Geography Now Explained

Geography Now!
Nationality:American
Creator:Paul Barbato
Years Active:2014–present
Genre:Education
Subscribers:3.35 million
Views:459.3 million
Silver Button:y
Silver Year:2016
Gold Button:y
Gold Year:2018
Stats Update:July 12, 2024

Geography Now (also stylized as Geography Now!) is an American educational YouTube channel and web series created and hosted by Paul Barbato, profiling UN recognized countries in the world in alphabetical order as well as covering other topics regarding physical or political geography. The channel was started in August 2014 and has gained over 3.35 million subscribers.

Team

Main hosts, co-hosts, and crews

If the specified co-host doesn't show up for their segment, then it will either be covered by Paul or filled in by another crew member of Geography Now!. Whenever possible, the channel will also feature guest contributors from the country being profiled.

Channel

Geography Now!

The channel series started on October 15, 2014, with the country of Afghanistan and will conclude with the country of Zimbabwe in October 2024. The member states of the United Nations are covered in alphabetical order with few exceptions, such as when the country formerly named Swaziland changed its name to Eswatini after E had already been passed,[1] or how the North Macedonia episode was released under F because, at the time, the UN listed its name as "Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia" and in order to prevent controversy from Greek viewers who identify the name "Macedonia" as purely Greek. English names are also used, so an episode is titled "Ivory Coast" and not "Côte d'Ivoire". Barbato has said he ensures his videos keep a fairly fast pace while including visual graphics for accessibility.[2]

Over the course of the channel's history, the duration of the country episodes have steadily increased, with more topics and information about the countries being included in each episode. While the episodes for the first several countries usually only lasted 7-10 minutes, episodes toward the end of the series usually lasted around 30-40 minutes. As of August 13, 2024, Zambia is the newest episode and the second to last UN listed country episode. Viewers have also noticed a steady increase in production quality and animations included in the episodes. Barbato's home country, the United States of America, lasted 65 minutes, making it the longest episode by far.

Flag/Fan Days

Flag/Fan Days, previously known as Flag/Fan Friday are companion videos to the main episodes. A country's flag and coat of arms are explained in these videos. Barbato also sometimes uses this as an opportunity to discuss topics he did not get to in the original video, or correct and clarify details. After that he calls crew members and opens fan mail. There is a recurring animation for most episodes of Flag/Fan Days where the red stands for the "blood of those who fight for their freedom", which has since became a running gag if the red on the country's flag represents the blood of those who fought for the country in the past.

Following the release of the Venezuela episode, Paul Barbato has decided to turn the last 5 Flag/Fan Day videos into YouTube shorts due to the long time it took to research, film and produce the videos.

Paul Barbato Heritage

As part of an interesting filler week video uploaded in May of 2022, Paul Barbato took an DNA test using the MyHeritage website to determine where his heritage comes from, here are the results as followed from first mention to last:

25.2% Japanese and Korean

17.8% Chinese and Vietnamese

9.2% Central Asian

6.6% Italian

8.8% Irish, Scottish and Welsh

6.5% English (England)

11.0% Scandinavian

13.6% North African

1.3% Native American (USA)

Geography Now! episodes

The countries discussed in each episode follow the United Nations alphabetical list of members and go through them in the respective order.

Episodes

CountryDate published
1 AfghanistanOctober 15, 2014
2 AlbaniaOctober 21, 2014
3 AlgeriaOctober 30, 2014
4 AndorraNovember 12, 2014
5 AngolaNovember 26, 2014
6 Antigua and BarbudaDecember 17, 2014
7 ArgentinaJanuary 5, 2015
8 ArmeniaJanuary 16, 2015
9 AustraliaJanuary 24, 2015
10 AustriaFebruary 6, 2015
11 AzerbaijanFebruary 26, 2015
12March 16, 2015
13 BahrainApril 10, 2015
14 BangladeshApril 18, 2015
15 BarbadosApril 25, 2015
16 BelarusMay 15, 2015
17 BelgiumMay 20, 2015
18 BelizeMay 25, 2015
19 BeninMay 31, 2015
20 BhutanJune 26, 2015
21June 30, 2015
22 Bosnia and HerzegovinaJuly 9, 2015
23 BotswanaJuly 18, 2015
24 BrazilAugust 15, 2015
25August 29, 2015
26 BulgariaSeptember 6, 2015
27 Burkina FasoSeptember 15, 2015
28 BurundiOctober 1, 2015
29 CambodiaOctober 10, 2015
30 CameroonOctober 21, 2015
31 CanadaNovember 10, 2015
32 Cape VerdeDecember 12, 2015
33 Central African RepublicDecember 21, 2015
34 ChadJanuary 8, 2016
35 ChileJanuary 17, 2016
36 ChinaFebruary 7, 2016
37 ColombiaFebruary 27, 2016
38 ComorosMarch 9, 2016
39March 29, 2016
40April 14, 2016
41 Costa RicaMay 7, 2016
42 CroatiaMay 11, 2016
43 CubaMay 18, 2016
44 CyprusMay 25, 2016
45June 1, 2016
46 DenmarkJune 15, 2016
47 DjiboutiJune 22, 2016
48 DominicaJune 29, 2016
49 Dominican RepublicJuly 6, 2016
50August 3, 2016
51 EcuadorAugust 10, 2016
52 EgyptAugust 24, 2016
53 El SalvadorAugust 31, 2016
54 Equatorial GuineaSeptember 21, 2016
55 EritreaSeptember 28, 2016
56 EstoniaOctober 5, 2016
57 EthiopiaOctober 12, 2016
58 FijiNovember 15, 2016
59 FinlandNovember 23, 2016
60November 30, 2016
61 FranceDecember 7, 2016
62 GabonJanuary 18, 2017
63January 25, 2017
64 GeorgiaFebruary 1, 2017
65 GermanyFebruary 8, 2017
66 GhanaMarch 22, 2017
67 GreeceMarch 29, 2017
68 GrenadaApril 5, 2017
69 GuatemalaApril 12, 2017
70 GuineaMay 10, 2017
71 Guinea-BissauMay 17, 2017
72 GuyanaMay 24, 2017
73 HaitiMay 31, 2017
74 HondurasJune 28, 2017
75 HungaryJuly 5, 2017
76 IcelandJuly 12, 2017
77 IndiaJuly 19, 2017
78 IndonesiaAugust 2, 2017
79August 9, 2017
80 IraqAugust 16, 2017
81 IrelandAugust 30, 2017
82 IsraelSeptember 20, 2017
83 ItalySeptember 27, 2017
84October 4, 2017
85 JamaicaOctober 11, 2017
86 JapanOctober 20, 2017
87 JordanNovember 1, 2017
88 KazakhstanNovember 15, 2017
89 KenyaNovember 22, 2017
90 KiribatiNovember 29, 2017
91December 13, 2017
92December 20, 2017
93 KuwaitJanuary 17, 2018
94 KyrgyzstanJanuary 24, 2018
95January 31, 2018
96 LatviaFebruary 7, 2018
97 LebanonFebruary 28, 2018
98 LesothoMarch 7, 2018
99 LiberiaMarch 14, 2018
100 LibyaMarch 21, 2018
101 LiechtensteinMarch 28, 2018
102 LithuaniaApril 25, 2018
103 LuxembourgMay 2, 2018
104 MadagascarMay 23, 2018
105 MalawiMay 30, 2018
106 MalaysiaJune 6, 2018
107June 27, 2018
108 MaldivesJuly 4, 2018
109 MaliJuly 11, 2018
110 MaltaAugust 15, 2018
111 Marshall IslandsAugust 22, 2018
112 MauritaniaAugust 29, 2018
113 MauritiusSeptember 5, 2018
114 MexicoSeptember 26, 2018
115October 10, 2018
116October 17, 2018
117 MonacoNovember 7, 2018
118 MongoliaNovember 14, 2018
119 MontenegroDecember 5, 2018
120 MoroccoDecember 12, 2018
121 MozambiqueDecember 19, 2018
122 MyanmarJanuary 9, 2019
123 NamibiaJanuary 16, 2019
124 NauruJanuary 30, 2019
125 NepalFebruary 6, 2019
126 NetherlandsFebruary 27, 2019
127April 3, 2019
128 NicaraguaApril 10, 2019
129 NigerApril 24, 2019
130 NigeriaMay 1, 2019
131 NorwayMay 22, 2019
132 OmanJune 12, 2019
133 PakistanJune 19, 2019
134 PalauJuly 31, 2019
135 PanamaAugust 7, 2019
136 Papua New GuineaAugust 28, 2019
137 ParaguaySeptember 4, 2019
138 PeruSeptember 25, 2019
139 PhilippinesOctober 2, 2019
140 PolandOctober 30, 2019
141 PortugalNovember 6, 2019
142 QatarDecember 4, 2019
143 RomaniaDecember 11, 2019
144January 15, 2020
145 RwandaJanuary 29, 2020
146 Saint Kitts and NevisFebruary 19, 2020
147 Saint LuciaMarch 11, 2020
148 Saint Vincent and the GrenadinesMarch 18, 2020
149 SamoaApril 15, 2020
150 San MarinoMay 6, 2020
151May 18, 2020
152 Saudi ArabiaJune 3, 2020
153 SenegalJuly 1, 2020
154 SerbiaJuly 22, 2020
155 SeychellesAugust 12, 2020
156 Sierra LeoneSeptember 2, 2020
157 SingaporeSeptember 23, 2020
158 SlovakiaDecember 30, 2020
159 SloveniaJanuary 6, 2021
160 Solomon IslandsJanuary 20, 2021
161 SomaliaFebruary 24, 2021
162 South AfricaMarch 17, 2021
163 SpainApril 21, 2021
164 Sri LankaMay 26, 2021
165 SudanJune 23, 2021
166August 4, 2021
167 SurinameSeptember 1, 2021
168 SwedenSeptember 22, 2021
169 SwitzerlandOctober 28, 2021
170December 8, 2021
171 TajikistanJanuary 19, 2022
172February 23, 2022
173 ThailandMarch 27, 2022
174 TogoApril 29, 2022
175 TongaJune 9, 2022
176 Trinidad and TobagoJuly 6, 2022
177 TunisiaAugust 4, 2022
178 TurkeySeptember 3, 2022
179 TurkmenistanOctober 19, 2022
180 TuvaluNovember 23, 2022
181 UgandaJanuary 18, 2023
182 UkraineMarch 9, 2023
183 United Arab EmiratesMarch 30, 2023
184 United KingdomMay 30, 2023
185July 4, 2023
186 UruguaySeptember 4, 2023
187 UzbekistanOctober 31, 2023
188 VanuatuDecember 7, 2023
189February 6, 2024
190April 3, 2024
191 YemenJune 19, 2024
192 ZambiaAugust 13, 2024
193 ZimbabweOctober 2024[4]

Other content

Filler week videos happen when the team is in the process of researching and creating scripts for the next few videos. Topics discussed include states or sub regions of countries, current or cultural events, physical geography, specific ethnic group of peoples and infrastructure innovations.

Geography Go is the channel's travel vlog series. Countries visited include Qatar, Finland, Estonia, Greenland, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Malaysia, Ukraine, Turkmenistan,Indonesia, Singapore and many more. Paul also later started posting YouTube Shorts on his channel about his travels to other countries like Slovakia, Slovenia, Poland, Croatia, the Central African Republic, Togo and many other countries.

A Geograbee is the geography equivalent of a spelling bee in which people are tested on geography. He has so far hosted them in Hargeisa in Somaliland, Somalia, and Alaska.[5]

For April Fools' Day, Geography Now! uploads videos profiling fictional countries made up by Barbato. These include:

Reception

Geography Now! generally receives positive feedback from newspapers and magazines in the countries covered, such as Japan Today,[6] Télérama,[7] Dutch Metro,[8] RTL,[9] Nezavisne Novine,[10] Life in Norway,[11] Lovin Malta,[12] and Zoznam.[13] It also receives endorsements from educators and travel writers.[14] [15] The channel has appeared on several lists of recommended educational YouTube channels,[16] [17] [18] including one by the Van Andel Institute.[19] [20] The few criticisms are usually to do with tone and pronunciation, particularly in earlier episodes.[21]

The top 15 country episodes with the most views as of June 2024 are:

1. Germany (8.524 million)

2. Japan (7.309 million)

3. Indonesia (7.198 million)

4. Israel (6.262 million)

5. China (PRC) (6.157 million)

6. North Korea (DPRK) (6.133 million)

7. India (5.489 million)

8. Russia (5.041 million)

9. Denmark (4.892 million)

10. Philippines (4.486 million)

11. Italy (4.109 million)

12. Canada (3.974 million)

13. Netherlands (3.839 million)

14. Afghanistan (3.795 million)

15. Ireland (3.707 million)

External links

Notes and References

  1. Geography Now! Night Thread. The Avocado. Sam. Aronow. June 22, 2018. May 21, 2019.
  2. Episode 19 - Geography Now!. The Lost Geographer. September 23, 2021. January 23, 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220123155907/https://www.thelostgeographer.org/podcast.php?ep=Episode%2019%20-%20Geography%20Now!. dead.
  3. Web site: Educational YouTuber Covers the Philippines. DG Briones. 3 October 2019. 23 September 2021. 23 January 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220123155858/https://dgbriones.home.blog/2019/10/03/educational-youtuber-covers-the-philippines/. dead.
  4. https://www.youtube.com/post/Ugkx2BU_CwkLt0CzyFHyUrtRwCH5hEC98w2f Community post by Geography Now on YouTube
  5. Youtube star hosts GeograBee at Gruening Middle School. Cassie. Schirm. KTVA. March 3, 2018. May 21, 2019. October 19, 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20181019210311/http://www.ktva.com/story/37639263/youtube-star-hosts-geograbee-at-gruening-middle-school. dead.
  6. Informative video condenses everything about Japan into 16 minutes of pure gold. Japan Today. Koh. Ruide. February 17, 2018. June 12, 2019.
  7. La France vue de l'extérieur. Télérama. December 9, 2016. June 12, 2019. fr.
  8. Geography Now lanceert uitlegvideo over Nederland. Metro. Jemel. Visser. February 27, 2019. June 12, 2019. nl.
  9. Kako nas Amerikanci vide: pogledajte što sve znaju o nama. RTL. May 16, 2016. June 12, 2019. Croatian.
  10. Kako stranci vide BiH: Icar konzerve, piramide i tri jezika. Nezavisne Novine. July 10, 2015. June 12, 2019. Bosnian.
  11. Geography Now Comes To Norway. Life in Norway. David. Nikel. May 23, 2019. June 12, 2019.
  12. WATCH: Malta Featured On Popular Youtube Series About Countries And Geography. Lovin Malta. Chiara. Micallef. 19 August 2018 . June 12, 2019.
  13. Státisíce videní za pár dní: Toto video o Slovensku je absolútnym hitom!. Zoznam: Hashtag. 4 January 2021. 23 September 2021. sk.
  14. YouTube Excellence #2: Geography Now. Tome of Trovius. March 27, 2018. May 21, 2019.
  15. Web site: Geography Now Videos. Laddingford St Mary's C of E Primary School. February 20, 2021.
  16. 82. Geography Now with Paul Barbato. Nothing Exempt. Nicholas Pardini, Brian Peotter. September 15, 2018. May 21, 2019.
  17. Lights, Camera, Action….Geography Now!. Tania. Stoyanof. Black Label. December 14, 2016. May 21, 2019.
  18. 7 YouTube Channels Everyone Should Follow, According To Reddit. Bustle. Georgina. Lawton. February 2, 2017. June 12, 2019.
  19. Web site: 5 Useful (and Fun) YouTube Channels for Your Classroom. Van Andel Institute. 28 February 2020. 21 February 2021.
  20. From maths and science to liberal studies, these are the 7 best YouTube channels that will improve your grades. Joshua. Lee. YoungPost. South China Morning Post. January 12, 2018. May 21, 2019.
  21. My thoughts about Geography Now. Medium. January 26, 2019. June 12, 2019.