“If you could live anywhere in the world, where would that be, and why?”

This is not a research essay, but your personal preference of a place based upon the assignments – readings, videos, and discussions – this semester. Draw upon all you have learned about the physical geography of your world to select the best, most desirable location for you to live; the more specific, the better. No place is perfect, so negative aspects also need to be addressed. 

Informally reference class sources in your essay, but please do not engage in any outside research beyond those. Any evidence of outside research will result in a failing grade for this assignment. If you are unsure about a geographical aspect – such as pollution concerns – it is perfectly acceptable to say so. I want to see what and how much you know about your choice, not how well you can research it. Finally, please mention any prior knowledge of or experience with your choice. (Have you ever been there, researched it previous to this assignment, etc?) That is also perfectly fine, but also something I need to know.

Both the reasons for and against your choice need to focus solely on geographical reasons, including (in no particular order of importance): 

· weather/climate (including how those might be related to health concerns),

· relative location (how close/far away from other places important to you, transportation, population centers, etc),

· topography (scenery like mountains, lakes, forests, coastlines and beaches, etc),

· availability of natural resources (water),

· flora/fauna (plants/animals), 

· recreational activities (hiking, swimming, being at the beach, fishing, skiing, boating, etc),

· natural disasters (wildfires, floods/droughts, earthquakes, land/mudslides, tornadoes, hurricanes, volcanic eruptions, or lack thereof), 

· pollution levels,

· susceptibility to climate change.

While there are many other valid reasons for wanting to live in a particular place, such as work opportunities, family, or social/political climates, these are not relevant for this assignment. Please limit your reasons to the geographical ones listed.

Your essay must be at least 3-4 pages (no less) of full written text, with standard 12-point font and standard margins and double-spacing. It should be free of misspellings and grammatical and punctuation errors. It will be graded primarily on content, but timely and complete submission, and adherence to proper English writing standards also matter. 

In addition to the 3-4 pages of text, include a map and a photo/picture of your choice. The scale of the map is up to you. The photo should show an image that best represents your choice. 

Like all essays, yours needs to begin with an introductory paragraph, in which you introduce the topic and list (but do not explain) your reasons (both pros and cons.) After the introduction, the bulk of the essay should discuss your reasons, each in a separate paragraph, including the drawbacks of your choice. Your closing paragraph is a brief restatement of your arguments.