geography

[jee-og-ruh-fee]

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.

geography

/ 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

geography

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.

Other Word Forms

• geographically adverb
• geographical adjective
• geographer noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of geography¹

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

Example Sentences

Councillor Sharon Harvey, leader of Redditch Borough Council, said: "We have to reflect that there are two different geographies in Worcestershire."

Read more on BBC

What was once a regional sport with deep roots and clearly demarcated borders has morphed into a sprawling battle where geography and tradition have been pushed into the background.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

The official party line is that the GOP’s double-digit losses in Virginia and New Jersey were unremarkable and expected, a function of historical trends and blue-state geography.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

In the third quarter, the softness has broadened across the industry and more geographies to the middle-income consumer in some areas, he adds.

Read more on Barron's

Several soldiers sketched in my notebook a new geography of the battlefield, marking dots to represent Ukrainian and Russian positions intermingled within the kill zone.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• earth science 
• geology 
• geopolitics 
• topography