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Still, any real concentration in the subject is rare.
"We would like to see specific geography courses, but absent that, we'd like to see a strong geographic component in other social sciences," said Douglas Richardson, executive director of the Association of American Geographers.
Richardson doesn't view the situation with as much alarm as some other experts, noting that his Washington-based group has more than 8,400 members and that geotechnology, which includes global positioning systems and computerized geographic information systems, is rapidly gaining ground at some universities.
Still, many educators say the problem of geographic literacy is national in scope.
"I think that part of our increasing academic rigor, which includes higher expectations, needs to include improvement in our geography courses," said Jim Warford, Florida's chancellor for K-12 education.
"We are not satisfied with the level of success of our students in geography at the present time, nor should we be," Warford said. "But we've established some priorities like reading, and we believe that improvements in reading will lead to greater success in geography."
Even if you studied geography in school long ago, you might be surprised by changes in the field. Geography now reaches well beyond study of the seven continents and the Mercator map projection.
It turns out that the subject is now divided into physical geography (land and water masses, vegetation, soils, even climate) and human geography (how surroundings influence people and how people influence their surroundings).
And it turns out that geography and geographers can help you navigate your way through a multitude of issues.
Want to analyze the concentration and effect of Cuban Americans in South Florida? Understand the assimilation of Jewish people in the United States? Know where to place a new elementary school?
Call a geographer for a consultation.
Interested in environmental science, transportation policy or some elements of homeland security? Wondering about agriculture and land use, how land masses affected history, the source and spread of disease? Curious about a region's vulnerability to hurricanes, tsunamis or other natural disasters?
Call a geographer for a consultation.
"If you're interested in traveling, if you like other places, if you want to see the other side of the mountain, you'd enjoy studying geography," Boswell said.
Boswell, 63, has been teaching geography for 35 years, the last 28 at the university of Miami. As one might expect, world maps hang in his office, along with a satellite image of South Florida. Also, if you want to know the geographic, mean and median centers of U.S. population, this would be the bulletin board to look at.
Boswell is one of 10 members of UM's geography faculty. Together, they teach about 500 students each semester, though most students take introductory geography courses as a natural-science or social-science elective. Only about 40 undergraduates at UM have selected geography as a major and 12 students are pursuing a graduate degree in the field, Boswell said. UM serves more than 15,000 undergraduate and graduate students.
A major in geography also is available at Florida Atlantic University and Florida International University.
Still, given the relatively low interest in the subject at most levels and the rising need for geographically trained professionals, educators are lobbying for more influence and for more resources.
"Curriculum is something that's hard to change at the local level," Boswell said. "It's coming, but slowly. Americans still really need to know more about geography."