UNIT 0

INTRODUCTION TO GEOGRAPHY

1ST LEVEL ESO

1
What is Geography?

Geography is a science that

deals with Earth’s surface.

Geography is the study of the physical features of the Earth, including how humans
affect the Earth and are affected by it. People who study geography are called
geographers.

Geographers are interested in Earth’s physical features, such as mountains,

deserts, rivers, and oceans. They are also interested in the ways that people affect and
are affected by the natural world.

Branches of Geography

Geography can be divided into two branches: physical geography and human
geography.

Physical geography observe, measure, and

describe Earth’s surface. They study how landforms
develop and how they change. They look at how different
landforms affect climate. They also study how people
change the land through such activities as building cities,
digging mines, and clearing forests.

2
 Human geography focuses on
where people live, what they do, and how
they use the land. Human geographers might
study why cities and towns develop in certain
places. Others study the cultures of different
peoples, including their customs, languages,
and religions.

Geographers´tools

Geographers use a number of methods and tools in their work. The simplest method is
going out to a place to observe and gather information. This is called fieldwork.
Geographers use photographs taken from the air to see things that they cannot see from
the ground. They also depend on spacecraft called satellites to take
photographs and collect information from far above Earth. Geographers use
computers to help them make sense of the information they receive.

The main tool used by geographers is

the map. People who make maps are
called cartographers. Geographers
use maps to display the information
they have gathered. and to show how
people have divided the land. Political
maps show the boundaries of countries
and other divisions.

3
Activity

Look at the photo, read the text and guess the missing words. Listen and check.

How artificial satellites take photographs

An artificial satellite is an ……………………………. That

is launched into ………………………………… and circles
the Earth.

On board, satellites carry different observation

………………………….., similar to digital cameras.
Some of the cameras are “nearly” normal, seeing
what the human ………………………………. can see;
others are infrared cameras, capable of capturing
the ……………………………. emanating from the Earth.
Image of part of Europe taken from
satellite