Synopsis Early in the Second World War president Roosevelt, in one of his "fireside chats" by radio, asked his audience to look at a world map while he explained the threats to the United States of hostile encirclement if the Axis powers were to win.

But geographic knowledge is equally important, though less dramatic in meaning, in peacetime. Projects for the advance of under-developed countries, or of depressed areas at home, require understanding of the local way of life and of the interconnections of human and material resources. Or, if we want our cities to be more efficient and more beautiful we must begin with analyzing their present plan and structure. Thus we start with learning their geography. That is, we make a map showing the location of the central business district, the industrial areas, the various residential sections, the parks and the transportation system--or chaos--that connects all parts of the city and links it with other places.