Geography is the study of places and the relationships between people and their

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.
The word ‘geography’ originates from two Greek words. The first is ‘geo’ which means ‘the earth’ and the second Greek word is “graph” which means ‘to write’).
Origins of the Word Geography
The first recorded use of the word geography was by Eratosthenes, a Greek scholar who lived from 276–194 BC who is credited with creating the discipline of geography (Eratosthenes’ Geography. Princeton University Press. 2010).
What is Studied in Geography?
Therefore, Geography is the science that deals with the description of the Earth’s surface. Geography is a multi disciplinary fields that studies spatial patterns and phenomenon.
What is Geography?
Geography is much more than cartography, the study of maps or simply knowing the capitals of every country. The field of geography not only investigates what is where on the Earth, but also why it’s there and not somewhere else, sometimes referred to as “location in space”.
19th century reconstruction of Eratosthenes’ map of the known world, c. 194 BC.Geography studies this whether the cause is natural or human. It also studies the consequences of those differences.
How is the Field of Geography Organized?
Over the years, the field of geography has been organized in several different ways.
Three Types of Geography
Geography can be broadly categorized as three main focus areas:
1. Physical geography – the study of the natural environment.
2. Human geography – the study of human populations
3. Environmental geography – the study of how people are affected by and change the natural environment.
Major Branches of Geography
Geographers can also organized the study of geography as branches and sub-branches of geography. (More: What are the Branches of Geography?)
Those that study geography are divided into two main branches: physical geography and human geography.
Physical geography
This branch focuses on Geography as an Earth science, making use of biology to understand global flora and fauna patterns, and mathematics and physics to understand the motion of the Earth and relationship with other bodies in the solar system. It also includes environmental geography.
Learn more: Sub-branches of Physical Geography
Geographers study how processes such as water affect the surface of the Earth. Flash flooding can move soils and wear away bedrock, causing erosion. Runoff after a storm in the lower Park Avenue area of Arches National Park, Utah. NPS photo, public domain.atmosphere — archipelago — cape — city — continent — desert — gulf — island — lake — lagoon — atoll — mountain range — ocean — peninsula — plain — river — sea — valley — ecology — climate — soil — geomorphology — biogeography – Timeline of geography, meteorology, paleontology
Human geography
The human, or political/cultural, branch of 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.
Learn more: Sub-branches of Human Geography
Geographers study how humans have altered the landscape. In Chesapeake Bay: L-R: A waterfront residential community; row crops bordered by forest; Baltimore Harbor; piers and crab pots in a waterfront fishing community. Photo: Jason Burton, USGS. Public domain.It can be divided into the following broad categories: economic geography, political geography (including geopolitics), social geography (including urban geography), environmentalism, cartography, and military geography.
Countries of the world — country — nation — state — union — province — county — city — municipality
Historical geography
This branch seeks to determine how physical and cultural features of the planet evolved and came into being and have evolved over time.
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.
Geographers study the effects of urbanization on a local landscape. A view of a suburban subdivision being developed in Atlanta, Georgia, USA. Image: USGS, public domain.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.
Geography Methods
Spatial interrelationships are key to this synoptic science, and it uses maps as a key tool.
Geographers use four interrelated approaches: