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Geography
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This article is about the science of the surface of planetary bodies. For the science of planetary
material, see Geology.
For other uses, see Geography (disambiguation).
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Physical map of Earth with political borders as of 2016

Political map of Earth with political borders as of 2019
Geography (from Greek: γεωγραφία, geographia, literally "earth description")[1] is a field

of science devoted to the study of the lands, features, inhabitants, and phenomena of
the Earth and planets.[2] The first person to use the word γεωγραφία was Eratosthenes (276–194
BC).[3] Geography is an all-encompassing discipline that seeks an understanding of Earth and its
human and natural complexities—not merely where objects are, but also how they have changed
and come to be.
Geography is often defined in terms of two branches: human geography and physical
geography.[4][5] Human geography deals with the study of people and their communities, cultures,
economies, and interactions with the environment by studying their relations with and across space
and place.[6] Physical geography deals with the study of processes and patterns in the natural
environment like the atmosphere, hydrosphere, biosphere, and geosphere.
The four historical traditions in geographical research are: spatial analyses of natural and the human
phenomena, area studies of places and regions, studies of human-land relationships, and the Earth
sciences.[7] Geography has been called "the world discipline"[8] and "the bridge between the human
and the physical sciences".[9]
Contents
 1Introduction
 2Branches
o 2.1Physical geography
o 2.2Human geography
o 2.3Integrated geography
o 2.4Geomatics
o 2.5Regional geography
o 2.6Related fields
 3Techniques
o 3.1Cartography
o 3.2Geographic information systems
o 3.3Remote sensing
o 3.4Quantitative methods
o 3.5Qualitative methods
 4History
 5Notable geographers
 6Institutions and societies
 7Publications
 8References
Introduction
Geography is a systematic study of the Universe and its features. Traditionally, geography has been
associated with cartography and place names. Although many geographers are trained
in toponymy and cartology, this is not their main preoccupation. Geographers study the space and
the temporal database distribution of phenomena, processes, and features as well as
the interaction of humans and their environment.[10] Because space and place affect a variety of
topics, such as economics, health, climate, plants and animals, geography is highly interdisciplinary.
The interdisciplinary nature of the geographical approach depends on an attentiveness to the
relationship between physical and human phenomena and its spatial patterns.[11]
Names of places...are not geography...know by heart a whole gazetteer full of them would not, in
itself, constitute anyone a geographer. Geography has higher aims than this: it seeks to classify
phenomena (alike of the natural and of the political world, in so far as it treats of the latter), to
compare, to generalize, to ascend from effects to causes, and, in doing so, to trace out the laws of
nature and to mark their influences upon man. This is 'a description of the world'—that is Geography.
In a word Geography is a Science—a thing not of mere names but of argument and reason, of cause
and effect.[12]
— William Hughes, 1863
Just as all phenomena exist in time and thus have a history, they also exist in space and have a
geography.[13]
— United States National Research Council, 1997
Geography as a discipline can be split broadly into two main subsidiary fields: human
geography and physical geography. The former largely focuses on the built environment and how
humans create, view, manage, and influence space. The latter examines the natural environment,
and how organisms, climate, soil, water, and landforms produce and interact.[14] The difference
between these approaches led to a third field, environmental geography, which combines physical
and human geography and concerns the interactions between the environment and humans.[10]
Branches
Physical geography
Main article: Physical geography
Physical geography (or physiography) focuses on geography as an Earth science. It aims to

understand the physical problems and the issues
of lithosphere, hydrosphere, atmosphere, pedosphere, and global flora and fauna patterns
(biosphere). Physical Geography is the study of earth's seasons,climate ,atmosphere,soil, streams,
landforms, and oceans.

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Geography

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Jump to navigationJump to search

For other uses, see Geography (disambiguation).

Physical map of Earth with political borders as of 2016

Geography (from Greek: γεωγραφία, geographia, literally "earth description")[1] is a field

— William Hughes, 1863

— United States National Research Council, 1997

Physical geography (or physiography) focuses on geography as an Earth science. It aims to

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