Geography, which is the study of the Earth’s surface, focuses on elements such as the arrangement of physical features, climate, soil and vegetation. The study of human interaction with the land is called “cultural geography,” and it includes economics, migrations, religion and language.

Broadly, social geography relates to the spatialities of society and the role of space and place in relation to the interplay of different groups, issues and aspects of daily life, whilst cultural geography relates to the spatialities of culture and the role of space and place in relation to cultural commodities.

Central place theory is a geographical theory that seeks to explain the number, size and location of human settlements in an urban system. The theory was created by the german geographer walter christaller, who asserted that settlements simply functioned as ‘central places’ providing services to surrounding areas.

The four concepts of geographic thinking are: Spatial significance. Patterns and trends. Interrelationships.

Activity 1: Location and Place: A Geographic Perspective

1. Discuss the meaning of the terms location and place. Write the words location and place on the board.
2. Compare and contrast the descriptions.
3. Use a globe to illustrate the concept.
4. Have students determine location or place.

The key geographic questions ask Where is it located? Why is it there? What is the significance of the location? As students pose additional questions, they seek responses that help to organize spatial understandings: What is this place like?

Social geography is the branch of human geography that is interested in the relationships between society and space, and is most closely related to social theory in general and sociology in particular, dealing with the relation of social phenomena and its spatial components.

Why Geographic Thinking? Geographic Thinking allows students to move beyond content only and it enables them to think like geographers. Instead of learning about geographic content students “do” geography. Teachers facilitate opportunities for students to deepen their understanding using Geographical thinking.

Geographers use a number of concepts in this process. In VCE Geography, the ten key geographical concepts are: place, scale, distance, distribution, movement, region, change, process, spatial association and sustainability.

Job options

• Cartographer.
• Commercial/residential surveyor.
• Environmental consultant.
• Geographical information systems officer.
• Planning and development surveyor.
• Secondary school teacher.
• Social researcher.
• Town planner.

In geography: Human geography. Social geography concentrates on divisions within society, initially class, ethnicity, and, to a lesser extent, religion; however, more recently others have been added, such as gender, sexual orientation, and age.

In a nutshell, social geography focuses on the scientific study of the relationship of society and space (spatial components). It is interested in answering the questions of how societal processes determine space and its structures and how spatial conditions determine the existence of societies.

Geography is a focus within the curriculum for understanding and resolving issues about the environment and sustainable development. It is also an important link between the natural and social sciences. As pupils study geography, they encounter different societies and cultures.

Geography encompasses both natural science and social science as it examines people and their environment and serves as a bridge between the physical and cultural worlds. Some specialize in physical geography studying the natural environment, including the analysis of climate, vegetation, soils and landforms.

As a social science discipline, geography studies the ‘spatial organisation’ and ‘spatial integration’. Geography as a discipline is concerned with three sets of questions: (i) Some questions are related to the identification of the patterns of natural and cultural features as found over the surface of the earth.

History is what made the world the way it is, and it is essential that people study it in order to have an appreciation for and understanding of the way the world works. Learning about history is what makes it possible to learn from the past and plan for the future.

Spatial Thinking and Analysis. Above all else, geography is considered a spatial science. It is concerned with the spatial behavior of people, with the spatial relationships that are observed between places on the earth’s surface, and with the spatial processes that create or maintain those behaviors and relationships.

Geographers have made important contributions to the understanding of such changes through their research on human-induced climate change, ecosystem dynamics and biodiversity, and earth surface processes. For example, human populations are increasingly concentrated in urban and suburban regions.

Geography is divided into two inter-connected sub-disciplines: physical geography and human geography. Geography is also one of the basic sciences in education and helps students acquire skills in matters of conflict and war, energy dependence, climate change, globalization and terrorism.