Geography is the study of the lands, features, inhabitants, and phenomena of Earth . It is an all-encompassing discipline that seeks an understanding of Earth and its human and natural complexitiesnot merely where objects are, but also how they have changed and come to be . While geography is specific to Earth, many concepts can be applied more broadly to other celestial bodies in the field of planetary science .
Geography has been called “a bridge between natural science and social science disciplines” . The core concepts of geography consistent between all approaches are a focus on space, place, time, and scale . Today, geography is an extremely broad discipline with multiple approaches and modalities . There have been multiple attempts to organize the discipline, including the four traditions of geography, and into branches . Techniques employed can generally be broken down into quantitative and qualitative approaches, with many studies taking mixed-methods approaches . Common techniques include cartography, remote sensing, interviews, and surveys .
Geography is a systematic study of the Earth (other celestial bodies are specified, such as “geography of Mars”, or given another name, such as areography in the case of Mars), its features, and phenomena that take place on it . For something to fall into the domain of geography, it generally needs some sort of spatial component that can be placed on a map, such as coordinates, place names, or addresses . This has led to geography being associated with cartography and place names . Although many geographers are trained in toponymy and cartology, this is not their main preoccupation . Geographers study the Earth’s spatial and temporal distribution of phenomena, processes, and features as well as the interaction of humans and their environment . Because space and place affect a variety of topics, such as economics, health, climate, plants, and animals, geography is highly interdisciplinary .
The history of geography as a discipline spans cultures and millennia, being independently developed by multiple groups, and cross-pollinated by trade between these groups . The first recorded use of the word ????????? was as a title of a book by Greek scholar Eratosthenes (276194 BC) . However, the concepts of geography (such as cartography) date back to the earliest attempts to understand the world spatially, with the earliest example of an attempted world map dating to the 9th century BCE in ancient Babylon .
Geography is a fascinating subject that has evolved over time. It is a discipline that is constantly changing and adapting to new technologies and ideas. The study of geography is important because it helps us understand the world around us and how we interact with it. It provides us with a framework for understanding the complex relationships between people, places, and the environment .