GEOGRAPHY

Mary Grace Rosagaran

What is Geography?
Geography comes from the Greek word “Geo” means Earth, and "graphy" from the Greek
word graphein, or to write about something. So, GEO + GRAPHY literally means, "to write
about the Earth" or map the earth. It is the study of the earth and its features, inhabitants,
and phenomena, how the world works in terms of the physical and human processes that
occur every day. Edmund Burke, an Irish political leader and scholar quoted, "geography is
an earthly subject, but a heavenly science”. Geography is the study of places and the
relationships between people and their environments. Geographers explore both the
physical properties of Earth’s surface and the human societies spread across it. They also
examine how human culture interacts with the natural environment and the way that
location and places can have an impact on people. Geography seeks to understand where
things are found, why they are there, and how they develop and change over time.
What are the two main branches of GEOGRAPHY?
Identifying how the world works is a quite vast order, so let us crack the study of
geography into some manageable parts. At the most uncomplicated level, think of
geography as the two sides of the coin..

 HEADS: On one side, we have Physical Geography or the study of the spatial
distribution and attributes of naturally occurring phenomena.

 TAILS: On the other side, we have Human Geography or the study of the spatial
distribution and attributes of human induced/engineered phenomena.

Physical geography
The primary concern of physical geographers is the natural environment, although many
physical geographers also look at how humans have altered natural systems. They study
Earth’s seasons, climate, atmosphere, soil, streams, landforms, and oceans. Some
disciplines within physical geography include geomorphology, glaciology, pedology,
hydrology, climatology, biogeography, and oceanography.

 Geomorphology is the study of landforms and the processes that shape them.
Geomorphologists investigate the nature and impact of wind, ice, rivers, erosion,
earthquakes, volcanoes, living things, and other forces that shape and change the
surface of the Earth.
 Glaciology is the scientific study of glaciers, or more generally ice and natural
phenomena that involve ice. Glaciologists focus on the Earth’s ice fields and their
impact on the planet’s climate. Glaciologists document the properties and
distribution of glaciers and icebergs.
  Pedology is the study of soils in their natural environment. Pedologists study soil
and how it is created, changed, and classified. Soil studies are used by a variety of
professions, from farmers analyzing field fertility to engineers investigating the
suitability of different areas for building heavy structures.
 Hydrology is the study of Earth’s water: its properties, distribution, and effects.
Hydrologists are especially concerned with the movement of water as it cycles from
the ocean to the atmosphere, and then back to Earth’s surface. Hydrologists study
the water cycle through rainfall into streams, lakes, the soil, and underground
aquifers. Hydrologists provide insights that are critical to building or removing
dams, designing irrigation systems, monitoring water quality, tracking drought
conditions, and predicting flood risk.
 Climatology or climate science is the scientific study of climate, scientifically
defined as weather conditions averaged over a period. Climatologists study Earth’s
climate system and its impact on Earth’s surface. For example, climatologists make
predictions about El Nino, a cyclical weather phenomenon of warm surface
temperatures in the Pacific Ocean. They analyze the dramatic worldwide climate
changes caused by El Nino, such as flooding in Peru, drought in Australia, and, in the
United States, the oddities of heavy Texas rains or an unseasonably warm Minnesota
winter.
 Biogeography is the study of the distribution of species and ecosystems in
geographic space and through geological time. Biogeographers study the impact of
the environment on the distribution of plants and animals. For example, a
biogeographer might document all the places in the world inhabited by a certain
spider species, and what those places have in common.
 Oceanography, a related discipline of physical geography, focuses on the creatures
and environments of the world’s oceans. Observation of ocean tides and currents
constituted some of the first oceanographic investigations. For example, 18th-
century mariners figured out the geography of the Gulf Stream, a massive current
flowing like a river through the Atlantic Ocean. The discovery and tracking of the
Gulf Stream helped communications and travel between Europe and the Americas.
Today, oceanographers conduct research on the impacts of water pollution, track
tsunamis, design offshore oil rigs, investigate underwater eruptions of lava, and
study all types of marine organisms from toxic algae to friendly dolphins.

Human geography tackles at the human activities that make the surface of the earth the
way it is. It includes numerous sub-disciplines, some of which are: Population geography,
Cultural geography, Economic geography. Political geography and many others. Human
geography is essentially synthesizing a spatial perspective with one of the topical
disciplines to come up with new knowledge and a new perspective to understand how the
world works.

Why is it important to study Geography?

 To understand basic physical systems that affect everyday life (e.g. earth-sun
relationships, water cycles, and wind and ocean currents).
  To learn the location of places and the physical and cultural characteristics of those
places in order to function more effectively in our increasingly interdependent
world.
 To understand the geography of past times and how geography has played
important roles in the evolution of people, their ideas, places and environments.
 To develop a mental map of your community, province or territory, country and the
world so that you can understand the “where” of places and events.
 To explain how the processes of human and physical systems have arranged and
sometimes changed the surface of the Earth.
 To understand the spatial organization of society and see order in what often
appears to be random scattering of people and places.
 To recognize spatial distributions at all scales — local and worldwide — in order to
understand the complex connectivity of people and places.
 To be able to make sensible judgements about matters involving relationships
between the physical environment and society.
 To appreciate Earth as the homeland of humankind and provide insight for wise
management decisions about how the planet’s resources should be used.
 To understand global interdependence and to become a better global citizen.

GEOGRAPHY TOOLS:

Geographers use all sorts of tools to help them delve into their queries. They usually use
maps, globes, atlases, aerial photographs, satellite photographs, information graphics, GIS,
and GPS.
MAPS
A map is a flat illustration of a part of Earth. Maps can show lots of different information
which includes the location of places on the world. Maps use projection to try to display a
round object (Earth) on a flat surface (a map). Cartographers have long struggled with
trying to find the most accurate projection to make maps with.
ATLAS
A book of maps. It contains maps of the world or a region of the world. Can be very helpful
for traveling. Instead of bringing many maps, you can bring one atlas.
GLOBE
A globe is a model of the Earth, used to avoid distortions in spatial relations on the world.
Maps of the world are distorted from trying to make a round object fit on a flat surface. The
globe is round, so it remains accurate. The globe provides an accurate scale of how far
apart locations are. You can also use a globe to get a comparison of the size of different
locations.
AERIAL PHOTOGRAPHS
Aerial photographs are photographs taken from the sky and used to take measurements or
create maps. Can be taken from airplanes, balloons, or even kites.

SATELLITE PHOTOGRAPHS
Satellite photographs are like aerial photographs, but they are taken from space. Satellite
photographs can capture large areas of the Earth, but they can also zoom in pretty close.
INFORMATION GRAPHICS
Information Graphics or Infographics are visual symbols of data. They are images that
show information using pictures or symbols. Information graphics can be as simple as a bar
graph or as complex as the image to the left.
GIS (Geographic Information System)
GIS is a computer-based program used to store, manage, and analyze data A GIS map is
more than a map because it can pull up a lot of information. Geographers use GIS to help
make decisions. Imagine that you wanted to make sure schools were not near any factories
that might pollute the air. With a GIS map, geographers can use the database to show where
all the schools are. They can then use the database to also show where all the factories are.
The GIS helps geographers see all kinds of information and how it relates to locations.
GPS (Global Positioning Systems)
Global Positioning Systems help you navigate by feeding you detailed information about
your position and the geographical context nearby. Aside from maps, this may be the
geography tool you are most familiar with. Global Information Systems and Global
Directional Systems are similar tools. GIS is a database of geographic information
consistently updated by academic, business and military sources, while Global
Directional Systems help navigate from a database rather than live satellite feed.
Geographers use all three systems to help them access what is already known about the
Earth to help with ongoing research.

Different coordinates
COUNTRY COORDINATES
Thailand 15.8700° N, 100.9925° E
New Zealand 40.9006° S, 174.8860° E
Switzerland 46.8182° N, 8.2275° E
Mongolia 46.8625° N, 103.8467° E
Brazil 14.2350° S, 51.9253° W
North Carolina 35.7596° N, 79.0193° W
Singapore 1.3521° N, 103.8198° E
India 20.5937° N, 78.9629° E
Madagascar 18.7669° S, 46.8691° E
Philippines 12.8797° N, 121.7740° E