Geography Reference
In-Depth Information
G E O G R A P H Y
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2. Three core concepts of geography: space, place, and environment.
The essence of geography (shaded) is an integration of spatial
variation over the Earth's surface with the distinctiveness of places and
interactions between people and their environments
The three core concepts of space, place, and
environment can be
identifi ed as the central concerns of geography (Figure 2); the
bonds that hold the subject together and give it meaning.
Defi ning contemporary geography
Some shorthand working defi nitions of geography have already
been mentioned, and it is useful now to consider some more
formal defi nitions and to examine the degree of consensus
that exists. Our own defi nition from an earlier publication is
as follows:
Geography is the study of the surface of the Earth. It involves
the phenomena and processes of the Earth's natural and human
environments and landscapes at local to global scales. Its basic
division is between physical geography, which is unambiguously
a science and analyses the physical make-up of the Earth's
