geography

American  

[jee-og-ruh-fee] / dʒiˈɒg rə fi /

noun

plural

geographies

1. the science dealing with the areal differentiation of the earth's surface, as shown in the character, arrangement, and interrelations over the world of such elements as climate, elevation, soil, vegetation, population, land use, industries, or states, and of the unit areas formed by the complex of these individual elements.

2. the study of this science.

3. the topographical features of a region, usually of the earth, sometimes of the planets.

4. a book dealing with this science or study, as a textbook.

5. the arrangement of features of any complex entity.

   the geography of the mind.

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geography British  

/ dʒɪˈɒɡrəfɪ, ˌdʒɪəˈɡræfɪkəl /

noun

1. the study of the natural features of the earth's surface, including topography, climate, soil, vegetation, etc, and man's response to them

2. the natural features of a region

3. an arrangement of constituent parts; plan; layout

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geography Scientific  

/ jē-ŏg′rə-fē /

1. The scientific study of the Earth's surface and its various climates, countries, peoples, and natural resources.

2. The physical characteristics, especially the surface features, of an area.

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Other Word Forms

• geographer noun
• geographical adjective
• geographically adverb

Etymology

Origin of geography

First recorded in 1535–45; from Latin geōgraphia, from Greek geōgraphía “earth description”; equivalent to geo- + -graphy

Explanation

Geography is the study of the land and how we use it. A geography lesson about your hometown would teach about the terrain, including any landforms like mountains or waterways, its vegetation, roads and other human-made developments, and its people. Geography means "description of the earth's surface." It is often confused with a related word, geology, which means "study of the earth." Geography is about anything that happens on the ground, or above it, including how people live and use the land, while geology studies the earth's content, like the plates that form it and how they move.

Example Sentences

They had undergone a hard and thorough lesson in geography in their late teens and twenties, and certainly understood the location and significance of the Philippines, Iwo Jima, Tunisia or Normandy.

From Salon • Apr. 19, 2026

She noted that Redondo Beach’s local geography can make this stage more difficult.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 17, 2026

But modern hickdom doesn’t have anything to do with geography, class, profession, circumstances of birth.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 16, 2026

The collaboration stood as a powerful closing note to her career, affirming her enduring ability to transcend boundaries of genre, geography and time.

From BBC • Apr. 12, 2026

Alex had already decided that the man was even worse than his geography teacher.

From "Stormbreaker" by Anthony Horowitz

Related Words

• earth science
• geology
• geopolitics
• topography