GEOGRAPHY

As the world prepares for Star Wars: The Force Awakens, here’s a guide to the series’ most famous settings and where you can feel the Force. (Guardian)

Use our resources to learn a little about a galaxy far, far, away.

Teachers, scroll down for a quick list of key resources in our Teachers’ Toolkit.

Discussion Ideas
Have your students divide into groups and create travel brochures for each of the locations! Use our activity to get you started. Make sure they use knowledge of real geography and our pop culture universe.

• Tatooine
  • Played by: The desert planet of Tatooine was played by the Sahara Desert, specifically the deserts of Tunisia.
  • Can I visit? Yes, but the U.S. government advises against it right now. (This is not the vacation you’re looking for.)
  • Vacation in Tatooine:
    • the Atacama Desert in western South America?
    • Death Valley, California?
    • the Namib Desert in southwestern Africa?

 

• Dagobah
  • Played by: The swamp planet of Dagobah was played by Elstree Studios, London.
  • Can I visit? Not unless you’re an actor or dancer working on one of the TV series filmed there, or are booking the studio for an event. (Start saving now, you should.)
  • Vacation in Dagobah:
    • the Louisiana bayou?
    • the Sundarbans of Bangladesh?
    • the Bangweulu wetlands of Zambia?

 

• Coruscant
  • Played by: The city-planet of Coruscant was played by Shepperton Studios, just outside London.
  • Can I visit? Not unless you’re making a movie!
  • Vacation in Coruscant:
    • Hong Kong?
    • Tokyo?
    • Singapore?

 

• Endor
  • Played by: The forest moon of Endor was played the coast redwood forest of Del Norte County, California.
  • Can I visit? Yes! (Speeder bike rental not included.)
  • Vacation in Endor:
    • the Amazon?
    • the Adirondacks?
    • the Congo?

 

• Hoth
  • Played by: The frozen planet of Hoth was played by the big, beautiful Hardangerjøkulen glacier in Norway.
  • Can I visit? Yes! (Tauntaun rental not included.)
  • Vacation on Hoth (we can get you started here!):
    • Greenland?
    • Iceland?
    • Antarctica?

 

• Kashyyyk
  • Played by: The rugged coastal planet was played by the beaches of Thailand.
  • Can I visit? Yes! (Wookie tour guide not included.)
  • Vacation on Kashyyyk:
    • Madagascar?
    • the Caribbean?
    • Polynesia?

 

• Cloud City
  • Played by: Cloud City was played by Elstree Studios, London.
  • Can I visit? Not unless you’re an actor or dancer working on one of the TV series filmed there, or are booking the studio for an event. (Lando isn’t there, anyway.)
  • Vacation in Cloud City (pending booking here):
    • Japan?
    • Australia?
    • the Burj Khalifa, Dubai?

 

• Naboo
  • Played by: The lush Mediterranean climate of Naboo was played by the lush, Mediterranean climates of Italy and Spain.
  • Can I visit? Yes! (Jar Jar not included.)
  • Vacation in Naboo:
    • Monterey Bay, California?
    • Perth, Australia?
    • Cape Town, South Africa?

 

• Yavin 4
  • Played by: The ancient ruins on the jungle-forest moon of Yavin 4 were played by the ancient ruins of Tikal, Guatemala.
  • Can I visit? Yes! (No threat from Death Stars.)
  • Vacation on Yavin 4:
    • Angkor Wat, Cambodia?
    • Teotihuacan, Mexico?
    • Neuschwanstein, Germany?

 

• Mustafar
  • Played by: The volcanic planet of Mustafar was played by Mount Etna, Italy.
  • Can I visit? Yes! (Medical tourism not included.)
  • Vacation on Mustafar:
    • Mount Nyiragongo, Democratic Republic of Congo?
    • Mount Kilaeua, Hawaii?
    • Krakatoa, Indonesia?

 

TEACHERS’ TOOLKIT

Guardian: Star Wars-inspired holidays – where to feel the Force

Nat Geo: Star Wars Day

Nat Geo: Create a State Postcard

Nat Geo: What is a desert?

Nat Geo: What is a swamp?

Nat Geo: What is an urban area?

Nat Geo: What is a forest?

Nat Geo: What is the Arctic?

Nat Geo: What is a coast?

Nat Geo: What is a cloud?

Nat Geo: What is a Mediterranean climate?

Nat Geo: What is a jungle?

Nat Geo: What is a volcano?