| GEOGRAPHY UNDERGRADUATE STUDIES
BECOME A GEOGRAPHER
What is Geography?
The word Geography is derived from
the Greek words geo ("the Earth") and graphein ("to
write", as in "to describe"). Geography
is the study of the earth and its features and of the distribution
of life on the earth, including human life and the effects
of human activity. Since Geography is the study of the
relationship between the planet earth and its inhabitants,
it can be considered both a natural and a social science. Geographers
look at all interactions and distributions in both the natural
and human realms. They also examine how these interactions
vary spatially.
Geography is the science of place and space. Geographers
ask where things are located on the surface of the earth, why
they are located where they are, how places differ from one
another, and how people interact with the environment.
There are two main branches of geography: human geography
and physical geography. Human geography is concerned with the
spatial aspects of human existence - how people and their activity
are distributed in space, how they use and perceive space,
and how they create and sustain the places that make up the
earth's surface. Human geographers work in the fields of urban
and regional planning, transportation, marketing, real estate,
tourism, and international business.
Physical geographers study patterns of climates, land forms,
vegetation, soils, and water. They forecast the weather, manage
land and water resources, and analyze and plan for forests,
rangelands, and wetlands. Many human and physical geographers
have skills in cartography and Geographic Information Systems
(GIS).
Geographers also study the linkages between human activity
and natural systems. Geographers were, in fact, among the first
scientists to sound the alarm that human-induced changes to
the environment were beginning to threaten the balance of life
itself. They are active in the study of global warming, desertification,
deforestation, loss of biodiversity, groundwater pollution,
and flooding.
What do Geographers do?
Geography opens doors to a wide variety of careers, such as
an Environmental Specialist, Business Location/Allocation Expert,
Market Researcher, Community Development and Planning Specialist,
Cartographer, Satellite Image Analyst, Weather Forecaster,
or Teacher. In fact, almost any career would benefit
from a better understanding of Geography. See http://www.aag.org/Careers/Intro.html for
mor information on careers in Geography.
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