Geographer
Geographers study Earth's environment and human society and their interactions.
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A geographer studies Earth's natural environment and human society, including how they interact.[1] The word "geography" is a Middle French term first used in 1540, combining Greek roots meaning "earth description"[1] Geographers may be physical scientists, social scientists, or humanists.[1]
Quick Facts
- Field
- Geography
- Known for
- Study of Earth's natural environment and human society, including their reciprocal relationship
- Subfields
- Physical geography
- human geography
- technical geography
- Key traditions
- Spatial/locational
- area studies/regional
- human-environment interaction
- earth science
Facts from the source article.
Key facts and history
Historically, geographers were known as mapmakers, but cartography is now a subset of geography.[2] Geographers examine the reciprocal relationship between nature and human society.[2] Some geographers use geographic information systems (GIS) and work for government agencies or private firms.[3] Attempts to classify geography include the "Four traditions of geography" and applied branches.[4]
William D. Pattison proposed the four traditions in a 1964 paper in the Journal of Geography.[5] These traditions are spatial, area studies, human-environment interaction, and earth science.[5] The UNESCO Encyclopedia of Life Support Systems divides geography into three major fields.[6] The National Geographic Society identifies five key themes: human-environment interaction, location, movement, place, and regions.[7]
Those specializing in physical geography examine the natural world, whereas their counterparts in human geography focus on societal and cultural aspects.[3] Because geography is an ancient, wide-ranging, and cross-disciplinary field that various cultures have interpreted differently, splitting it into subfields is a difficult task.[4]
What the cited sources add
The 1964 paper by Pattison in the Journal of Geography established the four traditions framework.[5] The UNESCO Encyclopedia of Life Support Systems provides a three-field subdivision of geography.[6] The National Geographic Society's five themes offer a broad educational framework for geographers.[7]
References
- Wikipedia, "Geographer" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Arrowsmith, "A Grammar of Modern Geography", King's College School, 1832, p. 20–21; "geography (n.)", Online Etymology Dictionary, n.d. (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Geographer" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "The History of Cartography, Volume 4: Cartography in the European Enlightenment", University of Chicago Press, 2020, p. 557–558 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Geographer" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Geographers : Occupational Outlook Handbook : U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics", www.bls.gov (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Geographer" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Pattison, "The Four Traditions of Geography", Journal of Geography, 1964, p. 211–216; Sala, "Geography Volume I", EOLSS UNESCO, 2009; Sala, "Geography – Vol. I: Geography", EOLSS UNESCO, 2009 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Geographer" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Pattison, "The Four Traditions of Geography", Journal of Geography, 1964, p. 211–216; Murphy, "Geography's Crosscutting Themes: Golden Anniversary Reflections on "The Four Traditions of Geography"", Journal of Geography, 27 June 2014, p. 181–188; Pattison, "The Four Traditions of Geography", Journal of Geography, 1964, p. 211–216; Murphy, "Geography's Crosscutting Themes: Golden Anniversary Reflections on "The Four Traditions of Geography"", Journal of Geography, 27 June 2014, p. 181–188; Pattison, "The Four Traditions of Geography", Journal en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Geographer" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Sala, "Geography Volume I", EOLSS UNESCO, 2009; Sala, "Geography – Vol. I: Geography", EOLSS UNESCO, 2009 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Geographer" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Geography Education @", Nationalgeographic.com, 24 October 2008 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
Each numbered sentence above was checked against the source it cites before publication. Sentences citing Wikipedia adapt text from the English Wikipedia article Geographer (contributors), used under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is available under the same licence. Other sources were used for facts only; no text or images are copied from them.
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Sources
Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.
- Wikipedia: Geographer (CC BY-SA 4.0).
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