What is Geography? Mr. Haddock Social Studies

Definition of Geography Geography is the study of places and the relationships between people and their environments. Geography seeks to understand: – Where things are found – Why they are there – How they develop and change over time

Physical Geography The study of Earth’s season, climate, atmosphere, soil, streams, landforms and oceans

Human Geography Study of the distribution of networks of people and cultures on Earth’s surface. – Economic Geography- examine distribution of production, goods and wealth. – Medical Geography- study the distribution of disease – Others types of human geography include: Geography of Religions Population Geography Recreation, Tourism, and Sport Geography Military Geography

Ancient Geographers Geography comes from the ancient Greeks – Geo means “Earth” and – graphy means “to write” – Greeks

Age of Discovery The study of geography regain popularity in Europe 15 th - 17 th centuries known in the West as the Age of Exploration Printing press helped spread geographic knowledge by making maps and charts widely available. 13 th - century travels of Italian explorer Marco Polo – Europeans learned about the riches of China Curiosity was awakened and a desire to trade with wealthy Asian cultures began

Modern Geography Geography seeks to understand – where things are found – Why they are present in those places – How things that are located in the same or distant placses influence one another over time – Why places and people influence one another over time Geography means not just exploring new places but documenting and trying to explain the varaitions that exist across the surface of the earth

Modern Geography Geography is not defined by particular topic Instead, geography is concerned with many different topics: – People – Culture – Politics – Settlements – Plants – Landforms – And more