All specializations play a very important role in humanity. Thus, we live on Earth, being a surface of 510 million square kilometers with life everywhere, we have oceans, countries, fauna, flora, populations, etc., human beings can be curious and want to know more about this beautiful Instead, for this, geography is studied.
Geography is studied about 200 years ago, whose purpose is to study and describe the characteristics of the Earth, ranging from the societies that inhabit it to terrestrial phenomena.
Learn more about geography, we will explain what it is and what the branches of geography are. If you are here, you surely want to study this career and you do not know which branch to choose or you are interested in learning more. Let us begin!
What is geography?
Geography is the science that studies the shape of the earth, including the distribution and arrangement of the elements on the earth’s surface. Being the oldest science in the world, etymologically it means “description of the earth”.
Studying geography does not only imply studying what is related to the terrestrial surface, also, geography is in charge of the population that inhabits and its adaptation in each of the spaces, as well as the climate, the soil, the water or vegetal formations.
The branches of geography make this study much more efficient, thanks to the different specializations it is possible to delve deeper into each of the studies carried out. Geography not only has branches, it is a science that encompasses other careers, as well as history, astronomy, political economy and natural sciences.
What are the branches of geography and their definitions?
Geography is responsible for a broad study of the divisions of territory, society and culture that inhabit it, but based on all natural aspects. For this reason, it has been necessary to divide geography into several branches, thus achieving different groups of content.
Thanks to the branches of geography, a much deeper study about the earth is created. Now, we will explain what the branches of geography are and their definitions to learn much more about this interesting career.
Physical geography
Physical geography is the most popular branch of geography among students. It is concerned with studying the natural features of the Earth, also studying the features of surfaces near it. This branch of geography studies all the patterns of the physical environment, as well as the atmosphere, hydrosphere, and geosphere.
Physical geography can have subdivisions, since each physical phenomenon can have a specialty, such as: geology, lithology, pedology, hydrology, climatology, limnology, speleology, among many other branches.
Human geography
One of the most important branches of geography, covering, as its name tells us, the studies of the human race. It also involves understanding the background of a human population, the perceptions and interactions of members who have ideologies that may affect the population.
Among the modern applications of this branch of geography may be the mapping of human migration, movement of food resources, and climatic impacts on humans.
biological geography
This branch of geography studies the location of living beings, as well as the earth’s surface, conditions where they develop, their evolution, their distribution and their history. In addition, biological geography can investigate the causes for which a species becomes extinct.
Geography, biology can be divided into different divisions: biology, ecology, zoology and botany, which maintain their studies in nature, influencing, in addition, in all respects to living beings that are distributed, develop, reproduce and maintain a form of life on earth.
astronomical geography
This branch of geography is quite interesting and important. It is in charge of studying the behavior of the planet Earth related to other celestial bodies and as a star. Being a science that studies the location, the facts of physical, biological and human phenomena.
Astronomical geography has some divisions in its branch, we can find astronomy, astrophysics, cosmogony, cosmonautics, cosmology and actinology. Although they deal with different specializations, they maintain the same purpose of astronomical geography.