What is Geography?
Geography is the scientific study of the location of people and activities across the Earth, and the reasons for their distribution

Eratosthenes, an ancient Greek scholar coined the word geography from two Greek words, geo meaning earth and graphy meaning to writeBranches of Geography
1.Human Geography
2.Physical geography

Human Geography
Studies where and why human activities are located as they are.

Physical Geography
Physical geography studies where and why natural forces occur as they do

Geographers Ask two simple questionsWhere and why?Where deals with location
why deals with explanation
How Do Geographers Describe Where Things are?Map
Contemporary toolsMap- A map is a two-dimensional or flat-scale model of the earths surface, or a portion of it.
- The science of mapmaking is called Cartography
Two important uses of Map
- A tool for storing reference materials
- A tool for communicating geographic informationContemporary tools
1.Remote Sensing
2.Geographic Information System (GIS)

Remote Sensing
The acquisition of data about earth’s surface from a satellite orbiting earth or from other long-distance method
Geographic Information System(GIS)
A computer-based system designed to collect, store, integrate, manipulate, analyze & display data in a spatially referenced environment.

Geographers are also concerned with reasons/explanation for the location and distribution of phenomena in space

LocationThere are two general types of locational information:
1.Relative location and
2.Absolute location.Relative LocationRelative location defines a place in relationship to other placesAbsolute LocationAbsolute location is also known as mathematical location.
The use of coordinate systems
The most common coordinate systems on maps are Latitudes and LongitudesLongitudes and LatitudesUsed to identify the location of features on the earth’s surface
They are measured in degrees, minutes and seconds
LatitudesLines of latitudes are also called parallels
The Equator, which circles the globe east and west midway between the poles has a latitude of 0 degree.
Measures locations in a north and south direction
The highest latitude a place can have is 90° N and 90°S
Two important latitudes are:
Tropic of cancer (66°30' N)
Tropic of Capricorn (66°30' S)
LongitudesMeridians of longitudes are straight lines connecting the poles
Every meridian is drawn due north and south.
Measures locations in east and west direction
LongitudeA reference meridian, called the prime meridian, is selected, and this forms the reference by which longitudes are defined.
On the earth, the prime meridian passes through Greenwich, England; for this reason it is also called the Greenwich meridian°
Region
A region is an area of Earth defined by one or more distinctive characteristics

Properties of Regions
1 Area
2.Boundaries
3.Location
4.HomogeneityTypes of RegionsThere are three types of regions namely;
1.Formal
2.Functional
3.VernacularFormal RegionA Formal region is also called a uniform region or a homogeneous region.
It is defined by governmental or administrative boundaries
Not open to disputes,
Ex. The Rockies, the Great Lake states

Functional Region
Functional region also called a nodal region
It is an area organized around a node or focal point.
Ex. The circulation area of a newspaper, United Airlines service area. If the function ceases to exist, the region no longer exists

Vernacular Region
Also referred to as perceptual region, a place that people believe exists as part of their cultural identity.
These regions emerge from people’s informal perception of place, rather than from scientific models.
Major Population Cluster
Major population cluster
The three world population cluster : 3.7 billion of the worlds 6.6 billion people
1.East Asia,
2.South Asia, and
3.Europe
Other population clusters1.Eastern United States
2.Nigeria in West Africa
Causes of Development constrast in the world
1.Climate
2.Cultural Heritage
3.Colonial exploitation
4. Neocolonialism
5. Distribution of accessible natural resources
6. relative location
Geography Themes

• Location
• Movement
• Human/Environmental Relations
• Region
• Place