Introduction to Geography

What is Geography?  Geography is the study of the world, its people, and the landscapes they create.  Geography is both a science and a social science.

Geography as a Science  Many geographers want to know how the world works. (examples: what creates tornadoes, what causes mountains to form, etc.)  As scientists, geographers look at the data that they collect about places.

Geography as a Social Science  Some geographers study people and their lives.  A social science is a field that studies people and the relationships among them.

Levels  To fully understand how the world works, geographers look at places at three different levels.  Local Level  Regional Level  Global Level

Regional Level  A region is a part of the world that has one or more common features that distinguish it from surrounding areas.

Global Level  In order to look at the world on a global level, geographers ask how events and ideas from one region of the world affect people in other regions.  Geographers who study the world on a global level try to find relationships among people who live far apart.

A Geographer’s Tools  A map is a flat drawing that shows all or part of the Earth’s surface.  A globe is a spherical, or ball shaped model of the entire planet.