Geography: Welcome

This Very Short Introduction answers four basic questions: what is Geography, how do geographers work, why is Geography important, and where is the discipline of Geography heading?

Geography Basics covers the most fundamental concepts of both physical and social geography. In order to further the geographic literacy of contemporary students, the articles in Geography Basics take an integrated approach to the field, emphasizing interconnections of every kind. Through much of the twentieth century, geography courses forced students to memorize names of states, capitals, rivers, seas, mountains, and countries. While the field underwent a remarkable transformation during the 1990's, young American adults remain ignorant of the simple facts about geography. Even though learning the locations of places remains an important part of geography studies, educators recognize that place-name recognition is merely the beginning of geographic understanding. Geography teaching now places much greater emphasis on understanding the characteristics of, and interconnections among, places. Modern students address such questions as how the weather in Brazil can affect the price of coffee in the United States, why global warming threatens island nations, how preserving endangered animal species can conflict with the economic development of poor nations.