What is Geography?

The word geography comes from the Greek roots "ge" for earth and "grapho" for to write. But geography is more than mapping the earth, that is just one small part of the science of geography. It is very difficult to explain what geography is because geography is so many things.

Geography is:

• Understanding location and analyzing why people live in certain places, what are the relationships between different places, how the environment effects people and how people effect the environment.
• The study of all the aspects of the earth’s surface, the people and their cultures and intricacies of human existence.
• The desire to know "where", "when", and "why".
• Understanding the world in which we live!

These are just a few thoughts about what geography is, and does not qualify as a complete explanation of the subject. It would almost be easier to explain what geography is not…

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