Geography

Quotes

“Without geography, you’re nowhere.”

Jimmy Buffett

“Anyone who believes that the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach flunked geography.”

Robert Byrne (U.S. writer and billiards champion player)

“The science concerned with the description of the earth’s surface; its form and physical features, its natural and political subdivisions, and its climate, products, and population.”

Gates, Jean Key. Guide to the Use of Libraries and Information Sources. 7th ed.

Branches

• Systematic: concerned with individual physical and cultural elements of the earth
• Physical geography includes geomorphology, climatology, biogeography, soils geography, hydrography, oceanography, cartography
• Cultural/human geography includes economic geography, political geography, military geography, ethnography, historical geography, urban geography, demography, linguistic geography
• Regional: concerns the differences and similarities among the various regions of the earth; seeks explanations for the variety among places by studying the special combination of features that distinguish these places
• The objective of the regional geography is to account for the physical and cultural landscape of certain unified areas, e.g. Manitoba’s Physical and Human Environments, Canada’s Physical and Human Environments, Regional Geography of Africa: Study of physical and future of the nations in Africa

Maps

• General reference
• usually a small scale map covering a large area
• Topographic
• portrays shape and elevation of terrain
• Thematic (subject), e.g.,
• aeronautical charts, census tract maps, historical maps, land-use maps, population maps, soil maps, weather maps, etc.
• Photoimage
• aerial photograph/satellite image with map symbols added

Online sites

Library and Archives Canada: Maps, Charts and Architectural Plans http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/maps-plans/index-e.html

Understanding Maps http://www.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/oswebsite/freefun/understandingmapping.html