STOP 1: COSTA RICA

Around the World:

Costa Rica, Bolivia, India,
Japan, and Sudan

STOP 2: BOLIVIA

Chris Bedrossian, Gabriel Martinez, Candace

Louie, and Desiree Sayarath

Costa Rica is our first stop! Here there is an

interesting Human-Environment relationship
going on regarding energy usage, specifically:
alternative energy!
Between 2006 and 2010, Costa Ricas total
percentage of alternative energy usage is
between 31% and 58% (NatGeo Mapmaker),
which is better than a good half of the world.
Starting with more than half of their
population lives in urban centers, the country
is able to provide a strong, consistent power
supply without stripping their earth of its
natural state. Rather than a solution to an
energy consumption issue here, it would be
good to apply Costa Ricas usage of alternative
energy to other parts of the world with high
energy outputs.
http://mapmaker.nationalgeographic.org
http://www.renenergyobservatory.org/uploads/
media/Costa_Rica_Producto_1_y_2__Ing__0
6.pdf

START
Stop 1: Costa Rica
Stop 2: Bolivia
Stop 3: India
Stop 4: Japan
Stop 5: Sudan
END

On this around-the-world field trip, we will be

visiting five separate stops and exploring the
unique cultural patterns as well as socio-political
and environmental issues that are central to or
relate to the specific region and its cultural
landscape.

Our second stop is Bolivia. There is an

interesting pattern in Bolivia regarding
language and ethnicity, where Bolivia is far
more diverse than the neighboring countries.

In fact, this especially diverse country boasts a

population of nearly two-thirds identifying as
indigenous (Laing). Here, there is a rich
history of educational, political and social
reform; a product of anti-colonial struggle. Yet
despite the acknowledgement of the
Plurinational State, marginalization and
oppression continues today. A proposed
solution is that more indigenous politicians are
making choices for the good of the collective
country, and recognizing oppression that a
majority of the population face.
http://mapmaker.nationalgeographic.org
Laing, Anna F. "Beyond the Zeitgeist of 'Postneoliberal' Theory in Latin America: The
Politics of Anti-colonial Struggles in Bolivia."
Antipode 44.4 (2012): 1051-054. Ebscohost.
Web. 7 Feb. 2016.

Image: http://storypad.info/presentaround-the-world/

STOP 3: INDIA

Now, onto our third stop: India! Here, the

pattern here has to do with an economic
aspect of the country: the prevalence of
underweight children. In India, there are
about 60 million underweight children; one of
the highest prevalences of underweight
children in the world (Singh).
This is framed by a history of colonization,
something that continues to affect efforts in
progressing further today. A solution may be
for the IMF to subsidize and invest in local
businesses in India, rather than continue to
support companies that outsource jobs to
encourage sweatshop conditions across India.
As well, it is also important to fund services
for sanitation and build infrastructure for
providing services to the homeless and the
malnourished.
https://www.arcgis.com/home/webmap/viewer.
html
Singh, Maibam Samson. "Nutritional Status
among the Urban Meitei Children and
Adolescents of Manipur, Northeast India."
Journal of Anthropology (2013): 1-5.
Academic Search Complete [EBSCO]. Web.

STOP 4: JAPAN

Our fourth stop is Japan. The pattern here

demonstrates the high population densities
with respect to urbanization.
In fact, on top of Tokyos 12 million
residents, there are also 30 million Japanese
residents living within a 50 kilometer radius
from central Tokyo (Tanaka et. al). Here, in a
densely populated and compact area there are
many factors that impair mental health on a
population scale. In order to address mental
health and wellness, there needs to be more
education and destigmatization of mental
illness. This can come from better
representation in the media, as well as
programs where disability and illness is not
exploited or exaggerated in stigmatizing ways.
https://www.arcgis.com/home/webmap/viewer.
html
Tanaka, Atsuko et al. "Health Levels In
Uenced by Urban Residential Conditions in a
Megacity- Tokyo." Urban Studies 33.6 (1996):
879-94. [EBSCO]. Web.

STOP 5: SUDAN

Our fifth and final stop is Sudan. Here,

North and South Sudan are divided by strong
religious ties, (Northern Sudan is
predominated by Sunni Muslims and
Southern Sudan is predominated by
indigenous religions (Moore)) and have a
history of religious conflict.
Within the past sixty years in Sudan, multiple
civil wars have broken out lasting upwards of
fifteen years each in which hundreds of
thousands of people have been killed and just
as many have been displaced (Moore).
Religion has been a main catalyst to this
conflict. Almost five years ago, South Sudan
became an independent nation separate from
the main country (Moore). A solution would
be to incorporate education about religious
diversity and acceptance into both cultures.
http://mapmaker.nationalgeographic.org
http://atlantablackstar.com/2014/05/31/5devastating-religious-conflicts-in-africa-that-willmake-you-question-all-you-thought-about-