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2 days ago · Earth, third planet from the Sun and the fifth largest planet in the solar system in terms of size and mass. Its single most outstanding feature is that its near-surface environments are the only places in the universe known to harbor life. Learn more about development and composition of Earth in this article.
- Planetary Differentiation
Earth - Differentiation, Formation, Structure: Once hot,...
- The Atmosphere
Earth - Atmosphere, Climate, Ozone: Earth is surrounded by a...
- The Interior
Earth - Core, Mantle, Crust: More than 90 percent of Earth’s...
- Basic Planetary Data
Earth - Planet, Atmosphere, Geology: The mean distance of...
- The Outer Shell
Earth - Core, Crust, Mantle: Earth’s outermost, rigid, rocky...
- Impacts, Planetesimals, Craters
Earth - Impacts, Planetesimals, Craters: During its...
- Accretion, Formation, Core
Earth - Accretion, Formation, Core: As the gas making up the...
- Structure, Composition, Development
Earth - Structure, Composition, Development: The origin of...
- Planetary Differentiation
- Overview
- Historical development of geography
geography, the study of the diverse environments, places, and spaces of Earth’s surface and their interactions. It seeks to answer the questions of why things are as they are, where they are. The modern academic discipline of geography is rooted in ancient practice, concerned with the characteristics of places, in particular their natural environments and peoples, as well as the relations between the two. Its separate identity was first formulated and named some 2,000 years ago by the Greeks, whose geo and graphein were combined to mean “earth writing” or “earth description.” However, what is now understood as geography was elaborated before then, in the Arab world and elsewhere. Ptolemy, author of one of the discipline’s first books, Guide to Geography (2nd century ce), defined geography as “a representation in pictures of the whole known world together with the phenomena which are contained therein.” This expresses what many still consider geography’s essence—a description of the world using maps (and now also pictures, as in the kind of “popular geographies” exemplified by National Geographic Magazine)—but, as more was learned about the world, less could be mapped, and words were added to the pictures.
To most people, geography means knowing where places are and what they are like. Discussion of an area’s geography usually refers to its topography—its relief and drainage patterns and predominant vegetation, along with climate and weather patterns—together with human responses to that environment, as in agricultural, industrial, and other land uses and in settlement and urbanization patterns.
The history of geography has two main parts: the history of exploration and mapmaking and the development of the academic discipline.
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May 22, 2023 · Geography is the study of the earth’s surface, its features, and the relationships between the natural and human environments. It is a diverse and dynamic field that encompasses everything from the physical aspects of the earth to the social, cultural, and economic interactions that occur on its surface. This article aims to provide an ...
Oct 16, 2023 · Geology is the scientific study of the Earth, its composition, structure, processes, and history. It is a broad field that encompasses a wide range of topics related to the Earth’s physical and chemical properties, its formation, and the changes it has undergone over millions of years. Geologists seek to understand the Earth’s past, present ...
The Definition in Practice. This definition of geography works well for several reasons. First, it emphasizes that geography is a methodology. It stresses the geographic way of organizing and analyzing information pertaining to the location, distribution, pattern, and interactions of the varied physical and human features of Earth's surface.
Aug 29, 2018 · Geography, a study of Earth, its lands, and its people, started in ancient Greece, with the study's name defined by the scholar and scientist Eratosthenes, who calculated a relatively close approximation of the circumference of Earth. Thus, this academic field started with mapping the land. Greco-Roman astronomer, geographer, and mathematician ...
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Sep 13, 2024 · Geography is the study of places and the relationships between people and their environments. Geographers explore both the physical properties of Earth’s surface and the human societies spread across it. They also examine how human culture interacts with the natural environment and the way that locations and places can have an impact on people.
