Topic outline of geography

Geography is the study of the earth and its features, inhabitants, and phenomena. [cite web |title=Geography |work=The American Heritage Dictionary/ of the English Language, Fourth Edition |publisher=Houghton Mifflin Company |url=http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/geography |accessmonthday=October 9|accessyear=2006 ] A literal translation would be "to describe or write about the Earth". The first person to use the word "geography" was Eratosthenes (276-194 B.C.). Four historical traditions in geographical research are the spatial analysis of natural and human phenomena (geography as a study of distribution), area studies (places and regions), study of man-land relationship, and research in earth sciences. [cite journal |last=Pattison |first=W.D. |year=1990 |title=The Four Traditions of Geography |journal=Journal of Geography |volume=89 |issue=5 |pages=pp. 202–6 |url=http://www.geog.ucsb.edu/~kclarke/G200B/four_20traditions_20of_20geography.pdf |id=ISSN|0022-1341 |doi=10.1080/00221349008979196 Reprint of a 1964 article.] Nonetheless, modern geography is an all-encompassing discipline that foremost seeks to understand the world and all of its human and natural complexities-- not merely where objects are, but how they have changed and come to be. As "the bridge between the human and physical sciences," geography is divided into two main branches - human geography and physical geography. [web.clas.ufl.edu/users/morgans/lecture_2.prn.pdf.]

The following outline is provided as an overview of and introduction to geography:

Essence of geography

: "Main articles: Geography and World"

The themes of the 18 National Geography Standards of the National Council for Geographic Education include the following topics [cite web
url = http://www.ncge.org/publications/tutorial/standards/
title = National Geography Standards
accessdate = 2007-11-17
publisher = National Council for Geographic Education
quote = The Geographically Informed Person knows and understands . . . ] [cite web
url = http://www.nationalgeographic.com/xpeditions/standards/
title = Geography Standards
accessdate = 2007-11-17
publisher = National Geographic Society] [cite web
url = http://www.nationalgeographic.com/education/standards.html
title = Geography for Life
author = Roger M. Downs
accessdate = 2007-11-17
publisher = National Geographic Society
quote= The National Geography Standards were produced under the sponsorship of the four major geography organizations: the American Geographical Society, the Association of American Geographers, the National Council for Geographic Education, and the National Geographic Society. Thus they are a statement not only for all the people interested in geography but also for all the major players in geography education.] :

Geographic multi-disciplinary fields

Fields that draw upon various disciplines and have applications in geography"':
* Cartography
* Demography and demographics
* Ethnography
* Geoarchaeology
* Geographic information science
* Geostatistics
* Philosophy of geography

Location and place

Concepts concerning location or place"':

Geography, earth science, and Earth's spheres

: "Main articles: "Earth science and Earth's spheres"

Geography is a key component of earth science, used along with physics, geology, meteorology, mathematics, chemistry and biology to build a quantitative understanding of the principal areas or interactive "spheres" of the Earth system, including its:

* Hydrosphere - all water found on, under, and over the surface of Earth
* Biosphere - all life on Earth
* Lithosphere - the crust and the uppermost mantle of Earth
* Atmosphere - the gases that surround the Earth (its air)

Other interpretations of this model of the Earth include the following additional spheres:
* Pedosphere - the outermost layer of the Earth that is composed of soil and subject to soil formation processes
* Geosphere - solid parts of Earth (which consist mostly of rock and regolith)
* Anthroposphere - all parts of Earth modified by humans
* Cryosphere - sometimes included in the hydrosphere, the ice on Earth (ice caps, glaciers, etc.)

Regions of the world

: "Main articles: Region, Subregions, Location, and Lists of places"

"Regions" are areas, and can be defined by physical characteristics, human characteristics, and functional characteristics. The term is used in various ways among the different branches of geography. A region can be seen as a collection of smaller units, such as a country and its political divisions, or as one part of a larger whole, as in a country on a continent.

The Continents

: "Main article: Continent"

A "continent" is one of several large landmasses on Earth. They are generally identified by convention rather than any specific criteria, but seven areas are commonly regarded as continents. They are:
[
Pangaea"]

::"1." Africa::"2." Antarctica::"3." Australia:The Americas:::"4." List of basic North America topics::"5." List of basic South America topics:Eurasia:::"6." Europe::"7." Asia

Biogeographic regions

thumb|400px|right|Map_of_six_of_the_worldlegend|#f9f9f9|Oceania and Antarctic ecozones not shown

Ecozone

: "Main article: Ecozone"

The World Wildlife Fund (WWF) developed a system of eight biogeographic realms (ecozones):
* Nearctic 22.9 mil. km² (including most of North America)
* Palearctic 54.1 mil. km² (including the bulk of Eurasia and North Africa)
* Afrotropic 22.1 mil. km² (including Sub-Saharan Africa)
* Indomalaya 7.5 mil. km² (including the South Asian subcontinent and Southeast Asia)
* Australasia 7.7 mil. km² (including Australia, New Guinea, and neighbouring islands). The northern boundary of this zone is known as the Wallace line.
* Neotropic 19.0 mil. km² (including South America and the Caribbean)
* Oceania 1.0 mil. km² (including Polynesia, Fiji and Micronesia)
* Antarctic 0.3 mil. km² (including Antarctica).

Ecoregions

: "Main article: Ecoregion"

Ecozones are further divided into ecoregions. The World has over 800 terrestrial ecoregions. "See Lists of ecoregions by country."

Countries of the World

: "Main article: Political division"

A political division, usually a country, is a region under the control of a government. Countries are further divided into administrative divisions including states, counties, cities, etc.

* Countries with more than one capital

Countries by continent

Bodies of water

: Main article: Body of water"

A "body of water" is any significant accumulation of water on a geographical scale. Some bodies of water can be man-made, but most are naturally occurring. Some bodies of water collect and move water, such as rivers and streams, and others primarily hold water, such as lakes and oceans. Bodies of water that are navigable are known as waterways.

Geographical institutions and societies

* Anton Melik Geographical Institute (in Slovenia)
* National Geographic Society
* Royal Geographical Society

Geography awards

Some awards and competitions in the field of geography:

* Geography Cup
* Gold Medal
* Hubbard Medal
* National Geographic World Championship
* Victoria Medal

Some notable geographers

: "Main article: Geographer, List of geographers, List of Graeco-Roman geographers"

A "geographer" is a scientist who studies Earth's physical environment and human habitat. Geographers are historically known for making maps, the subdiscipline of geography known as cartography. But they are not only capable of studying the physical details of the environment but also its impact on human and wildlife ecologies, weather and climate patterns, economics, and culture. Geographers especially focus on the spatial relationships between these elements.

Lists of manmade geographical features

References

See also

* List of basic astronomy topics - while geography studies and maps the World, astronomy is the study of the rest of the universe, and maps the stars and galaxies.
* Earth - there's a lot more to a planet than its geography. Some fields closely related to geography are:
** Geology - while geography studies the surface of the Earth and the location of things on it, geology is the study of the Earth itself, that is, its solid matter: the ground, what it is made of, and what is beneath it.
** Oceanography - while geography names and maps bodies of water, oceonography studies the large ones, the water they contain, and the life they contain.
* Universe - the place where the World exists.

External links

*Teaching Geography
** [http://www.geoknow.net GeoKnow.net - Geography news, information and resources at your fingertips]
** [http://geography.about.com Geography at About.com - comprehensive resource on the discipline]
** [http://www.juicygeography.co.uk/ Juicy Geography - ideas and resources for teachers]
** [http://www.geointeractive.co.uk GeoInteractive - shared resources for teachers]
** [http://www.geocasestudies.com Geography case studies for students]
** [http://www.geography-site.co.uk/ The Geography-Site]
** [http://www.geographyteachingtoday.org.uk/ Geography Teaching Today - Curriculum development project]
** [http://www.problemistics.org/tools/subjects/geography.geology.html Geography - Selected websites]

*Multimedia Geography Resources
** [http://earth.google.com Google Earth: View the World from your Desktop]
** [http://www.guardian.co.uk/interactive Flash Animations on Geographical Themes]
** [http://geographyatthemovies.co.uk/ Geography Movies free for download]
** [http://www.arkive.org/ Images of Life on Earth]
** [http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/worldbalance/ World in the Balance (PBS)]
** [http://www.hypergeo.eu/ Hypergeo : Electronical Encyclopedia of Geography]

*Geographical Associations and Pressure Groups
** [http://www.igu-net.org/ International Geographical Union]
** [http://www.nationalgeographic.com/ National Geographic Online]
** [http://www.rgs.org Royal Geographical Society]
** [http://www.aag.org/ Association of American Geographers]
** [http://www.rcgs.org Royal Canadian Geographical Society]
** [http://www.cag-acg.ca/en/ Canadian Association of Geographers]
** [http://rgo.msk.ru/ Russian Geographical Society (Moscow Centre)]
** [http://igu.org.ru/ International Geographical Union - Russian National Committee]