Geography is the study of places and the relationships between people and their environments. Geographers explore both the physical properties of Earth’s surface and the human societies spread across it.
Geography is something you do, not just something you know. Those who study geography identify relationships between these varied subjects, graft those relationships onto a geographic space, and explain why certain systems are where they are. A common shorthand for geography is "the why of where."
It is one in a series of World Cultures and Geography lessons intended to promote geographic thinking by using maps and spatial patterns to acquire, understand and communicate information.
Students interact with maps to analyze the geography of the New York region and identify how elevation influenced the development of trade, trade routes, and the growth of cities in that region.
Regions, large or small, are the basic units of geography. The Middle East is considered a political, environmental, and religious region that includes parts of Africa, Asia, and Europe.
Europe's physical geography, environment and resources, and human geography can be considered separately. Europe can be divided into four major physical regions, running from north to south: Western Uplands, North European Plain, Central Uplands, and Alpine Mountains.
