GEO 135 Chapter Unit 1.1: Unit 1.1 Reading Notes
Document Summary
Geography- is the spatial study of the earth"s surface (from the greek geo, which means earth, and graphein, which means to write ). Geographers study the earth"s physical characteristics, its inhabitants and cultures, phenomena such as climate, and the earth"s place within the universe. **geographers also look at how the earth, its climate, and its landscapes are changing due to cultural intervention. 1st use of geography was by eratosthenes of cyrene (modern day libya in north africa). **eratosthenes was an early greek scholar who lived between 276 and 194 bce. **eratosthenes devised one of the first systems of longitude and latitude. **eratosthenes created one of the first maps of the world based on the available knowledge at the time. Around the same time, many ancient cultures in china, southern asia, polynesia, and the arabian peninsula also developed maps and navigation systems used in geography and cartography.
