Places of the World

Teaching with maps during the Cold War.

“A familiarity with the location of places is necessary for the study of all branches of geography and history. Merely knowing where a place is does not constitute the science of geography, but such knowledge is the foundation upon which a great deal depends.” – Introductory text.

This fascinating lesson plan was designed for use in geography lessons during the mid-20th century. A series of maps covering the entire world, but devoid of any toponyms, was to be incorporated into a variety of exercises in which students could refine their knowledge of specific places across the globe. Over 1,000 different locations across five pages of maps are named and briefly described in the associated text (mostly cities and geographic features).

The work was compiled by A.K. (Armin Kohl) Lobeck and originally printed as early as 1927, reflecting an insightful global perspective during the Interwar Period. This is a later edition, revised to 1960 and published by The Geographical Press, a division of C.S. Hammond & Company.