What makes geography a science

The Science of Geography. Geography is the science that studies the relationships among areas, natural systems, cultural activities and the interdependence of all these over space. Why is Geography unique among all disciplines? Geography is defined by 5 key themes :. The human habitat is made up of:. Alpine mountain ranges in Europe create borders, such as the boundary between Switzerland and Italy. While geographic features can serve as convenient formal borders, political disputes will often flare up in adjacent areas, mainly if valuable natural or cultural resources are found within the geographic features.

Oil drilling near the coast of a sovereign country, for example, can cause a dispute between countries about which one has dominion over the oil resources. The exploitation of offshore fisheries can also be disputed.

Functional regions have boundaries related to a practical function within a given area. When the function of an area ends, the functional region ends, and its boundaries cease to exist. For example, a functional region can be defined by a newspaper service or delivery area.

If the newspaper goes bankrupt, the functional region no longer exists. Church parishes, shopping malls, and business service areas are other examples of functional regions. They function to serve a region and may have established boundaries for limits of the area to which they will provide service. An example of a common service area, a functional region, is the region to which a local pizza shop will deliver.

Vernacular regions can be fluid — that is, different people may have different opinions about the limits of the regions. Also, in the United States, the terms Midwest or South have many variations.

Each individual might have a different idea about the location of the boundaries of the South or the Midwest. Whether the state of Kentucky belongs in the Midwest or the South might be a matter of individual perception. Similarly, various regions of the United States have been referred to as the Rust Belt, Sun Belt, or Bible Belt without a clear definition of their boundaries. The limit of a vernacular area is more a matter of perception than of any formally agreed-upon criteria.

Nevertheless, most people would recognize the general area being discussed using one of the vernacular terms in a conversation. Traditionally, the field of cartography , or mapmaking, has been a vital discipline for geographers.

While cartography continues to be an essential part of geography, geographers also look at spatial space and temporal time relationships between many types of data, including physical landscape types, economies, and human activity. Geography also examines the relationships between and the processes of humans and their physical and cultural environments. Because maps are powerful visual graphics tools that allow us to illustrate relationships and processes at work in the world, cartography and geographic information systems have become prominent in modern sciences.

Geospatial techniques are tools used by geographers to illustrate, manage, and manipulate spatial data. Cartography is the art and science of making maps, which illustrate data in a spatial form and are invaluable in understanding what is going on at a given place at a given time. Making maps and verifying a location has become more exact with the development of the global positioning system GPS.

A GPS unit can receive signals from orbiting satellites and calculate an exact location in latitude and longitude, which helps determine where one is located on the earth or for verifying a point on a map. GPS units are standard equipment for many transportation systems and have found their way into products such as cell phones, handheld computers, fish finders, and other mobile equipment. GPS technology is widely implemented in the transport of people, goods, and services around the world.

Remotely sensed images allow geographers to identify, understand, or explain a particular landscape or determine the land use of a place.

These images can serve as essential components in the cartographic map-making process. Google Earth is an excellent example of a computer tool that illustrates remotely sensed images of locations on the earth. Geographic information systems GIS , uses a computer program to assimilate and manage many layers of map data, which then provide specific information about a given place.

GIS data are usually in digital form and arranged in layers. The GIS computer program can sort or analyze layers of data to illustrate a specific feature or activity. GIS programs are used in a wide range of applications, from determining the habitat range of a particular species of bird to mapping the hometowns of university students.

GIS specialists often create and analyze geographical information for government agencies or private businesses. Science is a path to gaining knowledge about the natural world. The study of science also includes the body of knowledge that has been collected through scientific inquiry. To conduct a scientific investigation, scientists ask testable questions that can be systematically observed and careful evidenced collected. Then they use logical reasoning and some imagination to develop a testable idea, called a hypotheses , along with explanations to explain the idea.

Finally, scientists design and conduct experiments based on their hypotheses. Scientists seek to understand the natural world by asking questions and then trying to answer the questions with evidence and logic. A scientific question must be testable and supported by empirical data, it does not rely on faith or opinion. Our understanding of natural Earth processes help us to understand why earthquakes occur where they do and how to understand the consequences of adding excess greenhouse gases into the atmosphere.

Scientific research may be done to build knowledge or to solve problems and lead to scientific discoveries and technological advances. Pure research often aids in the development of applied research.

Sometimes the results of pure research may be applied long after the pure research was completed. Sometimes something unexpected is discovered while scientists are conducting their research. Some ideas are not testable.