Held each year during the third week of November, Geography Awareness Week (GeoWeek) is a national public awareness program in the United States that elevates the importance of the geographic discipline, education, and spatial thinking. Established in 1987 by presidential proclamation, the week-long celebration encourages people of all ages to understand the significance of place and how geography shapes and affects our lives.
What is Geography?
Geography is the study of Earth’s landscapes, people, places, and environments—and the relationships among them. The word itself comes from the Greek roots geo (Earth) and graphy (to describe or map), meaning “to describe the Earth.” At its core, geography helps us understand where things are, why they are there, and how they change over time. Geographers explore how the natural world interacts with human activity, from oceans and climate to cities and communities. From mapping roads and significant events to studying food systems and urban–rural relationships, geography reveals a world of possibilities offering powerful ways to better understand our world and address complex challenges.
Themes
Exploring Geography, Year by Year
Each year, Geography Awareness Week highlights a theme that showcases the many ways geographers explore, understand, and shape the world around us. These themes reflect the diversity of the discipline—from the power of place to the future of our changing world— demonstrating how geography helps us recognize possibilities, ask questions, and make sense of where we are and where we’re going.
Mapping the Future
November 16-20, 2026
In wildlands and cities, on farms and in factories, amid high-stakes disasters and under conditions that can seem unbearable, geographers seek out people and places where the answers are not so easy to pinpoint. Using geographical skills and training to spot spatial patterns, convey information in vivid terms, and open up what we can know about places, geographers are doing their part to map the (almost) unknowable future.
Learn more
Making Spaces of Possibility
November 17-21, 2025
Geographers recognize and realize possibilities every day in their work, using their training to spot spatial patterns, convey information in vivid terms, and open up what we can know about places—and what we can believe and plan for them. Whether by exploring conservation, community, or the grand geopolitical stage, geographers are there to ask questions, harness ideas, and map the possible.
Learn more
Geographers Take Action
November 18-22, 2024
Knowledge is power, and knowledge of spatial information can offer more than just know-how: It opens up extraordinary capabilities to solve complex problems in many areas, from urban planning to environmental conservation. Armed with the ability to combine spatial knowledge with many other kinds of data, geographers use their ‘X-ray vision’ beyond the visible landscape, turning their superpowers toward understanding the intricate patterns of human behavior and natural phenomena.
Learn more
The Power of Place
November 13-17, 2023
To geographers, place is defined as a space that has been made meaningful by people and connections. Places can be sites of belonging or exclusion; safety or danger; commerce and activity or repose and reflection. Understanding geography is a crucial part of fulfilling our responsibility to places.
Learn more
World of Possibilities
November 14-19, 2022
Everything happens somewhere, they say. For every “somewhere,” there are geographers exploring the how, why, and what of those places. Environmental conservation, population dynamics, political histories, medical mysteries: There is literally a world of possibilities for a career in geography.
Learn more
The Future Is Here
November 14-20, 2021
Geographers are finding and interpreting the patterns, spaces, and connections that lead us to better understand how our world is changing now, and what we can do about it.
Learn more
Get involved
Make Geography Visible
Geography Awareness Week is powered by individuals and organizations who bring it to life in communities, classrooms, and online. Whether you’re sharing your work, promoting events, or connecting others to resources, there are many ways to take part and help show how geography is making an impact where you are.
Become a GeoAdvocate
Stay connected with updates and resources and be recognized as part of the GeoWeek community.
Become a GeoWeek Partner
Help share GeoWeek with your network. We’ll provide materials and recognize your partnership.
Share Your Events and Activities
Showcase your mapathon, webinar, mentoring session, or community event in the GeoWeek map.
Request Classroom Resources
Bring GeoWeek into your classroom with posters, worksheets, stickers, bookmarks, and more.
Recources
Tools for Teaching, Learning, and Exploration
Discover resources from AAG that support teaching, learning, and career exploration in geography. From classroom-ready materials to real-world career insights, these tools help bring geography to life and connect people to the many possibilities within the discipline.
- Read Geography in the News—Learn from this educational series designed for teachers and students across subjects, featuring vocabulary, discussion prompts, and assignment ideas grounded in current events. View the series
- Explore Geography Careers—Learn about career paths across education, business, nonprofit organizations, and government through profiles of geographers sharing their experiences and insights. Read the profiles
- Find a Geography Program—Explore the AAG Guide to Geography Programs to discover academic pathways and find the program that aligns with your goals. Browse the Guide
- Watch A World of Possibilities—Introduce students to the value of a geography degree with this short, engaging video from AAG. Watch the video
- Explore Careers in Geography (Video Series)—Hear directly from geographers about their career journeys, day-to-day work, and advice in this collection of recorded interviews. View the interviews
Sponsors
Supporting Geography Awareness Week
We are grateful for the organizations that support Geography Awareness Week and help bring its mission to life. Their partnership makes it possible to expand the reach of geography education, engagement, and public awareness.
Interested in sponsoring?
Contact us to learn more about opportunities.