Geographer

A geographer (including geographer ) is generally a scholar in the field of geography.

Activities

Geographers study the earth's surface ( geosphere ) according to their spatial structures, the processes running, and the way it functions ( interactions between the geological factors ). You work at the interface of the natural sciences, social sciences and humanities and belong to the space scientists.

Geographers are generalists due to the width of the subject area. Your way of working is both analyzing and normative; geographers used as a planner based on modern understanding of planning and provide solutions for problems between humans and the environment.

Contrary to popular belief, geographers concerned with the production of atlases, that is the job of cartographers today. The latter work, in practice, often with geographers together as analog or digital spatial data maps spatially localized structures ( which are studied by geographers ) represent the most appropriate. Through the use of Geographic Information Systems geographers are able to independently handle spatial data, analyze and present.

Fields of application

Geographers nowadays work from local, regional and national and supranational authorities and departments; furthermore often in chambers and associations, in the development cooperation and in non-governmental organizations (NGOs ) such as the environment. In the private sector geographers generally work as a planner and advisory space scientists in planning and Ingenieurgesellschaften.Ebenso they work in the transport sector in terms of transport planning. Even larger companies and institutions on the expertise of geographers is estimated in the range of strategic and site development.

Several common work areas:

  • Space research, space planning and development (eg, urban and regional development, site planning )
  • Development research, development cooperation
  • Natural hazard research, environmental management, landscape ecology
  • Geographic information processing (eg, GIS, Remote Sensing )

Degrees

In the Federal Republic of Germany, Switzerland and Austria the geographer is usually an academic profession with at least six semesters of university study.

The geography studies can be completed in Germany at more than 40 universities. A college degree does not exist. In the course of the changed program regulations ( Bologna process) exist in geography predominantly bachelor 's and master's degree programs with the respective academic degrees:

  • Bachelor of Science: "B. Sc. "
  • Bachelor of Arts: "B. A. "
  • Master of Science, " M. Sc. "

Previously, the following degrees were conferred:

  • Diploma Geographer ( in): Dipl. -Geogr.
  • Master of Arts ( Geography ): M. A.

The doctoral degree is awarded for geographic studies according to the respective doctoral regulations. Common are:

  • Dr. rer. nat. ( esp. of Physical geographers )
  • Dr. rer. soc. ( esp. for human geographers )
  • Dr. phil.
  • Dr. -Ing. ( esp. for spatial planners )
  • Ph. D. ( in the new three -tier system )

In Switzerland, the geographic course ends with the degree dipl. geog. from, Austria with a Master's degree (MA or Mag ) or in the future with a Bachelor of Science and Master of Science.

Related specialized professions are Geoökologe, economic geography, geoinformatics, spatial planners, regional planners, transport planners, urban planners, real estate developers, site planners uv a.m.

The Geographer in art

Jan Vermeer painted the famous painting The Geographer in 1668 / 69th Until 1797 it formed with the painting The Astronomer an image pair. After the pictures were sold separately. They document the growing prestige of scientific research in Europe in the 17th century.

In the literature, the most famous geographer of those in the bestseller " The Little Prince " by Antoine de Saint- Exupéry, the protagonist referred to as the man with "real job", while the geographer clarifies itself to be a researcher and to record only imperishable.

Famous geographer by creative period

Antiquity

  • Anaximander of Miletus ( 550 BC) the first sketches a map of the Earth and the seas
  • Herodotus of Halicarnassus ( 484-424 BC) wrote a variety of geographical reports
  • Pytheas, Greek explorers in Northern Europe, ( 380-310 BC)
  • Eratosthenes, he coined the term geography, creator of the graticule ( 284-202 BC)
  • Strabo, leaving behind extensive description of the world from the 1st century ( 63 BC - 23 AD ), Greece
  • Claudius Ptolemy, the main representative of the geocentric worldview ( 100-175 AD), Egypt

Early Modern Times

  • John Michael Gigas (1582-1637)
  • Bartholomew Keckermann (1571-1608) and
  • Bernhard Varenius (1622-1650), differentiated General and Regional Geography
  • Johann Gottfried Gregorii alias MELIS ANTES (1685-1770) full time freelance geographer from 1708-1720 and
  • Johann Hübner (1668-1731) wrote about decades German -language textbooks on geography, thematic dictionaries and text parts of atlases

Education

  • Anton Friedrich Büsching (1724-1763), wrote a elfbändige New geography of economic geography
  • Johann Christoph Friedrich GutsMuths (1759-1839), founder of the geog. school education
  • Alexander von Humboldt (1769-1859), founder of physical geography
  • Carl Ritter (1779-1850), founder of modern geography together with Humboldt
  • Johann Friedrich Günther Cannabich (1777-1859), wrote in 1823 a geog. standard work

Modern

  • George Perkins Marsh (1801-1882), discovered the impact of humans on nature
  • Elisée Reclus (1830-1905) developed the Social Geography
  • Ferdinand Freiherr von Richthofen (1833-1905), the geography redefined and their first major German Professor
  • Alfred Kirchhoff (1838-1907), Darwinian Geographer
  • Friedrich Ratzel (1844-1904), antisocial, embossed Anthropogeograph
  • Paul Vidal de la Blache (1845-1918) developed the concept of possibilism
  • Wladimir Peter Köppen (1846-1940), German geographer, meteorologist, climatologist and botanist
  • Albrecht Penck (1859-1945) led advancing the geomorphology
  • Alfred Hettner (1859-1941) defined the geography as a spatial science
  • Alfred Wegener (1880-1930), meteorologist and Arctic explorer, main proponent of plate tectonics
  • Sebald Rudolf Steinmetz (1862-1940) developed the sociography
  • Karl Haushofer (1869-1946) developed the geopolitics
  • Walter Christaller (1893-1969), developer of the central place system
  • Hans Bobek (1903-1990), Economic and Social Geographer
  • John Fear God Gellert (1904-1994), v. a Physical Geographer
  • Wolfgang Hartke (1908-1997), Economic and Social Geographer

The developed landscape ecology

  • Carl Troll (1899-1975)
  • Neef, Ernst (1908-1984), Dresden School of Landscape Ecology
  • Josef Schmithüsen (1909-1984)
  • Karlheinz puffing (1914-1983)

Contemporary geographers

  • Herbert Wilhelmy (1910-2003), Universalist physical geography and human geography
  • Bruno Messerli ( born 1931 ), Swiss mountain geomorphologist and researchers
  • Schätzl Ludwig (* 1938), economic geographer, wrote this, one of the standard works
  • Jürgen Bahr (1940-2014), Professor of Urban and Population Geography
  • Hans Heinrich Blotevogel ( born 1943 ), an important representative of contemporary human geography and the spatial and urban planning
  • Eugen Wirth (1925-2012), Orient researchers and urban geographer
  • Axel Borsdorf (* 1948), settlement geography, urban and mountain research
  • Benno Werlen ( b. 1952 ), the social geographer
  • Gernot Grabher (* 1960), Economic Geography / Regional Economics
Geisteswissenschaft Map series Geoinformation Municipality Supranational union Development studies Johannes Vermeer Ferdinand von Richthofen Darwinism Possibilism (politics) Central place theory Ernst Neef List of explorers
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