Geography

The Geography (also Geography, Greek γεωγραφία geografia ) or Geography is the science that deals with the spatial structure and evolution of Earth's surface, both in their physical condition as well as space and place of human life and action. She moves while at the interface between the natural sciences, humanities and social sciences.

Subject matter of geography is the holistic comprehension, description and explanation of the structures, processes and interactions in the geosphere. However, the physical, chemical and biological exploration of their individual phenomena is the subject of other geosciences.

• 3.1 Historical Geography
• 3.2 Comparative Geography
• 3.3 Applied Geography

• 4.1 School Geography
• 4.2 Geoinformatics

• 9.1 associations
• 9.2 institutions
• 9.3 Information Offers

History of Geography

The importance of geographical knowledge was, as far as handed down historically, first recognized in antiquity by the Greeks. From Anaximander of Miletus is reported that he was the first, the BC sketched a map of the Earth and the seas around 550. Herodotus of Halicarnassus ( 484-424 BC) wrote a variety of geographical reports. Claudius Ptolemy ( about 100 to about 175 ) collected topographical knowledge and gave instructions for drawing maps. The findings of the Greeks used to the Romans. During the Middle Ages, like other branches of science came the geography, even in Europe into oblivion. From the Empire of China and the emerging Orient new impetus.

Early theoretical approaches yielded Albertus Magnus: In his treatise " De natura locorum " he described the dependence of the properties of a place of its geographical location. Following this, the Viennese astronomer Georg Tannstetter led the physical geography in the circle of university teaching objects a ( 1514).

The modern geography was founded by Bartholomew Keckermann (1572-1608) and Bernhard Varenius ( 1622-1650 ). They developed a system of concepts, a distinction " General Geography " ( Geographia generalis ) and the " Regional Geography " or Area Studies ( Geographia specialis ). They saw peoples, states and places in a spatial, historical and religious context. At the beginning of the 18th century promoted in Germany especially Johann Hübner ( 1668-1731 ) and Johann Gottfried Gregorii alias MELIS ANTES ( 1685-1770 ) through their textbooks, encyclopedias and atlases thematic dissemination of geography in large parts of the population educated groups.

The Age of Enlightenment promoted attempts to explain natural phenomena by scientists such as Johann Gottfried Herder (1744-1803) and Georg Forster ( 1754-1794 ). Anton Friedrich Büsching (1724-1763) wrote the New elfbändige geography with descriptions of the countries and their economy. Alexander von Humboldt (1769-1859) and Carl Ritter (1779-1859) eventually founded the modern scientific geography, their original country and landscape known Royal research program is based on Herder's theory of culture. Ferdinand von Richthofen (1833-1905) defined the geography as "the science of the earth's surface and the standing in causal connection with her things and phenomena ". The geographer Alfred Kirchhoff (1838-1907) and Friedrich Ratzel (1844-1904) were already influenced by Darwin.

George Perkins Marsh (1801-1882) recognized in 1864 the impact of humans on nature as opposed to the geode deterministic analysis. Elisée Reclus (1830-1905) developed the Social Geography, Paul Vidal de la Blache (1845-1918), the concept of possibilism. Albrecht Penck (1859-1945) led the advance geomorphology. Alfred Hettner (1859-1941) defined the geography as a spatial science. Carl Troll (1899-1975), Karl Heinz puffing (1914-1983), Ernst Neef (1908-1984) and Joseph Schmithüsen (1909-1984) developed the landscape ecology, Sebald Rudolf Steinmetz (1862-1940), the sociography, Karl Haushofer (1869 -1946 ), geopolitics and Hans Bobek ( 1903-1990 ), Wolfgang Hartke ( 1908-1997 ) and Walter Christaller ( 1893-1969 ), the Economic and social Geography on.

The critical geographer Gerhard Hard argued after 1968 that the landscape geography, which forms the core of classical geography since Alexander von Humboldt, patterns of perception are based, are from the landscape painting. Therefore, those research directions that relate to landscape such as landscape ecology, its object primarily on aesthetic way that will only secondarily provided with a scientistic methods design. Certain This leads in turn to the fact that the aesthetic implications within the profession are not consciously reflected. Although the geography has again and again understood and aligned, Gábor Paál sees a continuous feature in the aesthetic foundation that is science based. Accordingly, it has always been a central motif of geographers to explore and understand spatial patterns, and in particular those patterns that move in their magnitude within the human radius: It is concerned with patterns " of the order of what human the can detect eye without much effort even to the entire surface of the earth. "

Through this growing specialization in the 20th century, the diversity of today's disciplines and the division between physical geography and human geography was. Since the 1960s, the geography is understood increasingly as an applied science and examines their issues related to urban development, rural development, land use planning or environmental protection.

Classification of Geography

The geography can be divided into the General Geography and Regional Geography divided.

General geography

The General geography is that part of geography, which deals with the nomothetic geofactors the Earth ( geosphere ). At the center are mostly a Geofaktor (eg water, soil, climate, etc. ) and its interactions with other geological factors. The general geography thus deals with general laws throughout the geosphere. For this purpose the two major subdivisions, the Physical Geography and Human Geography, form.

Physical Geography

The Physical Geography (or physical geography ) deals primarily with the natural elements and structures of the earth's surface. The activity of man to explain the genesis landscape is treated.

Branches of physical geography are:

• Biogeography plant Geography
• Phylogeography
• Phytogeography
• Zoogeography

Human Geography

The Human Geography (also Human Geography or Cultural Geography ) deals with both the human impact on the geographical area, as well as the influence of space on humans - for example, in relation to the spatial distribution of population or assets. Hartmut Reader ( 2001) defines the human geography as those " subarea of ​​the General Geography, which deals with the space efficiency of the people and with the he designed cultural landscape and its elements in their spatial differentiation and development. "

Branches of human geography include:

• Population Geography Religion Geography
• Linguistic geography
• Dialect geography

• Military Geography

• Geography of rural
• Urban Geography

• Criminal Geography

• Agricultural Geography
• Commercial Geography
• Industrial geography
• Tourism Geography

Regional Geography

The Regional Geography ( Geography Special ) is that part of geography, which idiographic or typological deals with certain branches of earth ( geosphere ). Priority should therefore be a region, such as a country or a landscape whose spatial elements, structure, processes and functions ( interactions between the geological factors ) is recorded, classified and explained.

The Regional Geography can be divided into:

• Area Studies, the idiographic study of space individuals
• Landscape customer, the typological study of habitat types

Perspectives

Perspectives in geography are characterized in that they are independent of the central Geofaktor the subdiscipline an analytical focus: whether it is genetically and historically, comparatively based or normative.

Historical Geography

As in any science is found as a historical geography to each sub-discipline of geography a historical approach, which deals with the past and development of objects. The Historical Geography is originally oriented more human geography. Classical application areas are the cultural landscape research, forest history, desertification research or river documentation.

Comparative Geography

The Comparative Geography was established in the 19th century by Carl Ritter and Oskar Peschel. It is a procedure that uses two typological categories related. The comparative geography is therefore primarily a methodological approach to gaining knowledge and analysis.

Applied Geography

The Applied Geography, which emerged in the second half of the 20th century, is a normative form of geographical research, which is found in all their areas of expertise. Subject of applied geography is the analysis and design of spatial structures and processes, as well as the solution of spatial problems. Practical applications are in planning or environmental protection. Examples are furthermore the Development Studies in Geography, the Geographical Risk Research and the Medical Geography.

Didactics and methodology

School geography

Among school- geography is understood primarily as a school subject geography and the associated teaching. The central concern of this branch is - as in any discipline - science didactics, so the school geography also includes the methodology of systematic reduction and the didactic structure of the subject area ( development of curricula and learning content ), which engage in a broad sense in the high school teaching yourself as well training, advice and information includes, and so the activity of an applied geographer is ( approximately creation of textbooks, instructional programs, geographic documentaries, cartography, or professional advice at the same ).

Geoinformatics

A recent methodological subregion which is increasingly important in geography and also of Mathematical Geography can be attributed to, is the geoinformatics. It uses methods of computer science in the processing of geographical issues. Task fields of geoinformatics are:

• Development, creation and maintenance of geographic information systems ( GIS): With these spatial data are collected, processed, analyzed and mapped.
• Digital cartography: This area is limited to the visualization of spatial data.
• Remote Sensing: Satellite or aviation -based observation of the earth by means of electromagnetic radiation that is detected by sensors.
• Modeling: Idealized simulation of real phenomena in order to make predictions (eg air inflow or outflow models).
• Statistics: use of software tools to evaluate data using statistical methods (see also: geostatistics ).

Spelling

According to the official spelling rules is the word part "graph " frequently " graf " to. Both spellings are correct. Traditionally, mainly the old spelling is used in scientific literature and among professionals. To the Bureau of the German Society for Geography in 2003 unanimously recommended to maintain the spelling geography. The Duden allowed in 2006 in its 24th edition and features the variant spellings both geography and Duden.

Quotes

" There is nothing that cultivated the trained mind and more forms than geography. "

" And he cast a look around him at the planet of the geographer. He had never seen such a majestic planet. "

"How many times have I told him that - apart from any professional blindness - the characteristic of the geographer is, in my opinion, preferably getting lost on foreign soil. Because ... the geographer is a stray personality. Because he is not afraid to admit that he's lost his way, his predisposition to admit to explore the distance, without moving from the spot. "