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all individual lesson resources can be downloaded here

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Royal Geographical Society - Geography resources for teachers

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The Royal Geographical Society (with IBG) supports teaching in the classroom and field by providing award-winning geographical teaching and learning resources.

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Lesson 1: The story of teenage terrorists

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Lesson 1: The story of teenage terrorists

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TIG3_Unit6_Lesson1_A story of teenage terrorists

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I haven't read but worth looking at

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teaching secondary geography: 4.1 controversial issues in geography

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This free course, Teaching secondary geography, will identify and explore some of the key issues around teaching geography in secondary schools. Through coming to understand these issues and...

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The Geography of Conflict Lesson 1 Describing Patterns of a Map

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The Geography of Conflict Lesson 1 Describing Patterns of a Map

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The Geography of Conflict Lesson 1 Modelling a Map

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The Geography of Conflict Lesson 1 Patterns of Conflict Table

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The Geography of Conflict Lesson 1 KWL Grid

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Lets not make this a citizenship lesson?

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The Geography of Conflict Lesson 1 Definitions of Conflict

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The Geography of Conflict Lesson 1 Lesson Plan

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Military Spending 2017 | Worldmapper

Society - Military Spending 2017

This world in arms is not spending money alone. It is spending the sweat of its laborers, the genius of its scientists, the hopes of its children. The cost of one modern heavy bomber is this: a modern brick school in more than 30 cities. (...) It is two fine, fully equipped hospitals. (...) Under the cloud of threatening war, it is humanity hanging from a cross of iron.
Dwight D. Eisenhower, 1953

The biggest spender - by far- are the United States, followed by China, Saudi Arabia, India, France and Russia. The United States spent more than double than China on military expenses. The United Kingdom, Japan, Germany and South Korea complete the top 10 spenders. Six of the top spending countries are also nuclear powers.

Some countries have no military, thus no military spending, like Iceland or Costa Rica. Iceland is a member of NATO nonetheless and contributes to NATO operations with both financial contributions and civil personnel. How much of their GDP NATO members are spending on military has always caused discussions within the alliance.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution - Non Commercial - ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

Contact us for more information on a commercial use of this map (including in publishing).

Technical Notes

This map shows the total Military Spending (in constant US$) in 2017.
Data sources
This map uses data by SIPRI Military Expenditure Database 2018 (last accessed July 2018). We aim to map as complete data as possible and therefore estimate data for missing values. In some cases, missing data for very small territories is not used in the cartogram and that area is therefore omitted in the map.

Further notes on the data, as well as all modifications to the original data source are noted in our data sheets.

Download data file

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© 2018 Worldmapper

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The biggest spender - by far- are the United States, followed by China, Saudi Arabia, India, France and Russia. The United States spent more than double than China on military expenses. The United Kingdom, Japan, Germany and South Korea complete the top 10 spenders. Six of the top spending countries are also nuclear powers.

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Nuclear Weapons | Worldmapper

Society - Nuclear Weapons

Today the atomic bomb has altered profoundly the nature of the world as we knew it, and the human race consequently finds itself in a new habitat to which it must adapt its thinking. Albert Einstein, 1946

This map is a cartogram where the original shapes of each territory mapped is proportional to the variable mapped. Values for more than 200 territories are used to create the map. That number of figures is far too big to be able to take in at a glance. However the brain's visual processing skills are phenomenal, and presented as a picture you have no difficulty with that number. Before you look at a particular map, you usually have some ideas about the subject. Some of those ideas may be confirmed, other things may surprise you. You, not the cartographer, not the statistician, decide what is most striking about the figures.

Technical Notes

This map shows the territories resized according to the number of nuclear warheads there in 2017.

The total inventory includes warheads in the military stockpile as well as retired, but still intact, warheads in queue for dismantlement.

Data sources
This map uses data by Federation of American Scientists (last accessed March 2018). We aim to map as complete data as possible and therefore estimate data for missing values. In some cases, missing data for very small territories is not used in the cartogram and that area is therefore omitted in the map.

Further notes on the data, as well as all modifications to the original data source are noted in our data sheets. Data for this map will soon be available as a download.

Download data file

Explore More

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© 2018 Worldmapper

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This map is a cartogram where the original shapes of each territory mapped is proportional to the variable mapped. Values for more than 200 territories are used to create the map. That number of figures is far too big to be able to take in at a glance.

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BBC NEWS | Programmes | This World | One Day of War

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Visit BBC News for up-to-the-minute news, breaking news, video, audio and feature stories. BBC News provides trusted World and UK news as well as local and regional perspectives. Also entertainment, business, science, technology and health news.

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May have to drop the Darfur activities as a bit out of date and the links do not work

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Heatwaves, droughts and other severe weather events are increasing the risk of wars breaking out across the world, scientists say they have proved.

The researchers carried out a statistical analysis of the outbreak of armed conflicts and climate-related natural disasters between 1980 and 2010.

Their findings - that nearly one in four conflicts in ethnically divided countries coincided with "climatic calamities" - suggest that war should be added to the usual list of problems likely to be caused by global warming, such as sea level rise, crop failures, water shortages and floods.

Environmentalists have warned that if temperatures rise significantly over the next century, large areas of the planet could become uninhabitable, forcing millions of people to migrate elsewhere and significantly increase the risk of conflicts breaking out.

But the new research, by academics in Germany, found there was already a statistical link between outbreaks of widespread violence and extreme weather events.

Dr Carl Schleussner, of the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research, said: "Devastating climate-related natural disasters have a disruptive potential that seems to play out in ethnically fractionalised societies in a particularly tragic way.

"Climate disasters are not directly triggering conflict outbreak, but may enhance the risk of a conflict breaking out which is rooted in context-specific circumstances. As intuitive as this might seem, we can now show this in a scientifically sound way."

The idea of linking conflict to natural disasters has been controversial. Some previous studies which compared wars to temperature, for example, did not find a link.

However for this study, described in a paper in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences journal, the researchers used data from international reinsurance firm Munich Re.

This was then combined with information about conflicts and an index used to quantify how "ethnically fractionalised" countries are.

Globally, there was a nine per cent coincidence rate between the outbreak of armed conflicts and natural disasters like droughts and heatwaves. But, in countries that were deeply divided along ethnic lines, this rose to about 23 per cent.

Dr Jonathan Donges, who co-wrote the paper about the study, said: "We've been surprised by the extent that results for ethnic fractionalised countries stick out, compared to other country features such as conflict history, poverty, or inequality.

"We think that ethnic divides may serve as a predetermined conflict line when additional stressors like natural disasters kick in, making multi-ethnic countries particularly vulnerable to the effect of such disasters."

The paper said many African and Central Asian countries were "among the most fractionalised", making these areas "potential hot spots of armed-conflict outbreak risk".

Climate models also suggest that these areas can expected "a substantial increase in extreme event hazards".

"Projections of overall conflict risk up to 2050 ... find these regions to be particularly endangered, which highlights the relevance of our findings in the wider context of conflict prevention and development," the paper says.

"Recent analyses of the societal consequences of droughts in Syria and Somalia indicate that such climatological events may have already contributed to armed conflict outbreaks or sustained conflicts in both countries.

"Similarly, a prolonged drought might have contributed negatively to the ongoing conflicts in Afghanistan.

"Further destabilisation of Northern Africa and the Levant may have widespread effects by triggering migration flows to neighbouring countries and remote migrant destinations such as the European Union."

The paper stressed that the root cause of these conflicts were "case specific" but cautioned that natural disasters had the potential "to amplify already existing societal tensions and ... thus to further destabilise several of the world's most conflict-prone regions".

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Scientists prove climate change increases the risks of war

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Heatwaves, droughts and other severe weather events are increasing the risk of wars breaking out across the world, scientists say they have proved. The researchers carried out a statistical analysis of the outbreak of armed conflicts and climate-related natural disasters between 1980 and 2010.

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L4 scarce water

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National Geographic provide useful lesson plan and activities for discussion: https://blog.education.nationalgeographic.org/2017/05/04/mapping-a-world-at-war/

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Making Sense of World Conflicts | Oxfam Education

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Free resources for teachers about conflict and war. This resource includes lesson plans and case studies to help your class understand the changing face of conflict. Learners will explore current conflicts taking place, the difference between conflict and war and the link between conflict and poverty.

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Mountains stand as a symbol of both solidarity and isolation. This is particularly true for the various rebel groups and militias that have used rugged terrain to resist central governing authorities. (World Policy Blog)

Where have mountain ranges helped define ongoing political conflicts?
Discussion Ideas

What current conflicts are not taking place in and around mountain ranges?

Read through the interesting Talking Policy interview on the role of geography in conflict zones. What is geographic determinism?
Geographic determinism describes a way of thinking that prioritizes the physical features of a region in explaining its culture, history, and development. Geographic determinism is also known as environmental determinism or climate determinism. Judith Matloff, the author interviewed in the article, says "I think I would prefer the term 'geographic humanist,' or perhaps 'environmental possibilist.' However, without a doubt, geography is something you can't discount."

Besides environment and geography, what other factors contribute to the development of a region?
Human activity and agency, including language, religion, and trade customs, contribute to a region's development and culture.

What are some reasons mountainous areas may be more prone to conflict than elsewhere?
"A mountain stands in the way of things," isolating residents in a number of different ways.

physical isolation. Mountains are often the most remote areas of a nation, with the least infrastructure. "If there had been roads and there'd been more cross-pollination of ideas, if people had received the same education that others received elsewhere in the country, if they traded more, if they had not been so cut off and isolated, these customs would have died out or they would have become more assimilated."

cultural independence. Often, mountain residents interact less with outside culture, allowing their own customs to develop and thrive even as they become assimilated elsewhere. The article, for instance, notes that the Zapatista movement in southern Mexico was rooted in preserving the indigenous Maya culture of the region. "However," the author reminds us, "it's not as if there is complete isolation; the Zapatistas drink a tremendous amount of Coca-Cola."

economic isolation. Mountains help create alternative economic systems when residents feel underserved by the infrastructure of the larger government. "If you look at every major illicit production area of poppies or marijuana, it tends to be mountainous." Mountainous regions' physical environment and isolated infrastructure contribute to this contraband economy.

natural-resource independence. Mountainous cultures are often unusually self-sufficient, but the infrastructure needs of the greater populace may threaten their way of life. The article points to the Himalayas, where climate change is radically altering the runoff and meltwater that southeast Asia relies on. "[T]here will be a lot of flooding. There's a huge rush at the moment to dam up a lot of the Himalayas ... People's livelihoods are going to be changed by the melting."

How can governments reduce the potential for conflict in the mountains?
TEACHERS TOOLKIT
World Mountain People Association

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Why Are There So Many Conflicts in Mountainous Regions?

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GEOGRAPHY Mountains stand as a symbol of both solidarity and isolation. This is particularly true for the various rebel groups and militias that have used rugged terrain to resist central governing authorities. (World Policy Blog) Where have mountain ranges helped define ongoing political conflicts? Teachers, scroll down for a quick list of key resources, including...

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Some great ideas here – it’s important we get it right this year as this is one of the student chosen topics and need to hook them in – Intro lessons on mapping conlict and causes of conflict make sense and reading all the suggestions I would recommend  using some worldwide geographical themes to frame the different conflicts  so as an example   -

Using physical geography  as the hiding places of conflicts – Sadiyas mountains idea looks good to map the conflicts going on in and around the mountainous areas of the world and how the terrain assists in them happening– could then look at one in particular as the second lesson e.g. smuggling heroin through Afghanistan.

Same could be done for water – map the various water conflicts around the world (some resources attached) and then could look at one flashpoint in detail as a second lesson

Could do the same for unlawful countries with weak governments and look at the blood diamond trade

Could follow with further ideas along this theme and then…

Then bring it down to Conflict and I  and use mobile phones as the hook with globalisation and the Coltan trade ?

Regards

Paul

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Chloropleth  has maps describing
Locating countries from these maps
Creating questions for enquiry

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Description of chloropleth maps
Portfolio of student questions

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Learn about the world's top hotspots with the Center for Preventive Action's (CPA) interactive Global Conflict Tracker.