Geography

Explore the field of geography, which is the study of the physical features of the earth and how people interact with them. Geographers explore where things are located on the earth, why they are located there, how places differ from one another, and the ways people affect and are affected by their location. The combination of “why” and “how” questions in geography reflects the discipline’s foundation in both the social sciences and the natural sciences. Related fields are anthropology, geology, and climatology.

Geography is often divided into two branches: physical geography and human geography. Physical geography deals with the analysis of processes and patterns in the natural environment, such as climates, land forms, vegetation, soils, and water. Human geography, on the other hand, deals with the examination of people and their communities, cultures, economies, and interactions with the environment by focusing on their relations with and across space and place.

Geography is applied in any attempt to render the world in spatial terms, as is the case with mapmaking, such as a physical map or the mapping systems Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and Global Positioning System (GPS). Cartographers create maps through surveying, which involves the examination and recording of an area and its features. Geography is also an important component of city planning, disaster response, and environmental management, among other fields. Scholars also point to the importance of geography in understanding historical events since geographic characteristics have affected the outcomes of wars or vectors of disease.

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Geography Resources

Gale provides environmental studies resources, including databases, primary source archives, and eBooks.

Databases

Gale databases offer these geography collections to support research.

Gale In Context: Environmental Studies

Focuses on the physical and social aspects of environmental issues, covering earth systems, global change, land and water use, populations, legislation, and more. This database has hundreds of full-text titles, including such geography-specific journals as Applied Geography, the Geographical Review, and the Southeastern Geographer. Also included are numerous encyclopedias. Appropriate for both K‒12 users and those at the university level inside and outside the classroom.

Gale In Context: College

Gale In Context: College offers interdisciplinary content that reinforces the development of skills such as critical thinking, problem solving, communication, collaboration, creativity, and innovation. Learners can access news content including full-text newspapers and periodicals like The Economist, The New York Times, National Geographic, Newsweek, Popular Science, Smithsonian, and more. Empower learning with hundreds of thousands of images, videos, and audio selections that include archival film clips, broadcast video, BBC News, New York Times video, and NPR.

Primary Source Archives

Gale Primary Sources contains archives and geography collections that provide researchers with primary sources, including historical documents, journals, and news articles that can be used to examine and analyze geography.

National Geographic Virtual Library

Since the 19^th century, the National Geographic Society has made its mission to document the natural world, its people, and animals. This collection features the complete archive of National Geographic magazine, including books, maps, images, and videos. The collection supports a range of scholarly research needs in the areas of science, history, technology, the environment, cultures, and more. The periodical, which continues to be published, has become synonymous with exploration, iconic photographs, and learning more about the world beyond our individual borders. Perfect for classroom use.

Early Arabic Printed Books from the British Library: Sciences, History, and Geography

Early Arabic Printed Books from the British Library: Sciences, History, and Geography is a full-text searchable archive of early Arabic printed books on medicine and physiology, classical sciences, mathematics, astrology, chemistry, natural history, philosophy, logic and ethics, politics, history and genealogy, biography, travel, geography, and much more. This collection presents the range of Arab learning that influenced the scholarship and scientific development in Europe through the Middle Ages and Early Modern period.

Gale eBooks

Gale offers a variety of eBooks covering a wide range of geography subjects, including maps, continents, people, the environment, and more. Users can add Gale eBooks to a customized collection and cross-search to pinpoint relevant content. Workflow tools help users easily share, save, and download content.

Environmental Geography: People and the Environment, 1st Edition

Environmental Geography: People and the Environment, 1^st Edition

ABC-CLIO | 2019 | ISBN-13: 9781440856112

Human-induced damage to the environment, such as sea level rise, increased wildlife extinctions, heat waves, droughts, intensified air pollution, and water shortages, has widespread consequences for Earth and its inhabitants. This book provides comprehensive coverage of the complex interactions between people and the environment. It presents three clear, honest, and down-to-earth essays that cover the devastating impact humans have on the environment, the equally devastating impact the environment has on humans, and the positive impact that increasing awareness of our effect on the planet is having on the movement to create a more sustainable future. There are entries on 60 key environmental geography terms, such as deforestation, ecotourism, and environmental justice; 15 real-world case studies on issues like the Great Pacific Garbage Patch and the Great Green Wall of Africa; and 10 brief spotlights from around the world providing the reader with relevant facts.

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Where on Earth?: Mapping Parts of the World: Earth's Continents, 1st Edition

Where on Earth?: Mapping Parts of the World: Earth's Continents, 1^st Edition

Gareth Stevens Publishing | 2018 | ISBN-13: 9781482464160

Why do continents matter? From economics to weather science—and everything in between—knowing the characteristics of the continents expands students’ perspectives in every school subject. This fundamental information is a building block of many future lessons for teaching and an essential part of elementary education for students. Published in 2018, this title presents a focused, clear, age-appropriate look at Earth’s continents that young students are sure to find both informative and interesting. The volume is also packed with colorful maps that are labeled and explained to foster young students’ comprehension of this important topic.

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The World's Oceans: Geography, History, and Environment, 1st Edition

The World's Oceans: Geography, History, and Environment, 1^st Edition

ABC-CLIO | 2018 | ISBN-13: 9781440843525

The World’s Oceans: Geography, History, and Environment is a one-stop resource that describes in-depth the Arctic, Atlantic, Indian, Pacific, and Southern Oceans and identifies their importance today and throughout history. Essays address the subject areas of oceans and seas in world culture, fishing, and shipping industries through history, ocean exploration, and climate change and oceans.

The book also presents dozens of entries covering a breadth of topics on human culture, the environment, history, and current issues as they relate to the oceans and ocean life. Via Opposing Viewpoints, students are invited to apply their critical-thinking skills by considering Opposing Viewpoint essays on complex issues relating to the earth’s oceans.

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Resources to Boost Your Research

From trending social issues to classic literature, Gale resources have you covered. Explore overviews, statistics, essay topics, and more or log in through your library to find even more content.

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