What is Geography?

Geography is the study of Earth and the relationships between people, places, and their environments.

 Explores Earth’s physical properties: This includes landscapes, climate, soil, water systems, and ecosystems
 Examines human societies: Cultures, economies, settlements, politics—even art—are studied in relation to their spatial contexts.
 Looks at human–environment interaction: How people depend on, adapt to, and modify their surroundings.

 It seeks to answer where things are, why they exist there, and how they change and connect across space and time.
 This makes geography essential for understanding environmental dynamics, societal connections, and global challenges such as climate change,
resource distribution, and cultural change.

What are the five themes of Geography?

Theme Focus Examples
Location Where a place is  Absolute Location:
The exact position of a place using coordinates like latitude and longitude.
🧭 Example: New Delhi is located at *28.6139° N, 77.2090° E.
 Relative Location:
Describes a place in relation to other places.
Example: Jaipur is west of Agra.

Place What a place is like  Physical Features:

Natural features like landforms, climate, soil, rivers, and wildlife.
🌋 Example: The Himalayas are tall, snow-covered mountains.
 Human Features:
Things added by humans like buildings, roads, languages, religions, and culture.
🕌 Example: Varanasi is known for its temples and religious ceremonies on the Ganges.

Human– How people affect and are affected This theme explores how humans depend on, adapt to, and change their environment.
Environment by the environment
Interaction  Depend:
People rely on natural resources (e.g., rivers for water, forests for wood).
 🌾 Example: Farmers depend on the monsoon rains in India.
 Adapt:
People change how they live to suit the environment.
Example: People in cold areas wear warm clothes and build insulated homes.
 Modify:
People change the environment to meet their needs.
Example: Building dams to control rivers.

Movement Flow of people, goods, and ideas This theme looks at the flow of:

 People: Migration, travel, commuting

 Goods: Trade and transport of products
 Ideas: Spread of culture, technology, and knowledge (internet)

Example: Spices from India were traded with Europe; today, mobile phones are used
worldwide.

Region Areas with shared characteristics A region is an area that shares common features – physical, human, or cultural.

 Physical Regions:
Have similar landforms or climates
🌴 Example: The Sahara Desert is a hot, dry region.
 Cultural Regions:
Areas with shared language, religion, or traditions
🕌 Example: The Middle East has many countries where Arabic is spoken.
 Political Regions:
Defined by governments or borders
Example: The European Union is a political and economic region.

What is the Role of a Geographer?

A geographer is a person who studies the Earth, its features, and how people live, work, and interact with different environments.

Role Explanation
Studies the Earth’s surface Examines landforms, rivers, climates, vegetation, and natural resources.
Studies how people live Looks at how humans settle, use land, and adapt to different environments.
Creates and analyses maps Uses maps, satellite images, and GIS tools to understand and present spatial data.
Observes weather and climate Studies patterns of weather, climate change, and natural disasters like floods or droughts.
Helps plan cities and towns Works with urban planners to design roads, buildings, and transport systems for safe and efficient
living.
Supports disaster management Helps predict areas at risk for earthquakes, floods, or landslides, and suggests how to reduce damage.
Studies regions and cultures Understands the differences between regions, including their language, religion, economy, and customs.

They help us understand our world better. Their work supports sustainable development, environmental protection, and community planning. They
provide essential knowledge for solving global challenges like climate change, migration, and food security.

Types of Geography
Geography is a broad subject that helps us understand the Earth and how people live on it. It is divided into three main types:

1. Physical Geography - The study of natural features of the Earth. It looks at things that occur naturally in the environment. Example: Studying how the
Himalayas were formed or how rivers create valleys. Topics include:

 Landforms (mountains, rivers, valleys)

 Climate and weather
 Soil and vegetation
 Natural disasters (earthquakes, floods)
 Water bodies (oceans, lakes, glaciers)

2. Human Geography - The study of people and how they live, work, and interact with places. It focuses on the human side of the Earth. Topics include:

 Population and settlements

  Cultures and religions
 Languages and traditions
 Economy and industries
 Cities and transport systems

3. Environmental Geography - The study of the relationship between people and the natural environment. It connects physical and human geography.
Example: Studying how building a dam affects wildlife and people downstream. Topics include:

 Human impact on the environment (pollution, deforestation)

 Conservation and sustainability
 Climate change and global warming

How Do Humans Adapt to a Situation?

Adaptation means making changes in our behaviour, lifestyle, or environment to cope with challenges and reduce harm.

Example: Flooding
Flooding is a natural hazard that affects both urban and rural areas. Humans adapt to flooding in many active and creative ways to protect lives, homes, and
the environment.
Adaptation Measures - Flood adaptation works best when everyone plays their part. The Society Triangle (government, civil society/market/organisation,
individuals) explains how:

Group Role in Flood Adaptation

Government Builds dams, improves city drainage, enforces building laws, creates flood warning systems
Organisation NGOs, schools, and companies raise awareness, plant trees, train people in disaster
s response
Individuals Collect rainwater, keep drains clean, join community clean-ups, follow flood safety advice

How Can We Find Where Places Are Located?

To find where a place is on Earth, geographers use different methods and tools. These help us describe a location exactly or in relation to other
places.

1. Using Coordinates (Latitude and Longitude) - This tells us the absolute location of a place.

 Latitude: Lines that run horizontally around the Earth (East–West), but measure how far north or south a place is from the Equator (0°).
 Longitude: Lines that run vertically (North–South), and measure how far east or west a place is from the Prime Meridian (0°).
Example: New Delhi is located at 28.6139° N (latitude), 77.2090° E (longitude), Kolkata 22.5744° N, 88.3629° E.

2. Using Maps and Atlases - Maps show the location of cities, countries, rivers, and more.

 Political maps show countries, cities, and borders.

 Physical maps show landforms like mountains and rivers.
 Thematic maps show things like population, rainfall, or language.

Maps also use symbols, scale, and direction to help us understand distance and location.

3. Using a Compass - A compass shows direction – North, South, East, West – to help us find where things are. For example, if Kolkata is east of Delhi, a
compass helps us understand in which direction to go.
4. Using GPS and Digital Maps - GPS (Global Positioning System) uses satellites to give your exact location anywhere on Earth. It is extensively used in
mobile phones, cars, and navigation apps like Google Maps, and it helps find places quickly and track routes.

5. 🧑‍🤝‍🧑 Using Relative Location - Sometimes we describe a place in relation to another place. For example: “Agra is near Delhi” or “The Taj Mahal is on the
banks of the Yamuna River.” This is called relative location and is helpful in everyday conversations.

Fathers of Geography

Name Title Main Contribution

Eratosthenes Father of Geography Coined the term, measured Earth's size, mapped zones
Strabo Early Geographer-Historian Wrote Geographica, linked culture and geography
Ptolemy Mapmaker and Introduced latitude/longitude, made detailed maps
Mathematician
Alexander von Humboldt Father of Physical Geography Nature as a system, scientific geography
Carl Ritter Father of Human Geography Studied people–place relationships