Republic of the Philippines

Mindanao State University

COLLEGE OF EDUCATION
Marawi City

THE ORIGIN OF GEOGRAPHY

Abdulcarim, Mahanie B.
GED104-Cc

Origin of Geography
The word ‘geography’ originates from two Greek words.  The first is ‘geo’ which
means ‘the earth’ and the second Greek word is “graph” which means ‘to write’). The first
recorded use of the word geography was by Eratosthenes, a Greek scholar who lived from 276–
194 BC who is credited with creating the discipline of geography (Eratosthenes’ Geography.
Princeton University Press. 2010).
 Therefore, Geography is the science that deals with the description of the Earth’s surface.
Geography is a multi-disciplinary field that studies spatial patterns and phenomenon. Geography
is much more than cartography, the study of maps or simply knowing the capitals of every
country. The field of geography not only investigates what is where on the Earth, but also why
it’s there and not somewhere else, sometimes referred to as “location in space”.

19th century reconstruction of Eratosthenes’ map of the known world, c. 194 BC.

Origin of Geography in Field of Study

The Greeks are the first known culture to actively explore geography as a science and
philosophy, with major contributors including Thales of Miletus, Herodotus, Eratosthenes,
Hipparchus, Aristotle, Dicaearchus of Messana, Strabo, and Ptolemy. Mapping by the Romans as
they explored new lands added new techniques.
Ptolemy’s Geographica, translated by Emanuel Chrysoloras and Jacobus AngelusHarley 7182 ff.
58v-59, 3rd quarter of the 15th century, British Library.

During the Middle Ages, Arabs such as Idrisi, Ibn Battuta, and Ibn Khaldun built on and
maintained the Greek and Roman learnings. Following the journeys of Marco Polo, interest in
geography spread throughout Europe.voyages of exploration revived a desire for solid theoretical

foundations and accurate detail. The Geographia Generalis by Bernhardus Varenius and
Gerardus Mercator’s world map are prime examples.

By the 18th century, geography had become recognized as a discrete discipline and
became part of a typical university curriculum. Over the past two centuries the quantity of
knowledge and the number of tools has exploded. There are strong links between geography and
the sciences of geology and botany.

Two Main Branch of Geography

Geography is divided into two main branches: human geography and physical geography. There

are additional branches in geography such as regional geography, cartography, and integrated
geography (also known as environmental geography). 

Human Geography
This is one of the major branches in geography and it mainly covers studies of the human
race. More:  Sub-branches of Human Geography This normally involves understanding a human
population’s backgrounds, how the interactions and the perceptions that members of that human
population have for various ideologies affecting them.

In addition to this, the discipline also studies the way in which the groups of people that inhabit
the Earth organize themselves in the particular regions that they inhabit.

As a matter of fact, many other branches of geography normally fall under human geography.

Modern applications of human geography can include mapping human migration, showing the
movement of food resources and how they impact communities, and the impacts climate change
can have on humans living in vulnerable areas.

What are some examples of human geography?

Here are some examples of disciplines in human geography:

 cultural geography
 economic geography
 health geography
 historical geography
 political geography
 population geography
 rural geography
 social geography
 transport geography
 urban geography
Physical Geography
Physical geography is a major branch of the science of geography, and it mainly deals with the
study of the natural characteristics of the Earth. Related: Sub-branches of Physical Geography
It covers both features that are on the Earth’s surface as well as those near it.

Physical geography allows us to chart landmasses, but physical geography is also being used to
see what lies beneath the Earth’s ice caps and oceans.

Researchers are using satellite technology to see the landmass that exists under Antarctica;
additionally, there is work that continues to be done to explore and map the physical makeup of
the land underneath our oceans.
What are some examples of physical geography?

Some examples of disciplines studies in physical geography are:

 geomorphology 
 climatology
 hydrology
 biogeography