1: Essentials of Geography

Last updated
Save as PDF

Page ID: 21626

\( \newcommand{\vecs}[1]{\overset { \scriptstyle \rightharpoonup} {\mathbf{#1}} } \) \( \newcommand{\vecd}[1]{\overset{-\!-\!\rightharpoonup}{\vphantom{a}\smash {#1}}} \)\(\newcommand{\id}{\mathrm{id}}\) \( \newcommand{\Span}{\mathrm{span}}\) \( \newcommand{\kernel}{\mathrm{null}\,}\) \( \newcommand{\range}{\mathrm{range}\,}\) \( \newcommand{\RealPart}{\mathrm{Re}}\) \( \newcommand{\ImaginaryPart}{\mathrm{Im}}\) \( \newcommand{\Argument}{\mathrm{Arg}}\) \( \newcommand{\norm}[1]{\| #1 \|}\) \( \newcommand{\inner}[2]{\langle #1, #2 \rangle}\) \( \newcommand{\Span}{\mathrm{span}}\) \(\newcommand{\id}{\mathrm{id}}\) \( \newcommand{\Span}{\mathrm{span}}\) \( \newcommand{\kernel}{\mathrm{null}\,}\) \( \newcommand{\range}{\mathrm{range}\,}\) \( \newcommand{\RealPart}{\mathrm{Re}}\) \( \newcommand{\ImaginaryPart}{\mathrm{Im}}\) \( \newcommand{\Argument}{\mathrm{Arg}}\) \( \newcommand{\norm}[1]{\| #1 \|}\) \( \newcommand{\inner}[2]{\langle #1, #2 \rangle}\) \( \newcommand{\Span}{\mathrm{span}}\)\(\newcommand{\AA}{\unicode[.8,0]{x212B}}\)

Mountain peaks sticking out of a cloudcover, European Alps — Figure \(\PageIndex{1}\): Mountain peaks stick out of a cloud cover, with a cumulonimbus cloud in the background (Swiss Alps) (Courtesy Arnaud Temme)

Geography touches every aspect of our lives. At its simplest, geography is concerned with where something is at, why it's there, and how it relates to things around it. That's all the definition you will need. Geography influences where we live, affects our economic prosperity, has dictated the outcome of significant historical events, and shapes our local, regional, and global relationships with each other. This textbook focuses on physical geography and can answer many questions that you might have about the natural world and how it relates to your life. Ever wondered why present-day volcanoes occur on the west coast of the United States but not on the east coast, and whether tornadoes occur outside of the United States? Why palm trees are found in Florida and pine trees in Maine? Where to go for a break from cold winter weather, or to escape a hot summer day? Physical geography can answer these questions, and more.

In this chapter you'll be introduced to the discipline of geography and what it means to study the Earth from a geographic perspective. You will become familiar with the array of tools geographers possess to investigate the Earth system.

Learning Objectives

By the end of the chapter you should be able to:

Explain why geographers describe their discipline as a spatial science and uniquely qualified to tackle issues related to environmental change.
Compare and contrast qualitative and quantitative map data.
Explain what a map projection is.
Use latitude and longitude to determine location.
Explain how a global positioning system (GPS) works.
List and give examples of remote sensing techniques.
Differentiate between standard time and daylight saving time.
Explain how a GIS is used to solve problems in physical geography.