Sean is the project coordinator of educational maps for National Geographic Education. When he’s not creating maps or advising his colleagues on mapping issues, he enjoys researching history, canoeing and kayaking, and exploring the world around him. Besides his work at National Geographic, Sean helps run a non-profit focused on educational development in the West African nation of Liberia. Sean challenges blog readers to find Liberia on a map and take a moment to learn about its fascinating history.

Photo: The Anacostia River starts in Maryland and runs through Washington, DC before emptying into the Potomac River and eventually into the Chesapeake Bay.

I am an Anacostian. I am a member of the Anacostian community with more than a half million other people. Our community is in Potomac county. Potomac county is within the greater Chesapeake nation.

Translation: I live in the Anacostia watershed in Washington, DC. The Anacostia watershed includes parts of Washington, DC and two counties in adjacent Maryland, Prince George’s and Montgomery. The Anacostia River drains into the Potomac River, as do many other watersheds. The Potomac River is a major tributary of the Chesapeake Bay, the largest estuary in the United States.

We think of our citizenship at many different scales, at different times. We are citizens of a town or a city. Of a state, province, or territory. And of a nation. And we are all global citizens, our actions affecting everyone, everywhere.

Continue reading “Sean O’Connor: I Am a Citizen of the….Anacostia River?”