physical geography

American  

noun

1. the branch of geography concerned with natural features and phenomena of the earth's surface, as landforms, drainage features, climates, soils, and vegetation.

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physical geography British  

noun

1. the branch of geography that deals with the natural features of the earth's surface

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physical geography Scientific  

1. The scientific study of the natural features of the Earth's surface, especially in its current aspects, including land formation, climate, currents, and distribution of flora and fauna.

2. Also called physiography

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Etymology

Origin of physical geography

First recorded in 1800–10

Example Sentences

Yet the recent weaponization of supply chains has offered a stark reminder that rather than erasing physical geography, the era of hyperconnectivity has turned it into a possibly more potent weapon.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 22, 2026

"There's a lack of policy regarding the environmental impacts of these megaconstellations," Dr. Connor Barker, a research fellow in atmospheric chemistry and physical geography at University College London, told Salon in a video interview.

From Salon • Apr. 4, 2025

F. Gold, an assistant professor of physical geography at Utrecht University who conducted the research as a postdoctoral associate at Cornell.

From Science Daily • Nov. 14, 2024

But the physical geography and market conditions of the UK and the US are very different.

From BBC • Feb. 22, 2022

In the stricter sense, physical geography is that part of geography which involves the processes of contemporary change in the crust and the circulation of the fluid envelopes.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 11, Slice 6 "Geodesy" to "Geometry" by Various