, the branch of knowledge that deals with the earth, its life, and its resources. The name comes from Greek and Latin words meaning “earth description.” Geography is concerned with the distribution of people and things and the location of places on the earth's surface, and with the relationships between people and their natural environment.
A knowledge of geography is helpful for an understanding of current events and foreign relations, why some countries are rich and others poor, and why world trade is important. On the national level geography is an aid to understanding regional differences, which often result in conflicting economic, political, and social interests. In the United States, for example, the economic interests of the wheat and cattle farmers of the Great Plains are quite different from those of either the industrial workers of the East or the cotton farmers of the South.
Geography is important to the armed forces and to any business concerned with commerce or transportation. Knowledge of the subject is required in government, especially in the departments of a national government that deal with foreign countries.
In elementary schools and in many high schools, geography is usually taught as part of the social studies curriculum. Colleges and universities offer specialized courses.
