Geography

:Image:Physical_world.jpg)_(:Image:World-map-2004-cia-factbook-large-2m.jpg)">Image:Physical_world.jpg|thumb|333px|right|Physical map of the Earth (:Image:Physical_world.jpg) (:Image:World-map-2004-cia-factbook-large-2m.jpg) Geography is the scientific study of the locational and spatial variation in both physical and human phenomena on Earth. The word derives from the Greek language words ''γη'' or ''γεια'' ("Earth") and ''γραφειν'' ("to write," as in "to describe"). ''Geography'' is also the title of various historical books on this subject, notably the ''Geographia'' by Ptolemy (2nd century). Geographers not only investigate what is where on the Earth, but also why it's there and not somewhere else, sometimes referred to as "location in space." They study this whether the cause is natural or human and also the consequences of those differences. Geography is much more than cartography, the study of maps, and is far beyond the study of 'capes and bays'. As William Hughes - who taught the geography of the Holy Lands to divinity students at King's College London - put it in an address in 1863: :''"Mere place names are not geography. To know by heart a whole gazeteer 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 insofar as it treats of the latter) to compare, to generalise, to ascend from effects to causes and in doing so to trace out the great laws of nature and to mark their influence upon man. In a word, geography is a science, a thing not of mere names, but of argument and reason, of cause and effect."'' ==History of geography== :''See main article: History of geography The ancient Greeces are the first known culture to actively explore geography as a science and philosophy. Mapping by the Roman Empires as they explored new lands added new techniques. During the Middle Ages, Arabs such as Idrisi, Ibn Batutta, and Ibn Khaldun maintained the Greek and Roman techniques and developed new ones. Following the journeys of Marco Polo, interest in geography spread throughout Europe. The great voyages of exploration in 16th century and 17th century revived a desire for both accurate geographic detail, and more solid theoretical foundations. This period is also known as Great Geographical Discoveries. By the 18th century, geography had become recognized as a discrete discipline and became part of a typical university curriculum in Europe (especially Paris and Berlin). Over the past two centuries the quantity of knowledge and the number of tools has exploded. There are strong links between geography and the sciences of geology and botany, as well as economics, sociology and demographics. In the West during the 20th century, the discipline of geography went through four major phases: environmental determinism, regional geography, the quantitative revolution, and critical geography. == Methods == Spatial interrelationships are key to this synoptic science, and it uses maps as a key tool. Classical cartography has been joined by the more modern approach to geographical analysis, computer-based geographic information systems (GIS). Geographers use four interrelated approaches: * Systematic - Groups geographical knowledge into categories that can be explored globally * Regional - Examines systematic relationships between categories for a specific region or location on the planet. * Descriptive - Simply specifies the locations of features and populations. * Analytical - Asks ''why'' we find features and populations in a specific geographic area. == Branches == === Physical geography === This branch focuses on Geography as an Earth science (and is sometimes called Earth System Science), making use of biology to understand global flora (plants) and fauna (animals) patterns, and mathematics and physics to understand the motion of the earth and relationship with other bodies in the solar system. It also includes landscape ecology and environmental geography. The branches of Physical Geography are: * Geomorphology * Hydrology * Glaciology * Biogeography * Climatology * Pedology * Costal/ Marine studies * Geodesy * Palaeogeography * Environmental geography and management Sometimes Oceanography is included as a branch within physical geography, but is now considered a separate subject in its own right. Related Topics: Earth's atmosphere -- archipelago -- continent -- desert -- island -- landform -- ocean -- sea -- river -- lake -- ecology -- climatology -- soil -- geomorphology -- biogeography -- Timeline of geography, paleontology -- palaeogeography -- hydrology -- glaciology --pedology -- coastal science -- geostatistics -- environmental science-- geodesy -- oceanography === Human geography === Human geography, including economic, political and cultural geography, also called anthropogeography, focuses on the social science, non-physical aspects of the way the world is arranged. It examines how humans adapt themselves to the land and to other people, and in macroscopic transformations they enact on the world. Human Geography can be divided into the following broad categories: * Economic geography * Political geography or Geopolitics~ * Social geography * Urban geography * Cultural region * Feminist geography * Strategic geography * Population geography or Demography~ * Behavioral geography * Developmental geography * Historical geography * Regional science * Military geography ~N.B. Distinction between these fields of study have become increasingly blurred over time and many consider them to be the same subject. Related Topics: Countries of the world -- country -- nation -- state -- personal union -- province -- county -- city -- municipality -- central_place_theory -- === Socio-environmental geography === During the time of environmental determinism, geography was defined not as the study of spatial relationships, but as the study of how humans and the natural environment interact. Though environmental determinism has died out, there remains a strong tradition of geographers addressing the relationships between people and nature. There are two main subfields of socio-environmental geography: * cultural and political ecology (CAPE) and * risk-hazards research. ====1) Cultural and political ecology ==== Cultural ecology grew out of the work of Carl O. Sauer in geography and a similar school of thought in anthropology. It examined how human societies adapt themselves to the natural environment. Sustainability science has been one important outgrowth of this tradition. Political ecology arose when some geographers used aspects of critical geography to look at relations of power and how they affect people's use of the environment. For example, an influential study by Michael Watts argued that famines in the Sahel are caused by the changes in the region's political system and economic system as a result of colonialism and the spread of capitalism.. ====2) Risk-hazards research ==== Research on hazards began with the work of geographer Gilbert F. White, who sought to understand why people live in disaster-prone floodplains. Since then, the hazards field has expanded to become a multidisciplinary field examining both natural hazards (such as earthquakes) and technological hazards (such as nuclear reactor meltdowns). Geographers studying hazards are interested in both the dynamics of the hazard event and how people and societies deal with it. === Historical geography === This branch seeks to determine how cultural features of the multifarious societies across the planet evolved and came into being. Study of the landscape is one of many key foci in this field - much can be deduced about earlier societies from their impact on their local environment and surroundings. ; '''What's in a name? Historical geography and the Berkeley School ''' "Historical Geography" can indeed refer to the reciprocal effects of geography and history on each other. But in the United States, it has a more specialized meaning: This is the name given by Carl O. Sauer of the University of California, Berkeley to his program of reorganizing cultural geography (some say all geography) along regional lines, beginning in the first decades of the 20th Century. To Sauer, a landscape and the cultures in it could only be understood if all of its influences through history were taken into account: Physical, cultural, economic, political, environmental. Sauer stressed regional specialization as the only means of gaining expertise on regions of the world. Sauer's philosophy was the principal shaper of American geographic thought in the mid-20th century. Regional specialists remain in academic geography departments to this day. But many geographers feel that it harmed the discipline in the long run: Too much effort was spent on data collection and classification, and too little on analysis and explanation. Studies became more and more area specific as later geographers struggled to find places to make names for themselves. This probably led in turn to the 1950s crisis in Geography which nearly destroyed it as an academic discipline. === Geographic information science === The science behind Geographic Information Systems (GIS). == Geographic techniques == * ''Cartography'' studies the representation of the Earth's surface with abstract symbols. It can be said, without much controversy, that cartography is the seed from which the larger field of Geography grew. Most geographers will cite a childhood fascination with maps as an early sign they would end up in the field. Although other subdisciplines of geography rely on maps for presenting their analyses, the actual making of maps is abstract enough to be regarded separately. Cartography has grown from a collection of drafting techniques into an actual science. Cartographers must learn cognitive psychology and ergonomics to understand which symbols convey information about the Earth most effectively, and behavioral psychology to induce the readers of their maps to act on the information. They must learn geodesy and fairly advanced mathematics to understand how the shape of the Earth affects the distortion of map symbols projected onto a flat surface for viewing. * ''Geographic Information Systems'' deals with the storage of information about the Earth for automatic retrieval by a computer, in an accurate manner appropriate to the information's purpose. In addition to all of the other subdisciplines of geography, GIS specialists must understand computer science and database systems. GIS has so revolutionized the field of cartography that nearly all mapmaking is now done with the assistance of some form of GIS software. * ''Geographic quantitative methods'' deal with numerical methods peculiar to (or at least most commonly found in) geography. In addition to spatial analyses, you are likely to find things like cluster analysis, discriminant analysis, and non-parametric statistical tests in geographic studies. == Related fields == === Urban and regional planning === Urban planning and regional planning use the science of geography to assist in determining how to develop (or not develop) the land to meet particular criteria, such as safety, beauty, economic opportunities, the preservation of the built or natural heritage, etcetera. The planning of towns, cities and rural areas may be seen as applied geography although it also draws heavily upon the arts, the sciences and lessons of history. Some of the issues facing planning are considered briefly under the headings of rural exodus, urban exodus and Smart Growth. === Regional science === In the 1950s the regional science movement arose, led by Walter Isard to provide a more quantitative and analytical base to geographical questions, in contrast to the more qualitative tendencies of traditional geography programs. Regional Science comprises the body of knowledge in which the spatial dimension plays a fundamental role, such as regional economics, resource management, location theory, urban planning and regional planning, transport and communication, human geography, population distribution, landscape ecology, and environmental quality. == See also == *Human geography *List of geography topics *:Category:Geographical_term_stubs *List of countries *List of reference tables#Geography and places *Geopolitics *Geographic magazines *National Geographic Society *National Geographic Bee ==External links== * [http://www.gisuser.com/ GISuser.com, information-rich portal about GIS] * [http://www.populationdata.net/ PopulationData.net] * [http://www.ericdigests.org/1996-4/high.htm Using Literature To Teach Geography in High Schools. ERIC Digest.] * [http://ericdigests.org/1992-5/geography.htm Teaching Geography at School and Home. ERIC Digest.] * [http://ericdigests.org/1996-1/geography.htm The National Geography Content Standards. ERIC Digest.] * [http://www.geo-guide.de Geo-Guide] extensive list of academic resources on geography and earth science * [http://www.geopium.org Geopium: Geopolitics of Illicit Drugs in Asia] * [http://www.nationalgeographic.com/ National Geographic Online] * [http://www.rgs.org Royal Geographical Society] * [http://www.rcgs.org Royal Canadian Geographical Society] * [http://www.canadiangeographic.ca Canadian Geographic] * [http://hypergeo.free.fr Hypergeo : Geographical Encyclopedia] Geography Academic disciplines School subjects az:Coğrafiya bn:ভূগোল bs:Geografija br:Jeografi co:Geografia als:Geografie hi:भूगोल ka:გეოგრაფია ks:Geografia sw:Jiografia la:Geographia lv:Ģeogrāfija mg:Jeografia mt:Ġeografija ms:Geografi nds:Geographie scn:Geografia simple:Geography te:భూగోళ శాస్త్రము th:ภูมิศาสตร์ vi:Địa lý học vo:Taledav

Geography

==Links and definitions== Wednesday August 13, 2003 There should be a link to the National Geographic Society article as well as infomation on the Royal Geographical Society. Friday September 13, 2002 Political map- Shows boundaries that divide the world into countries and states. Physical map- Shows natural features like mountains, rivers, and elevation. Title- Tells the subject of the map. Key/Legend- Explains the meaning of colors and symbols. Scale- Helps you read distances on a map in miles or kilometers. Compass rose- Shows cardinal directions N, S, E, W on a map. Latitude- Lines that run east and west on a map. Longitude- Lines that run north and south on a map. Equator- Zero degrees latitude- an imaginary line that divides the earth into two halves. Prime meridian- Zero degrees longitude- also divides the earth into halves. Hemisphere- Half of the earth. Definitions moved here till they can find a better home or something, User:Aldie 22:39 Dec 8, 2002 (UTC) == political geography or geopolitics== This section implies that they are the same thing but they are distinct so it needs changing. == additions to geography article == Added some information about the history of the field in the 20th century, and about the human-environment subfields. I felt there was no mention of Roman period, Srabo and Ptolemy should have been credited as Roman scholars, and also there was no mention of Kant or Ritters contribution in giving the geography its place Geography.User:sunilreddy 20:02, 22 Mar 2005 (UTC) :Nice one. I meant to come back and do a little on Ritter and never got around to it. User:Icundell 20:35, 22 Mar 2005 (UTC) ==Geographical terms== "What links here" offers a list of geographical terms that have their own entries: peninsula, sound, isthmus, etc. --and that really need to have a paragraph of simple alphabetic listing here. I know this is simple-minded, but it's part of what people are looking for at Geography.User:Wetman 20:02, 7 Mar 2004 (UTC) Is there something wrong with the sub-headings or is it my browser? The hierarchy doesn't seem to match the font sizes. It is a very good article though --User:BozMouser talk:BozMo 15:30, 22 Jun 2004 (UTC) ==Arabian interwiki link== On this page, there is an interwiki link to :ar:إستونيا. The same link is found on :en:Estonia, and the interwiki links on :ar:إستونيا refer to various articles on Estonia as well. As my knowledge of Arabian is extremely limited, I would like to ask someone who is capable of this language to search the arabian article which refers to geography and to correct the links here as appropriate. -- User:Gauss 15:33, 13 Jul 2004 (UTC) :I'm just going to remove it (here and on interwikis) and if I'm wrong someone can put it back. It screws up the interwiki robot. :ar:إستونيا also has internal links to Russia and Finland, so I'm pretty sure it's an article about Estonia. —User:Fleminra 21:19, Aug 25, 2004 (UTC) ==Revision of Opening Statement== The opening statement of the article is an indication that Geography is a science, in the classical term (see Natural Science). This does no justice to the numerous Human Geographers out there, and all the people that spend there time to discredit positivism from Geographic thought. Shouldn't the introduction at least mention that Geography is not viewed in such a way by all geographers? :I think you are misreading the intro: First, "Scientific" is not equal to "positivist. Second, Hughes's terminology may be a little archaic, but he was making two points: geography is not descriptive, but analytical ("mere place names are not geography") and that it is comprehensive ("alike of the natural and of the political world"). It is in no way a statement in favour of positivism, since the term meant nothing then. Not only does it do full justice to human geographers (I am one and would value the quote for "of argument and reason" alone), but it allows them licence to break free of such stale, constricting, pigeonholes. User:Icundell 20:29, 22 Mar 2005 (UTC) == History of Geography == I created a redirect from History of geography to here, however I think it would be a good idea at this point to make the history of geography its own article and just keep more summarizing detail on the geography page. It is surely an article that I have reason to believe will grow so what do you think? User:Grenavitar 06:04, 12 Apr 2005 (UTC) :I can certainly see the case for that - and it would allow more space to explore the way the discipline has developed in different countries.User:Icundell 09:51, 12 Apr 2005 (UTC)

Geography

Geography is the study of the locational and spatial variation in both physical and human phenomena on Earth. This category includes: * topography features of Earth, * political regions of civilization such as country and city, * and related sciences. ''For regions outside of the Earth, see the :Category:astronomy.'' Earth sciences Social sciences Reference als:Kategorie:Geografie bs:Category:Zemljopis ga:Rang:T�reola�ocht hi:श्रेणी:भूगोल kw:Category:Dorydhyeth lv:Category:Ģeogrāfija zh-min-nan:Tē-l�-ha̍k ms:Category:Geografi nds:Category:Geographie scn:Category:Geografia simple:Category:Geography th:Category:ภูมิศาสตร์ vi:Category:Địa l� học

Geography

== Commons == Commons has images in this category. User:HenkvD 18:27, 7 Apr 2005 (UTC) == Question about Image == It is unclear why there is an image of Delhi at the bottom of this page. The global image at the top represents the category well but the Delhi image seems out of place. There are no links to Delhi on the page. In addition to being a narrow slice of the geography topic, its position at the bottom of the page is also odd. Replace? Remove? Any thoughts? User:Tobycat 17 Apr 2005 (UTC)

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