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magazine / nd04
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November/December 2004 issue |
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EDITOR’S NOTEBOOK
Across the map
The world was in turmoil when the first issue of Canadian Geographic rolled off
the presses in the spring of 1930. The stock market crash a few months earlier had rattled
economies around the globe. At home, for the first time, more Canadians lived in cities than
in the countryside, and a distinctive urban culture was asserting itself, even as the Great
Depression gathered momentum. The magazine was very much a part of that moment and quickly
found its audience.
From the outset, international stories were an essential part of the mix in Canadian
Geographic. The global economic collapse demonstrated with great clarity that no country
is an island. And the geographers, adventurers, writers and naturalists who founded the magazine
never let a border interrupt their appreciation of spatial relationships. They understood
that lines on a map are necessary for good governance but are as irrelevant to beluga whales,
grizzly bears and golden eagles as they are to paleontologists, geologists and climatologists.
To mark the 75th anniversary of The Royal Canadian Geographical
Society, which was founded
in 1929, and of Canadian Geographic, we selected a theme that reflects our time.
Global events since September 11, 2001, have turned all of us into internationalists. We
are no less interested in Canada, just keen for a better understanding of our place in the
world.
Start with the Canada
and the World map included with this issue. It features the latest country borders and
the standardized forms of city names promoted by the United Nations. The official name for
Cairo, Egypt's capital, for example, is actually El Qâhira. The map also includes highlights
of the activities of Canadian organizations, companies, scientists and artists active all
over the world. And, on the reverse side, in collaboration with the Canadian International
Development Agency, we present the latest education, health and wealth indicators
for every country and show the progress being made by developing countries.
In the magazine itself, author and world traveller Pico
Iyer takes an outsider's look at Canada's reputation and reflects on the Canadians he
has encountered in his journeys. Madelaine Drohan travels to the Congo, one of the most dangerous
countries in Africa, for a story on why Canadian mining companies are there and how they
are viewed by the Congolese. Photographer Lana Slezic and journalist Hamida Ghafour report
on Canada's military mission to Afghanistan. Michel Arseneault profiles a Quebec anthropologist
who is teaching Inuktitut to Parisians. Photo editor Margaret Williamson and art director
Stephen Hanks present a portfolio of the work of Canadian
photojournalists abroad. Celeste Mackenzie follows seasonal farm workers from their homes
in the highlands of Guatemala to Quebec. Charles Foran introduces readers to the Diouf brothers,
musicians from Senegal who now live in Montréal, where they are making a rich new musical
sound that is both Senegalese and Canadian. Writers Elizabeth Hay, Audrey Thomas, Lake Sagaris,
Peter Oliva and Isabel Huggan write about their experiences living abroad and what it revealed
to them about Canada and our collective personality. David Trattles photographs the activities
of the Maltese Canadian Association on the island of Gozo. Dane Lanken reviews geography
magazines from around the world. And, finally, throughout our anniversary year, look for
a feature story in each issue on Canadians or Canadian companies and organizations that are
active in the world community.
— Rick Boychuk
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