Abstract
"Geographic viewpoint and World regional image" formed at the elementary school age, influences world recognition and regional image throughout the lifetime. In this report, the role of such geography education was considered and especially focused on the description which was related to Africa. I examined social study textbooks of elementary school 6 grade bottom volumes and junior high school geography textbook used at April 2004 in Japan. There is no elementary textbook described about the country in Africa. And the photograph which is related to the Africa appears in 5 textbooks exists even in the sum total only 19 sheets. Moreover 14 sheets have shown negative side such as "people suffers from the hunger" "people waits for the food supply" "refugee" "riot" and "desertification" in the inside. I think only "misery image" of Africa was exaggerated that it transmitted and erred has been formed to children whom study in these textbooks. FUKUZAWA Yukichi(1834-1901) wrote "SEKAIKUNIZUKUSHI" in 1869. In this book he ranked in the cross culture region and it enlightened the world view which did look down region except for Europe and USA. His viewpoint in those days was "the imitation of world view of Europeans". So it was not only problem of himself. However, world recognition formation which today's Japanese erred is responsibility of the geography education of Japan. In spite of these situations, the contents of World Geography have decreased in recent Social Studies textbooks.
