#101 - One Earth, Many Scales
Preparations for a NASA shuttle mission provide context for introducing key issues in physical geography and human/environmental interaction. An examination of globalization ponders why it seems to draw some places closer together while causing others to pull farther apart.

#102 - Boundaries and Borderlands
A single Mexican mother's daily struggle for survival introduces concepts of relative location and geographic regions. The U.S.-Mexico borderlands form a unified cultural and economic region with qualities of both nations.

#103 - Supranationalism and Devolution
The city of Strasbourg is one locus of power in an increasingly supranationalist Europe. A visit to Slovakia explores how the Slovaks have fared since Czechoslovakia separated into the Czech Republic and Slovakia.

#104 - East Looks West
Berlin is now the capital of a reunified Germany and a symbol of a more unified Europe. But the integration of East Berlin requires urban reorganization and economic expansion. In Poland, strategies for spreading democracy required a decidedly spatial approach.

#105 - The Transforming Industrial Heartland
Can European Union investment and the growth of service industries turn the tide of economic decline in Liverpool? The small, crowded Netherlands strives to maintain its transportation connections while preserving dwindling green space.

#106 - Challenges in the Hinterlands
Spanish Andalucia struggles to move beyond tourism and agriculture to integrate with Europe's heartland. At the borders of the habitable world, Iceland must balance sustainable fish harvests with social costs.

#107 - Northwest Contrast
Two Russian case studies examine the challenges that continue to face the port of St. Petersburg in post-Soviet society and how previously state-owned collective farms have changed with privatization.

#108 - Holding the Hinterlands
The ethnically diverse Islamic republic of Dagestan contrasts with neighboring Chechnya, where rebels fight for independence. Communist ambitions have created the world's largest hydroelectric project—followed by the Russian city of Bratsk—in the middle of Siberia.

#109 - Changes on the Chang Jiang
Shanghai enters the 21st century on a wave of development, ready to reclaim its legacy as China's commercial center. In Sijia, the steady growth of a township enterprise illustrates three great contrasts in modern China: rural vs. urban, agricultural vs. industrial, and coastal vs. interior.

#110 - The Booming Maritime Edge
Explores the effects of globalization and modernization on Chinese society and the factors that contributed to Taiwan's emergence as a high-tech powerhouse.

#111 - A Challenge for Two Old Cities
The city of Lanzhou represents the frontiers of Han and Muslim China, and the previously dynamic industrial city of Shenyang continues to struggle with modernizing its manufacturing infrastructure.

#112 - Small Farms, Big Cities
Japanese rice farmers battle destructive weather to save their crops. In Tokyo, the continuing expansion of the megalopolis leads to ever-longer commutes and demand for suburban housing.

#113 - The Mainland
Laos is emerging from isolation to join the global economy as an exporter of hydroelectric power. Vietnam's booming economy is evident in the explosive growth of Ho Chi Minh City.

#114 - The Maritime Connection
Having once seen their culture imperiled by hordes of tourists, the Balinese have developed strategies to profit from the tourist industry while maintaining cultural integrity. Amid growing pressures from Islamic militants, social and economic programs seek to build tolerance among Malaysia's diverse cultures.

#115 - Global Interaction
High-tech infrastructure, a well-educated workforce, and strict government repression have all helped Singapore become a preeminent port and one of the wealthiest cities in the world. Meanwhile, Australia has shifted its trade from Europe to the Asian "economic tigers."

#116 - Urban and Rural Contrasts
Delhi, the ever-expanding capital of India, continues to act as a magnet, pulling millions of Indians away from the hardships of the rural countryside. In those rural areas, creating sustainable agricultural development is proving to be challenging.

#117 - Sacred Space, Secular States?
Can the historical and political geography of the holy city of Jerusalem provide clues to a peaceful resolution between Jews and Palestinians? At the edge of Europe, Turkey hopes to take economic advantage of its proximity to the Western world.

#118 - Oil and Water
Investigates Egypt's limited natural resources, focusing on the nation's dependence on the Nile River, and looks at Oman's efforts to diversify its economy for future growth.

#119 - Strength To Overcome
South Africa continues to face many challenges in redressing the land ownership inequities of apartheid. In Kenya, AIDS is now one of the biggest killers. How can geography inform efforts to fight the disease?

#120 - Developing Countries
Cote d'Ivoire has long been the world's largest producer of cocoa, but has recently faced economic downturns and loss of its historically stable government. In Gabon, one of Africa's wealthiest countries, oil revenues have declined, putting new pressure on the country's timber resources.

#121 - Population Geography
A geographer's research reveals a major source of Mexican migration: the country's north-central "hollow core." Every year in Guatemala, more and more Maya Indian victims of "continuing conquest" must share inadequate agricultural resources.

#122 - The Dynamic Pacific Rim
When scientists monitoring the Tungurahua volcano see danger signs, they have to advise the government: Evacuate or remain? Bordered to the east by the towering Andes Mountains and to the west by the Pacific Ocean, Chile enjoys continued economic growth.

#123 - Brazil: The Sleeping Giant
The sprawling mega-city of Sao Paulo illustrates how rapidly Latin America is urbanizing. Meanwhile, an American scientist discovers new possibilities for sustainable development in the Amazon basin.

#124 - Cityscapes, Suburban Sprawl
Looks at how federal empowerment zone funding has helped Boston's diverse but poor neighborhoods and at Chicago's continuing expansion into the surrounding countryside.

#125 - Ethnic Fragmentation in Canada
Before the Chinese takeover of Hong Kong, thousands of wealthy businessmen moved their families to Vancouver, causing a collision of cultures. What has happened since 1997? Trying to preserve its culture, Quebec welcomes immigrants and pays to teach them French.

#126 - Regions and Economies
Native Americans and farmers compete for a scarce resource: water. In the U.S. Midwest, an influx of Japanese automakers has brought more than just new factories to a once-declining manufacturing region.