Unit one: Why Geography Matters Global Geography

What is Geography? Geography is the study of the physical and human environments of the world and the way in which these environments interact with one another. (Corbin, Trites, Taylor, 2000, pg.2) In other words, a geographer will look at our world, i.e., the earth and how we interact with it. Geography records the location of food, water, where people live, where and how people make a living.

Geography will be used to: Decide where to locate a local dump site Decide if it is good idea to put a new home development in an area Decide where a new shopping mall should be built Decide how can we prevent further environmental damage Study how different parts of the world is related and connected

Reason for geography A knowledge of geography can awaken our curiosity about other parts of the world. It can also heighten our sense of responsibility for the health of our planet and all people species that live on it.

Fields of Geography Just like many other disciplines, Geography has many different specialty areas. Economic geography Urban geography Political geography Historical geography Cultural geography

The Geographic method Regardless of the area of expertise, all geographers follow a common method of study. Step one : Ask appropriate Questions Step two: Collect information Step three: Organize, summarize and display the information gathered. Step four: Analyze and interpret the information Formulate an answer based on your analysis

The concepts of geography Six concepts are used to help guide the use of the geographic method.

Location Where did an event happen? A geographer would do more than simply answer this question. In the event of a car accident they would, for example, ask the following questions. Have there been other accidents in this same area? Did the accident happen as a result of the weather? Was the accident a result of the way the road curved just before the accident site?

Region An area of land that has an easily recognizable feature such as a mountainous region or a costal region or a region of the world identified by language spoken such as English –speaking region of the world.

Spatial Pattern Refers to the question, can similar events or phenomenon occur in places that are far apart? Can a pattern be seen? An example would be that in all urban cities around the world wealthier people can be found living outside of industrial areas.

Spatial Interaction Refers to the fact that an event on one area of the world can cause or lead to a change in another area of the world. Example, oil spills cause damage not only at the site of a spill, but also many sometimes even thousands of kilometers away.

Human/Environmental Interaction Refers to the effect that humans have on the environment and that the environment has on humans.

Culture Refers to the customs and world view of a particular people.

Summary As you can see the study of geography is complex and involves more than simply studying rocks and memorizing the names of the oceans and countries of the world. Geographers are problem solving who look at the complete and complex picture.

References Corbin, B., Trites, J., Taylor, J. (2000). Global Connections: Geography for the 21st Century. Oxford University Press: Ontario, Canada.