Geography Reference
In-Depth Information
Geography: Making Sense of It All
People are fascinated by the world in which they live. They want to know what it's like and why it
is the way it is. Most importantly, they want to understand their place in it. Geography satisfies this
curiosity and provides practical knowledge and skills that people find useful in their personal and
professional lives. This is nothing new.
From ancient roots . . .
Geographycomesfromtwoancient Greekwords:
ge,
meaning “theEarth,” and
graphe,
mean-
ing “to describe.” So, when the ancient Greeks practiced geography, they described the Earth.
Stated less literally, they noted the location of things, recorded the characteristics of areas near
and far, and used that information in matters of trade, commerce, communication, and admin-
istration.
Disputed paternity
A Greek named Eratosthenes (died about 192 B.C.) is sometimes called the “Father of Geography”
since he coined the word “geography.” The Greeks themselves called Homer the “Father of Geo-
graphy” because his epic poem,
Odyssey
, written about a thousand years before Eratosthenes was
born, is the oldest account of the fringe of the Greek world. In addition to these gentlemen, at least
two other men have been named “Father of Geography,” all of which suggests a very interesting pa-
ternity suit. But I digress. That the story goes back to the days of the Greeks tells us that geography
is a very old subject. People of every age and culture have sought to know and understand their im-
mediate surroundings and the world beyond. They stood at the edges of seas and imagined distant
shores. They wondered what lies on the other side of a mountain or beyond the horizon. Ultimately,
of course, they acted upon those speculations. They explored. They left old lands and occupied new
lands. And as a result, millennia later, explorers like Columbus and Magellan found humans almost
everywhere they went.
Links to exploration
