How will you survive?

You might be surprised to find out how much geography skills can help you fend off doom.

By geography, I mean analyzing the world around you.

One geographic concept that could really help you out in a zombie apocalypse is movement.

So, first, what moves?

People move, animals move, and, while sometimes slowly, zombies move as well.

But that's not all. Goods move, too.

Goods can be resources, such as food supplies and weapons.

People or zombies tend to move these.

So, if you see a big pile of zombie supplies where there wasn't one before, you're probably on the trail.

Ideas also move.

Ideas can include entertainment, zombie movies, news and information about zombie attacks, and architecture, or how to build a safe shelter.

And, second, why do people or zombies move?

When people, animals, or zombies move, it's called migration.

Two concepts that affect migration are push and pull factors.

Push factors will make you want to leave somewhere.

Pull factors make you want to go to a place.

A lack of resources, unstable economy, or high crime rate might be push factors making people want to move.

Nice weather, a good economy, or lots of resources would be pull factors for lots of people, enticing them to move.

While zombies are definitely a push factor for humans, a city full of people would be a pull factor for hungry zombies who want to eat humans.

There are some things that make movement easier for people or zombies.

Waterways and highways can make traveling faster.

Moving across clear, open space is easier than a tough terrain.

And just as land forms can create boundaries that affect movement, so can political boundaries, like a border gate, for example.

So, how can you analyze these movement factors to help your chance of survival?

There are three basic steps.

One: Identify the points or locations to analyze.

What are your options?

Two: Find what connects them.

Are there highways, waterways, or open land?

And three: Find the patterns of movement that happen over that connection.

Do people or goods move across it?

By comparing relationships between different places, you can see what connections they have.

For example, pick two cities. Look at the highway connecting them.

If people use that highway to commute to work, those cities have a strong relationship.

But this other city over here doesn't have a direct connection to the other cities.

There's even a river in the way.

It doesn't have as strong of a relationship.

If a zombie outbreak started here, which city would you rather start out in?

Where would you flee to?

So, how do you decide where to go in a zombie apocalypse?

Do you just run in a random direction?

Or do you use your geographic skills to lead your camp of survivors to safety?

If you want to stay alive, it helps to understand how and why we move.