Geographers

  • Geographers are people who study geography
    • We study and describe Earth’s physical and human features
    • We observe and research the interactions between people, places, and environments
    • We look for patterns in areas and try to understand why things exist and occur the way they do
  • They are many different ways we look at the world like:
    • Spatial Terms- connections between people and places
    • Places and Regions- some places are similar and regions have been created to connect these places
    • Physical Systems- the variety of ecosystems in the world
    • Human Systems- how humans have formed the world
    • Environment and Society- physical and human systems and how they adapt to each other
  • Geographers look at two main areas:
    • Human Geography- the interaction between humans and their environment
    • Physical Geography- the study of natural features and other phenomena on Earth’s surface
  • Geographers use many tools and techniques to gain an understanding of the world
  • They travel a lot to the places they are studying
  • Examples of jobs in geography:
    • Tour Guide
    • Zoologist
    • Cartographer
    • Climatologist
    • Soil Specialist
    • Forest Fire Inspector
    • Market Researcher
  • Many times geographers and historians are grouped together
  • Both are researchers, but they research different things
  • Both travel a lot, but gather different information
  • Historians look at historical facts, while geographers are more interested in how the environment has affected people and animals
  • Geographers are actively involved in geographic inquiry
    • This is similar to the scientific method
    • There are 5 steps and they are:
    • Ask Geographic Questions- turn an observation into a question
    • Acquire Geographic Resources- gather resources needed to answer the question
    • Explore Geographic Data- take gathered information from resources and turn it into maps, charts, and tables and see if you see patterns
    • Analyze Geographic Information- break apart patterns and draw a conclusion about your answer to your question
    • Act on Geographic Information- take your answer and do something about it, if it leads to a new question, go through the steps again