Geography Reference
In-Depth Information
Chapter 1
Geography:
Understanding a World of
Difference
In This Chapter
Contemplating a complex planet
Unearthing myths
Tracing the ancient roots of geography to the modern discipline
Finding a new way to look at geography
Going over some basic concepts
Y ou live on a very interesting planet, a world of never-ending variety — mountains and plains, oceans
and rivers, deserts and forests. If, as Shakespeare once wrote, “All the world's a stage,” then one could
hardly imagine a greater range of sets and scenery than exists on planet Earth.
You are an actor on that stage, and you are not alone. The entire cast number more than six billion,
and they are as diverse as their Earthly stage. They practice dozens of religions, speak many hundreds
of languages, and display thousands of cultures. They live in scattered farmhouses, large cities, and
every-size settlement in between. They practice every kind of livelihood imaginable and, in innumer-
able ways great and small, have interacted with and changed the natural environment forever.
So “interesting planet” and “never-ending variety” turn out to be code for “complex.” Truly, this is a
complex world in which no two areas are exactly alike. On the one hand, this complexity makes for a
very fascinating planet. But on the other hand, the prospect of learning all about this complexity can
be overwhelming, or at least sometimes seems to be. Fortunately, one subject seeks to make sense of it
all and, usually, does a pretty good job: Geography.
