importance of geography

Geography is derived from a greek word ‘geographia’, literally meaning
“Description of the Earth”.

Definition: It is a field of science devoted to the study of the lands, features,
inhabitants (flora and fauna), and phenomena of the Earth and other planets.
Geography has two branches namely:

Physical Geography which studies various physical features of land, sea
and the atmosphere.

Human Geography which is concerned with people and their
communities, their culture, economies and their interaction with the
environment.

CBSE has designed the Class 11 and 12 syllabus in line with these two
branches i.e. in Class 11th, one will study about Physical Geography and in
Class 12th one studies about Human Geography.

Importance of Geography:

Here are many reasons why geography is important:

Geography describes the Earth

It describes the Earth in the truest sense as it not only tells us about the
physical phenomena like weather, seasons, oceans and such like but also about
the Humans and other living beings inhabiting the Earth.Not only this,

Geography tells us about the interaction between the living beings and their
surroundings.

It teaches the skills that help us to describe the world from ancient maps,
images, charts, etc.

Geography involves different disciplines

There are multiple disciplines linked to Geography. For example:

Demographic Studies (Study of population) : Human Geography.
Agricultural Sciences: Physical Geography. (Pedology)
Geology: Physical geography
Sociology: Human Geography
Economics: Economic Geography
Environmental Studies: Human & Physical geography.
These are among a few examples stating Geography as a multidisciplinary
subject. These multiple dimensions make Geography more interesting and
ultimately increase its scope.

Geography links the past to the present and the future

It links to the past as geography helps us to understand how our past was
developed and it helps us to plan our future. For example, humans have
caused a lot of damage to the environment by unplanned developmental
activities in the past. This has caused various disasters like floods and acid
rains. Humans have realised the harshness of these events and have now
started pursuing Sustainable Development which keeps the needs of the future
generations in mind.

Navigation skills

Geography helps people to improve their navigation skills as they would know
whether they are going to North or South after studying geography. Although
modern tools for navigation have been developed, but these have Geography
at their base.

Demographics

Geography’s second branch i.e. Human Geography deals with study of Human
Population and various dynamics associated with it. This is a growing field as
the world societies are growing in numbers and becoming more complex. With
India expected to be the world’s most populous country in this decade, the
scope of Demography is immense.

Career Prospects

Students who study geography as their subject in college, they have big
employment opportunities because this field is growing fast. Career
opportunities for Geography students are as mentioned below: (The list may
not be exhaustive though)

Rural and urban planning
Geographist (Core)
Teaching in a school or University
Researchers at research stations in Antarctica or the Arctic
Environmentalists
Geologists

Metrologists

Space Scientists

To put it in simple words, no subject is good or bad. It is just your interest in
that subject which makes it good or bad. There may be some students who will
find Geography as a challenging subject as they are not good at, let’s say
Mapping or grasping the geographical concepts. For them this subject is not
recommended.

Given the multidimensional nature of the subject, it becomes more intriguing
and attractive. There is no dearth of career opportunities in this domain too.
So folks, don’t worry or avoid the ‘rat race’ of the masses if you have sincere
inclination towards this subject. Go ahead. Listen to your heart. Good Luck!!.