Editing Geographer

{{Short description|Scholar whose area of study is geography}}
{{for multi|the musical group|Geographer (band)|the 17th-century painting|The Geographer}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2021}}

[[File:The Geographer.jpg|thumb|''[[The Geographer]]'' (1668–69), by [[Johannes Vermeer]] ]]

A '''geographer''' is a physical scientist, social scientist or humanist whose area of study is [[geography]], the study of Earth's [[natural environment]] and human society, including how society and nature interacts. The Greek prefix "geo" means "earth" and the Greek suffix, "graphy", meaning "description", so a geographer is someone who studies the earth.<ref>{{cite book |last=Arrowsmith |first=Aaron |author-link=Aaron Arrowsmith |date=1832 |title=A Grammar of Modern Geography |chapter=Chapter II: The World |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=N1XWyAVQJh0C |publisher=[[King's College School]] |pages=20–21 |access-date=4 October 2021 |archive-date=4 October 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211004030824/https://www.google.com/books/edition/A_grammar_of_modern_geography_With_Praxi/N1XWyAVQJh0C |url-status=live }}</ref> The word "geography" is a [[Middle French]] word that is believed to have been first used in 1540.<ref>{{Cite web |date=n.d. |title=geography (n.) |url=https://www.etymonline.com/word/geography |access-date=10 October 2018 |website=Online Etymology Dictionary |publisher=Douglas Harper |format=Web article |archive-date=1 August 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170801043319/http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=geography |url-status=live }}</ref>

Although geographers are historically known as people who make [[maps]], map making is actually the field of study of [[cartography]], a subset of geography. Geographers do not study only the details of the natural environment or human society, but they also study the reciprocal relationship between these two. For example, they study how the natural environment contributes to human society and how human society affects the natural environment.<ref>{{cite book |editor-last1=Pedley |editor-first1=Mary Sponberg |editor-last2=Edney |editor-first2=Matthew H. |editor-link2=Matthew H. Edney |date=2020 |title=The History of Cartography, Volume 4: Cartography in the European Enlightenment |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=m9fkDwAAQBAJ |publisher=[[University of Chicago Press]] |pages=557–558 |isbn=9780226339221 |access-date=4 October 2021 |archive-date=4 October 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211004030825/https://www.google.com/books/edition/The_History_of_Cartography_Volume_4/m9fkDwAAQBAJ |url-status=live }}</ref>

In particular, physical geographers study the natural environment while human geographers study human society and culture. Some geographers are practitioners of GIS ([[geographic information system]]) and are often employed by local, state, and federal government agencies as well as in the private sector by environmental and engineering firms.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Geographers : Occupational Outlook Handbook : U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics|url=https://www.bls.gov/ooh/life-physical-and-social-science/mobile/geographers.htm|access-date=2021-10-06|website=www.bls.gov}}</ref>

The paintings by [[Johannes Vermeer]] titled ''[[The Geographer]]'' and ''[[The Astronomer (Vermeer)|The Astronomer]]'' are both thought to represent the growing influence and rise in prominence of scientific enquiry in Europe at the time of their painting in 1668–69.

== Areas of study in geography ==
{{History of geography sidebar}}

Subdividing geography is challenging, as the discipline is broad, interdisciplinary, ancient, and has been approached differently by different cultures. Attempts have gone back centuries, and include the "Four traditions of geography" and applied "branches."<ref name="Traditions1">{{cite journal |last1=Pattison |first1=William |title=The Four Traditions of Geography |journal=Journal of Geography |date=1964 |volume=63 |issue=5 |pages=211–216 |doi=10.1080/00221346408985265 |bibcode=1964JGeog..63..211P |url=https://doi.org/10.1080/00221346408985265 |access-date=27 August 2022}}</ref><ref name=Sala1>{{cite book |last1=Sala |first1=Maria |title=Geography Volume I |date=2009 |publisher=[[Encyclopedia of Life Support Systems|EOLSS]] UNESCO |location=Oxford, United Kingdom |isbn=978-1-84826-960-6 }}</ref><ref name=Sala2>{{cite book |last1=Sala |first1=Maria |title=Geography – Vol. I: Geography |date=2009 |publisher=[[Encyclopedia of Life Support Systems|EOLSS]] UNESCO |url=https://www.eolss.net/sample-chapters/c01/E6-14.pdf |access-date=30 December 2022}}</ref> 
 
===Four traditions of geography===
{{Main|Four traditions of geography}}

The four traditions of geography were proposed in 1964 by William D. Pattison in a paper titled "The Four Traditions of Geography" appearing in the [[Journal of Geography]].<ref name="Traditions1" /><ref name="Traditions2">{{cite journal |last1=Murphy |first1=Alexander |title=Geography's Crosscutting Themes: Golden Anniversary Reflections on "The Four Traditions of Geography" |journal=Journal of Geography |date=27 June 2014 |volume=113 |issue=5 |pages=181–188 |doi=10.1080/00221341.2014.918639 |bibcode=2014JGeog.113..181M |s2cid=143168559}}</ref> These  traditions are:
* [[Spatial Analysis|spatial or locational tradition]]<ref name="Traditions1" /><ref name="Traditions2" />
* [[area studies]] or [[Regional geography|regional tradition]]<ref name="Traditions1" /><ref name="Traditions2" />
* [[Integrated geography|Human–Environment interaction tradition]] (originally referred to as the "man-land tradition")<ref name="Traditions1" /><ref name="Traditions2" />
* [[Earth science|Earth science tradition]]<ref name="Traditions1" /><ref name="Traditions2" />

===Branches of geography===
{{Main|Category:Branches of geography}}

The [[UNESCO]] [[Encyclopedia of Life Support Systems]] subdivides geography into three major fields of study, which are then further subdivided.<ref name=Sala1>{{cite book |last1=Sala |first1=Maria |title=Geography Volume I |date=2009 |publisher=[[Encyclopedia of Life Support Systems|EOLSS]] UNESCO |location=Oxford, United Kingdom |isbn=978-1-84826-960-6 }}</ref><ref name=Sala2>{{cite book |last1=Sala |first1=Maria |title=Geography – Vol. I: Geography |date=2009 |publisher=[[Encyclopedia of Life Support Systems|EOLSS]] UNESCO |url=https://www.eolss.net/sample-chapters/c01/E6-14.pdf |access-date=30 December 2022}}</ref> These are:

* [[Human geography]]: including [[urban geography]], [[cultural geography]], [[economic geography]], [[political geography]], [[historical geography]], [[marketing geography]], [[health geography]], and [[social geography]].<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Nel |first=Etienne |date=2010-11-23 |title=The dictionary of human geography, 5th edition - Edited by Derek Gregory, Ron Johnston, Geraldine Pratt, Michael J. Watts and Sarah Whatmore |url=http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1745-7939.2010.01189_4.x |journal=New Zealand Geographer |volume=66 |issue=3 |pages=234–236 |doi=10.1111/j.1745-7939.2010.01189_4.x |bibcode=2010NZGeo..66..234N |issn=0028-8144|url-access=subscription }}</ref>
* [[Physical geography]]: including [[geomorphology]], [[hydrology]], [[glaciology]], [[biogeography]], [[climatology]], [[meteorology]], [[Pedology (soil study)|pedology]], [[oceanography]], [[geodesy]], and [[environmental geography]].<ref>{{Cite book |last=Marsh |first=William M. |url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/797965742 |title=Physical geography : great systems and global environments |date=2013 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |others=Martin M. Kaufman |isbn=978-0-521-76428-5 |location=Cambridge |oclc=797965742}}</ref>
* [[Technical geography]]: including [[geoinformatics]], [[geographic information science]], [[geovisualization]], and [[spatial analysis]].

===Five themes of geography===
{{main|Five themes of geography}}

The [[National Geographic Society]] identifies five broad key themes for geographers:
* human-environment interaction
* [[Location]]
* Movement
* [[Place identity|Place]]
* Regions<ref>{{Cite web |date=24 October 2008 |title=Geography Education @ |url=http://www.nationalgeographic.com/education/themes.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100207230321/http://www.nationalgeographic.com/education/themes.html |archive-date=7 February 2010 |access-date=16 July 2013 |website=Nationalgeographic.com}}</ref>

==Notable geographers==<!-- Please respect chronological order -->
{{Main|List of geographers|List of Graeco-Roman geographers}}
[[File:Gerardus Mercator3.jpg|thumb|upright|[[Gerardus Mercator]]]]
* [[Alexander von Humboldt]] (1769–1859)&nbsp;– published ''[[Cosmos (Humboldt)|Cosmos]]'' and founder of the sub-field biogeography.
* [[Arnold Henry Guyot]] (1807–1884)&nbsp;– noted the structure of glaciers and advanced understanding in [[Glacial motion|glacier motion]], especially in fast ice flow.
* [[Carl O. Sauer]] (1889–1975)&nbsp;– cultural geographer.
* [[Carl Ritter]] (1779–1859)&nbsp;– occupied the first chair of geography at Berlin University.
* [[David Harvey]] (born 1935)&nbsp;– Marxist geographer and author of theories on spatial and urban geography, winner of the [[Lauréat Prix International de Géographie Vautrin Lud|Vautrin Lud Prize]].
* [[Doreen Massey (geographer)|Doreen Massey]] (1944–2016)&nbsp;– scholar in the space and places of [[globalization]] and its pluralities; winner of the Vautrin Lud Prize.
* [[Edward Soja]] (1940–2015)&nbsp;– worked on regional development, planning and governance and coined the terms [[synekism]] and postmetropolis; winner of the Vautrin Lud Prize.
* [[Ellen Churchill Semple]] (1863–1932)&nbsp;– first female president of the [[American Association of Geographers]].
* [[Jovan Cvijić]] (1865–1927)&nbsp;– Serbian geographer, geologist, sociologist and human geographer; father of the karst geomorphology
* [[Eratosthenes]] ({{circa|276|195/194 BC}})&nbsp;– calculated the size of the Earth.
* [[Ernest Burgess]] (1886–1966)&nbsp;– creator of the [[concentric zone model]].
* [[Gerardus Mercator]] (1512–1594)&nbsp;– cartographer who produced the [[Mercator projection]]
* [[John Francon Williams]] (1854–1911) – author of ''The Geography of the Oceans''.
* [[Karl Butzer]] (1934–2016)&nbsp;– German-American geographer, cultural ecologist and environmental archaeologist.
* [[Michael Frank Goodchild]] (born 1944)&nbsp;– GIS scholar and winner of the RGS founder's medal in 2003.
* [[Milton Santos]] (1926–2001)&nbsp;– became known for his pioneering works in several branches of geography, notably urban development in developing countries.
* [[Muhammad al-Idrisi]] ({{Langx|ar|أبو عبد الله محمد الإدريسي|links=no}}; Latin: Dreses) (1100–1165)&nbsp;– author of Nuzhatul Mushtaq.
* [[Nigel Thrift]] (born 1949)&nbsp;– originator of [[non-representational theory]].
* [[Paul Vidal de La Blache]] (1845–1918)&nbsp;– founder of the French school of geopolitics, wrote the principles of human geography.
* [[Ptolemy]] ({{Circa|100|170}})&nbsp;– compiled Greek and Roman knowledge into the book ''[[Geographia]]''.
* [[Radhanath Sikdar]] (1813–1870)&nbsp;– calculated the height of [[Mount Everest]].
* [[Roger Tomlinson]] (1933 – 2014)&nbsp;– the primary originator of modern [[geographic information systems]]. 
* [[Halford Mackinder]] (1861–1947)&nbsp;– co-founder of the [[London School of Economics]], [[Geographical Association]].
* [[Strabo]] (64/63 BC&nbsp;– {{Circa|AD 24}})&nbsp;– wrote ''[[Geographica]]'', one of the first books outlining the study of geography.
* [[Waldo Tobler]] (1930–2018)&nbsp;– coined the [[Tobler's first law of geography|first law of geography]].
* [[Walter Christaller]] (1893–1969)&nbsp;– human geographer and inventor of [[central place theory]].
* [[William Morris Davis]] (1850–1934)&nbsp;– father of American geography and developer of the [[cycle of erosion]].
* [[Yi-Fu Tuan]] (1930–2022)&nbsp;– Chinese-American scholar credited with starting [[Critical geography|humanistic geography]] as a discipline.

== Institutions and societies ==
* [[American Association of Geographers]]<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Freeman|first1=T. W.|last2=James|first2=Preston E.|last3=Martin|first3=Geoffrey J.|date=July 1980|title=The Association of American Geographers: The First Seventy-Five Years 1904-1979|url=http://dx.doi.org/10.2307/632894|journal=The Geographical Journal|volume=146|issue=2|pages=298|doi=10.2307/632894|jstor=632894|bibcode=1980GeogJ.146..298F |issn=0016-7398|url-access=subscription}}</ref>
* [[American Geographical Society]]<ref>{{Cite web|date=2009-02-26|title=AGS History|url=http://www.amergeog.org/history.htm|access-date=2021-10-11|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090226220714/http://www.amergeog.org/history.htm|archive-date=26 February 2009}}</ref>
* [[North American Cartographic Information Society]]
* [[Anton Melik Geographical Institute]] (Slovenia)
* [[Gamma Theta Upsilon]] (international)
* [[Institute of Geographical Information Systems]] (Pakistan)
* [[International Geographical Union]]
*  Karachi Geographical Society (Pakistan)
* [[National Geographic Society]] (US)<ref>{{Cite web|title=National Geographic Society|url=https://2009-2017.state.gov/p/io/unesco/members/48805.htm|access-date=2021-10-11|website=U.S. Department of State}}</ref>
* [[Royal Canadian Geographical Society]]
* [[Royal Danish Geographical Society]]
* [[Royal Geographical Society]] (UK)<ref>{{Cite web|title=Royal Geographical Society - Royal Geographical Society (with IBG)|url=https://www.rgs.org/|access-date=2021-10-11|website=www.rgs.org}}</ref>
* [[Russian Geographical Society]]

== See also ==
{{div col}}
*''[[Geographers on Film]]''
*[[Geography]]
*[[Human geography]]
*[[List of geographers]]
*[[Outline of geography]]
*[[Physical geography]]
*[[Technical geography]]
{{div col end}}

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

== Further reading ==
* Steven Seegel.  ''Map Men: Transnational Lives and Deaths of Geographers in the Making of East Central Europe.'' [[University of Chicago Press]], 2018. {{ISBN|978-0-226-43849-8}}.

== External links ==
* {{Commons category-inline|Geographers}}

'''''<small>{{portal-inline|Geography}}</small>'''''
{{Geography topics|state=uncollapsed}}

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