These impressions are what geographers call our mental maps.
Geographers are interested in the concept of mental maps and how they are developed.
Understanding the way people view different regions can help experts understand and predict how the land may be used and, among other uses, what patterns of migration may be expected. This lesson uses mental maps to explore student perceptions of different regions of the United States. Connection With the Curriculum United States and world history are filled with examples of regional suspicions, misconceptions, and antagonisms. World conflict and cooperation, topics commonly studied in world geography, are influenced by the perceptions that people of different nations have of each other. The geographic and research tools applied in this lesson are useful in all social studies contexts.