Nature of Geography

(SSE-06 Geography 2)
Prof. Enrico O. Regencia

Jewel Leigh A. Peñero

According to Johnston, geography is the study of diverse environments, places, and spaces
on Earth’s surface and their interactions. It seeks to answer the questions of why things are as they are, and
where they are. The modern academic discipline of geography is rooted in ancient practice, concerned with
the characteristics of places, particularly their natural environments and peoples, as well as the relations
between them. The word geography comes from the Greek word “geographos” which is divided into the
two words “geo” which means “earth” and “graphos” which means “writing.” In addition, the history of
geography is the history of thinking about the concepts of environments, places, and spaces. Its content
covers an understanding of the physical reality we occupy and our transformations of environments into
places that we find more comfortable to inhabit.

The emergence of geography: exploration and mapping

As demonstrated by the Greek philosopher and world traveler Herodotus in the 5th century BCE.
That knowledge became known as geography, a term first used as the title of Eratosthenes of Cyrene
book Geographica in the 3rd century BCE. Such was the volume of knowledge compiled thereafter
that Strabo’s Geography, published three centuries later, comprised 17 volumes. It is first two provided a
wide-ranging review of previous writings, and the other 15 contained descriptions of particular parts of
what was then the known world. Soon thereafter Ptolemy collated a large amount of information about
the latitude and longitude of places in his seminal work.

The Greeks and Romans not only accumulated a great body of knowledge about Earth but also
developed the sciences of astronomy and mapmaking, which helped them accurately locate places.
However, during the western European Migration Period (Dark Ages), much of that wisdom was lost, but
the study of geography—notably cartography—was nurtured in the Arab world. This material became
known to Western Europeans during medieval times, partly through their contacts with the Muslim
World during the Crusades. As the Europeans linked this new material with what. they could rediscover in
ancient Greek and Roman work, they frequently stressed misinformation derived from the latter, notably in
Ptolemy’s inaccurate maps. From then on, as Europeans explored more of the world, increasing numbers
of scholars collated new information and transmitted it to wider audiences.

Geography was practiced and taught largely because its information was valuable—notably for
traders, those who invested in them, and the statesmen who supported both groups. By the early 19th
century there was great demand for information and knowledge about the world. To aid commercial
enterprises aimed at exploiting its resources and peoples, governments became involved in colonial
ventures, annexing land beyond their frontiers, providing administrators and military protection, and
encouraging settlement. All such endeavours required geographical information, including accurate maps.
Increasingly, governments became directly involved in these activities, as with the U.S. government’s
sponsorship of major expeditions to the country’s expanding western frontier and the establishment of
national mapping agencies around the world.

Geographical societies were established in many European and North American cities in the early
19th century to share and disseminate information. Among the first were those founded
in Paris (1821), Belin (1828), London (1830), St Petersburg (1845), and New York City (1851). Many of
the European societies had royal patronage and strong support from the mercantile, diplomatic, and military
classes. They collated and published information, sponsored expeditions, and held regular meetings, at
which returning explorers might present their findings or participate in debates over technical issues such
as mapping. These societies were central to the 19th-century mercantile and imperial ethos.

2. Element of Geography

Geography has six essential elements: the world in spatial terms, place and regions, physical system,
human system, environment and society, and uses of geography. So, let's define each element by the
National Geography Standards (1994).

1. The World in Spatial Terms

Focuses on location and how places are positioned on Earth's surface and uses tools like maps,
GPS, and GIS to analyze spatial relationships

2. Places and Regions

Examines the physical and human characteristics of locations.

Places: Unique natural and cultural attributes (e.g., climate, language, architecture).

Regions: Areas grouped by common features (e.g., the Sahara as a desert region).

3. Physical Systems

Studies natural processes shaping Earth, such as weather, climate, landforms, and ecosystems. That
includes physical geography topics like plate tectonics and the water cycle.

4. Human Systems

Focuses on how humans interact, migrate, and build societies and additional includes cultural,
political, and economic geography (e.g., urbanization, globalization).

5. Environment and Society

Explores how humans affect and are affected by the environment and covers sustainability,
deforestation, climate change, and resource management.

6. Uses of Geography

Applies geographic knowledge to solve real-world problems and used in urban planning, disaster
response, and international relations.

3. Branches of Geography

The two main branches of geography are human and physical geography however there have been three
additional branches of geography. The regional geography, cartography, and integrated (also known as
environmental) geography. Below are the brief definitions of the five branches of geography from the main
to additional branches.
A. Human Geography

- One of the major branches in geography and it mainly covers studies of humans. In addition, this normally
involves understanding a human population’s backgrounds, how the interactions, and the perceptions that
members of that human population have for various ideologies affecting them.

B. Physical Geography

- Mainly deals with the study of the natural characteristics of the Earth and it covers both features that are
on the Earth’s surface as well as those near it. Additionally, physical geography allows us to chart
landmasses, but physical geography is also being used to see what lies beneath the Earth’s ice caps and
oceans.

C. Regional Geography

- Regional geography looks at cultural and natural aspects of geography that are unique to a particular place.
Regional geography could include parceling out locations by looking at different watersheds or just looking
at coastal areas, and so on.

D. Cartography

- Cartography is usually more involved in the mapping of things. In general, every geographer must have
the essential knowledge that is required to display data on maps. Also, focuses on ways in which the entire
mapping procedure can be technologically advanced by creating maps that are generally of higher quality.

E. Integrated (Environmental) Geography

- Integrated geography can also be known as environmental or human-environment geography. Integrated

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