So, I will formally begin this with a bit of an introduction of myself. I am Cole, currently a student of Geography in the University of the Philippines Diliman. I am on my final semester as I am writing this and I got to say the feeling is bittersweet with a dash of anxiety, ha-ha. Anyway I was born and raised in Metro Manila, Philippines. I am a Christian, I love fantasy (can't emphasize this enough ha-ha), I love Gundam, and well I wish one day to be a Wizard of Earthsea (I'll explain this soon).
Now if you haven't read the title of this blog entry yet, and have not guessed what it is about then let me lay it down for you. I am about to explain what Geography is in the simplest sense. Why am I doing this you might ask? Well I am a student of Geography and I have been studying it for the past 3 or so years. Every time I tell someone this they end up asking this all too familiar and annoying question "What is the capital of (insert random country of your choice)?", followed by the even more annoying "so what will you do after you graduate, be a teacher?". THIS ANNOYS AND INFURIATES ME TO NO END. But, I get it. Not much light has been shed on my course so I'll help by first saying that, no my course isn't all about memorizing the world's countries and capitals. It is only a teensy weensy, tiny, minute part of what Geography really is. Geography is really about Space and Place. Or as the Association of American Geographers call it, the science of Space and Place.
Now with Space and Place these two terms are key to understanding what Geography really is about. Because the key question that Geography asks is where. That is why Geography is easily associated with countries and capitals. But, what geographers do with knowing these countries and capitals goes beyond simply memorizing them, we ask why they are there, how are they affected with where they are, what makes there location advantageous or disadvantageous? These questions can be applied to places on a global scale or on a local scale. Why does this city experience more storms then others? Why is the Central Business District located here and not there? These questions can be answered with Geography.
Another definition that can show what Geography is given by Ackerman (1963). He says that Geography is the understanding of humanity and his interaction with his environment. This definition is a more specific take of what the Association of American Geographers defined earlier. This time focusing on where something is and how it affects man. From that alone you can see how Geography is actually essential in our everyday living. This is another reason why Geographers usually go to the field of Climatology or Meteorology. Weather systems and Climate affect man differently depending where they are.
Now I think I'll stop there for now. I'll be adding a few more of these in the coming days, but I'll end with an observation that I have obtained from reading fantasy novels. Geography is important in fantasy. Tolkien, Lewis, Sanderson, Martin, etc. know this. Where something happens is important in knowing how the whole story unfolds, that is why fantasy novels are usually accompanied bu numerous maps. The authors knew the importance of how the environment and landscapes can affect their characters. This is the same in reality, where something happens is important. With that I urge you to think more Geographically, Tolkien did. ha-ha.
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