in  

Colombia that was immortalized in Gabriel Garcia  Marquez’s great novel, “100 Years of Solitude.”

Or the 1934 Great Banana Strike that eventually  led to the creation of trade unions in Costa Rica.

Or in 1954 when they lobbied the US government  to stage a coup and depose the Guatemalan  

president when hoarded United Fruit land  was being redistributed. Which the US did.

They had to be politically  involved to keep control.

A US-backed military dictatorship  didn’t actually help their stock value,  

but such a big and profitable company  had connections across the US government  

and were able to set up agreements that  persist in some form or other today.

Which means that the US still gets  most of its bananas from Guatemala.

Thanks Thought Bubble! It might seem like  we’ve confused History for Geography,  

but the sordid past of the  banana isn’t in the past at all.

You might not have heard of United Fruit, but  you’ve probably seen the label in grocery stores  

or heard of Chiquita bananas. The United  Fruit Company eventually became Chiquita  

Brands International in 1984, which is still  the number one US supplier of bananas today. 

Basically, banana plantations have had a  huge influence on the unequal distribution  

of land and wealth, leading to peasant  uprisings, repressive military regimes,  

and the growing economic  inequalities in Guatemala.

Entire books could be written  on the last 150 years of banana  

trade and they’d read like political thrillers.

So with fertile soil, the political power  structure, the rise of colonialism, and Europeans  

swooping in to create plantations...bananas  have been stamped into Guatemalan history.

Wow! All that from just one little factoid about a  

fruit you can buy in pretty much  any corner store across the US.  

I told you that Geography was complicated! And  every factoid actually has a story behind it.

But there are always more questions.  Like, if we focus on the environment  

part of human-environment interactions, what’s the  environmental impact of these large plantations?

And this is just Guatemala. What about the other  places in the world where bananas grow – Costa  

Rica, Panama, and the Dominican Republic. What’s  the story associated with their banana exports?

And that’s why just the factoid you  learned in 4th grade alone isn’t geography.  

Geography is that factoid and  the story that surrounds it.

We just looked at the geography of bananas, but  we could have done the same thing for chocolate.  

Or the Nile River valley. Or  heat islands in the Chicago area.  

The Earth has so many stories, and  geography is here to tell them!

Clearly, the world is complicated. But  in geography we try to look at the big  

picture – the confluence of space,  place, and the human and environment  

interactions and how they’ve overlapped  to bring us this far into the story.

This is what makes geography  a spatial science – it’s all  

about how things vary from place  to place and asking “why here?” 

No two places are the same, but when we ask  questions to learn more about one place,  

we just might be able to explain  what is happening in another place.

Of course, geographers are going to  make mistakes because we’re curious,  

imperfect, wonderful humans. And there will  be so many more moments where we go bananas  

and realize what we thought was just a  cool fact actually has a huge backstory.

There’s a whole team working on Crash Course  Geography trying hard to avoid making mistakes,  

but we also know that when we tell  a story we make certain assumptions,  

or we have to leave out facts to make sure there's  a beginning, middle, and end in a 10 minute video.

So as we move through this series and  learn together, let’s all try to think  

about the interconnectedness of Earth and  its peoples and economies and histories.  

And the fact that a banana factoid can  be way more complicated than we expect.

That’s what will make us all a little  more thoughtful and geographically aware.

So, what is geography? It’s so much more than just  identifying cities and countries and capitals on a  

map. Geographers look to find connections between  the physical processes at work on Earth’s surface  

(and under the surface too) and how  people use and interact with the Earth.

Next time, we’ll look at one of the  most useful tools that geographers use:  

maps. Maps tell their own story, and can even  be made specifically to tell a particular story.

Many maps and borders represent modern  geopolitical divisions that have often  

been decided without the consultation, permission,  or recognition of the land's original inhabitants.  

Many geographical place names also don't  reflect the Indigenous or Arboriginal  

peoples languages. So we at Crash Course want  to acknowledge these peoples’ traditional and  

ongoing relationship with that land and all the  physical and human geographical elements of it.

We encourage you to learn about  the history of the place you call  

home through resources like native-lands.ca  and by engaging with your local Indigenous  

and Aboriginal nations through the  websites and resources they provide.

Thanks for watching this episode of  Crash Course Geography which was made  

with the help of all these nice people.  If you would like to help keep all Crash  

Course free for everyone, forever, please  consider joining our community on Patreon.