1. WHAT IS GEOGRAPHY? Geography, one of the oldest sciences, is the study of the earth. It began with the Ancient Greeks, a seafaring people who occupied a mountainous peninsula and many offshore islands in the Mediterranean Sea. Because the Greeks were in need of more land to relieve overcrowding in their own country, and because they wanted to satisfy their curiosity, they travelled widely, observing, describing, and trying to explain why places were different. Do you know where Greece is? Where is the Mediterranean Sea? Most people today still want to know what other places are like, to travel to distant past of the world such as Mount Everest. The Amazon Jungle, Japan, or Hawaii to satisfy their curiosity. It was such a desire which led to the discovery of Australia by Dutch and English sailors in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. The same desire takes scientists to the icy wastes of Antarctica, and even to distant places in outer space in the present century. What country is closest to Antarctica? A geographer tries to do more than just satisfy his/her curiosity about places. Their task is to explain how and why places differ from one another, and to determine any similarities which may exist between them. In other words, he/she must observe, describe and explain the likeness and differences between places. MAPS When men first began to move away from their homelands, they needed to record information to find their way home again. Eventually, they began to measure distances and take readings from stars to determine their location. This led to the production of simple maps and diagrams showing distributions of land, water and other features including vegetation, settlement patterns, and transport routes. A map shows not only where places are located but their relationship to nearby places. For example, a map of New South Wales would show that Sydney is located on the central part of the coast between Newcastle and Wollongong, and that it is linked to these two cities by road and railway. ? New South Wales. Where is that? Knowing the location of a place is not enough. It is like knowing someone’s address. It tells only where to find the person but nothing about their appearance, their home or their surroundings. Everyone is aware of the differences that exist from place to place on the earth’s surface. Tokyo is different from Edmonton. Toronto is different from Mexico City. Some parts of the earth’s surface have been changed by man. Forests have been removed so that crops can be planted. Land has been levelled so that roads may be built. Houses have been replaced by factories. In some places, however, natural features such as vegetation and landforms have not been altered by man. The rainforests of the Congo Basin and the rugged peaks of the Himalayan Mountains are two examples of such places where man has made little or no change in the appearance of the land.

2. THE UNIQUENESS OF PLACES No two places on earth are identical. Because of this, geographers want to know the answers to such questions as why some parts of the Earth are more densely settled than other part; what the earth was like before man changed its appearance; why cities have been built where they are. In other words, they want to know why places are unique. No features exist on the earth without the influence of other features. Rocks are worn away by water, plants depend on climate and minerals in the soil from growth, railways affect the movement of goods and people between places, man adjusts his way of living to the seasonal changes in climate, and so on. There is thus an interrelationship between all the features on the earth which geographers need to study in order to understand exactly what places are like. THE LANDSCAPE The visible surface of the earth is called the landscape. It results from the interaction of man with his/her environment. The most obvious features of the landscape vary from place to place because man modifies or changes the earth’s surface to satisfy his/her economic needs. Depending on the extent of man-made changes, the landscape may be dominated by either natural features (particularly landforms climate, and vegetation) or cultural features (such as buildings, crops, cities, transport routes, and industries). It is not enough simply to observe the landscape. Description and explanation of the interrelationships which exist between man and his environment are necessary for a complete understanding of why places are unique. Guess what city… THE PURPOSE OF GEOGRAPHY Geography is not merely exciting, it is useful. If we know how people live in other parts of the world, we can understand them better. We can set about to help them solve their problems if we know the details of their country, its climate and natural resources, and their way of life. A knowledge of geography promotes greater understanding of the books and newspapers we read. Geography helps the businessperson to make decisions regarding the establishment of a factory, it helps farmers to choose crops best suited to the climate and soil conditions of the areas in which they live. Maps help sailors and airmen to find their way from place to place. Geography makes the traveller’s journey more interesting and rewarding. Above all, it helps all of us to know a little more about the planet on which we live.

3. WHAT IS GEOGRAPHY - Questions 1.Why did geography originate in Greece? 1.What are some of the tasks of Geographers? List 3. 1.What is the purpose of a map? 1.What are some places where no change has taken place in the appearance of the land? 1.Give 2 examples of how features of the earth influence eachother. 1.What is landscape? Why does it change from place to place? 1.Give 3 useful reasons for studying geography.