A joint resolution to designate the period commencing November 12, 1989, and ending November 18, 1989, as "Geography Awareness Week".
PL 101-139 (S.J.Res.120), enacted 11/03/1989

103 STAT. 828 
PUBLIC LAW 101-139—NOV. 3, 1989 
Public Law 101-139 
101st Congress 
Joint Resolution 
Nov. 3, 1989 
To designate the period commencing November 12,1989, and ending November 18, 
[S.J. Res. 120] 
1989, as "Geography Awareness Week". 
Whereas geography is the study of people, their environments, and 
their resources; 
Whereas the United States of America is a truly unique nation with 
diverse landscapes, bountiful resources, a distinctive multiethnic 
population, and a rich cultural heritage, all of which contribute to 
the status of the United States as a world power; 
Whereas, historically, geography has aided Americans in under-
standing the wholeness of their vast nation and the great abun-
dance of its natural resources; 
Whereas geography today offers perspectives and information in 
understanding ourselves, our relationship to the Earth, and our 
interdependence with other peoples of the world; 
Whereas statistics illustrate that a significant number of American 
students could not find the United States on a world map, could 
not identify Alaska and Texas as the Nation's largest States, and 
could not name the New England States; 
Whereas, according to a recent Gallup poll, Americans ranked 
among the bottom third on an international test of geography 
knowledge, and those age eighteen to twenty-four came in last; 
Whereas geography has been offered to fewer than one in ten 
United States secondary school students as part of the curriculum; 
Whereas departments of geography are being eliminated from 
American institutes of higher learning, thus endangering the 
discipline of geography in the United States; 
Whereas traditional geography has virtually disappeared from the 
curricula of American schools while still being taught as a basic 
subject in other countries, including the United Kingdom, 
Canada, Japan, and the Soviet Union; 
Whereas an ignorance of geography, foreign languages, and cultures 
places the United States at a disadvantage with other countries in 
matters of business, politics, and the environment; 
Whereas the United States is a nation of worldwide involvements 
and global influence, the responsibilities of which demand an 
understanding of the lands, languages, and cultures of the world; 
Whereas, one-third of adult Americans cannot name four of the 
sixteen NATO member nations, and another one-third cannot 
name any; and 
Whereas national attention must be focused on the integral role 
that knowledge of world geography plays in preparing citizens of 
the United States for the future of an increasingly interdependent 
and interconnected world: Now, therefore, be it 
PUBLIC LAW 101-139—NOV. 3, 1989 
103 STAT. 829 
Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United 
States of America in Congress assembled, That the period commenc-
ing November 12,1989, and ending November 18,1989, is designated 
as "Geography Awareness Week', and the President is authorized 
and requested to issue a proclamation calling upon the people of the 
United States to observe such week with appropriate ceremonies 
and activities. 
Approved November 3, 1989. 
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY—S.J. Res. 120: 
CONGRESSIONAL RECORD, Vol. 135 (1989): 
June 9, considered and passed Senate. 
Oct. 24, considered and passed House.