What do you know?
What is geography?
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Key points
- Geography can be split into three areas: human geography, physical geography and environmental geography.
- Human geography is the study of societies, cultures and economies.
- Physical geography is the study of landscapes and environments.
- Environmental geography is the study of how humans impact the Earth.
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Human and physical geography
Video: What is geography?
is the study of the world, but as the world is a large and complex place, the subject is divided up into two main areas - human geography and physical geography. The study of the relationship between these two main areas is called environmental geography, which can be considered the third area of geography.
Human geography
relates to the people who live on our planet, Earth. In this area of study, geographers might explore the following things:
- - how the number of people in the world is growing and why
- - why people make the choice to move
- patterns - where people live and what these places are like
- societal changes - development, globalisation, resources and conflict
Physical geography
relates to the natural world around us. In this area of study, geographers might explore the following things:
- how our is created and changes over time
- how rivers and glaciers change the environment around us
- why areas experience the weather and climate they do
- different and of the Earth
- the hazards humans face from volcanoes, earthquakes and tropical storms
These lists are not exhaustive and cover only a small part of what geographers investigate.
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Quiz: Human and physical geography
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Environmental geography
The study of interactions between humans and the physical world is known as . This can be considered the third type of geography.
A physical process, such as an , will affect the human geography of a country, destroying and disrupting development. Just as physical processes impact upon humans, humans also impact upon the Earth.
In this area of study, geographers might explore the following things:
- pollution
- the destruction of habitats
- climate change
Although humans only appeared on Earth around 200,000 years ago, we have made enormous changes to our environment. We have cleared forests to farm and build settlements. Most scientists agree that human action such as the burning of fossil fuels and the destruction of the rainforest is contributing to .
Question
What is the name of the type of geography which studies our impact on the natural world?
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The three types of geography
Question
In which part of geography would climate change be studied?
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Quiz: Environmental geography
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Planet Planners game. gamePlanet Planners game
Make decisions for the planet in this KS3 geography game
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