The term “geography” in its broad context denotes a science, which deals with the earth as the planet and as the land as well. It derives from two stems of Greek origin: “geo” – earth and “graphos” write or describe. It is one of the oldest sciences in the world because as soon as people start hunting or collecting food they start to investigate the environment, the world around them. And these investigations were the first geographical discoveries of the mankind. The times have been changing and geography as a science has becoming and more complicated. According to a common understanding of the notion, geography investigates lands, countries, different phenomena etc. Basically, the facts about our planet. But the modern concept requires not only remembering the facts about rivers, capitals, states; it is much more about understanding how different systems – physical, human and biological – interact with each other through space (Crooks, n.d). Nowadays, definition of geography is not static, it is dynamic because it deals with continuous action, not only with the facts. The dynamics of geography can also be explained through different political or natural processes. For example, a new nation of South Sudan appeared on the political maps and globes after July 9, 2011, when Salva Kiir declared the independence of the state from Sudan (“South Sudan’s flag raised at independence ceremony”, 2011).
The geography is a very broad science and incorporates different subfields: physical geography, human geography, integrated geography and geomatics. These fields interact with each other and form the modern notion of geography. For example, integrated geography investigates the interaction between human and environment. In case of natural disaster the phenomenon is also studied by climatologists and meteorologists, and these sciences in turn belong to physical geography. And of course effects of the natural catastrophe are also analyzed from the social, political and economical point of view by representatives of the human branch of geography.
But it is not only about the theory. Modern geography has many real-life applications. One of them is urban planning. It is a science dealing with the systems of city construction. The planning requires knowledge about the climate, ecology of the place as well as sustainability information and many sociogeographical aspects.
Crooks, M.(n.d.) What is geography? National Geographic. Retrieved from http://education.nationalgeographic.com/education/multimedia/what-geography/?ar_a=1&ar_r=999
BBC (2011, July 9). South Sudan’s flag raised at independence ceremony. BBC. Retrieved from http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-14092375
