geography
geography — noun
1. the school subject or academic field that looks at Earth's surface — its mountai
the school subject or academic field that looks at Earth's surface — its mountains, rivers, oceans, weather patterns, and how human communities develop and interact within different environments
Jessica chose to study geography to understand how climate change affects farming in different regions.
study geography at university — collocation for academic study
In geography class, Lien saw how rivers carve valleys and reshape the land over time.
The geography textbook explained why some countries have fertile soil while others are mostly desert.
Ishaan found physical geography fascinating, especially the sections about volcanoes and earthquakes.
- earth science
broader term that includes geology, oceanography, and meteorology alongside geography
- topography
narrower — refers only to the physical surface features (hills, valleys), not climate or human geography
- cartography
different — specifically the art of making maps, not the broader study of the Earth
文法句型
uncountable noun
用法筆記
At university level, geography splits into two main branches: physical geography (natural features and climate) and human geography (population, cities, and culture). The abbreviation 'geog.' is common in timetables and informal notes.
常見錯誤
2. the physical arrangement and characteristics of a particular place or area, incl
the physical arrangement and characteristics of a particular place or area, including its landforms, bodies of water, roads, buildings, and how these elements relate to one another
The geography of the island makes it hard to build roads across the central mountains.
the geography of [place] — standard possessive/'of' pattern
Folake studied the old town's geography, noting where the market, temple, and streets were placed.
Before buying the land, Felix checked its geography for streams, rocky slopes, or flood risk.
Taiwan's geography includes tall mountains along the east coast and flat plains in the west.
- terrain
focuses specifically on the physical ground features (roughness, elevation) rather than man-made elements
- landscape
more visual and aesthetic — what the area looks like, often including both natural and man-made elements
- layout
general term for arrangement of anything, not specific to land or natural features
文法句型
the geography of + place
possessive + geography
用法筆記
This sense always appears with a determiner or possessive (the geography of Japan, the region's geography). Unlike sense 1, it does NOT refer to an academic subject — it describes the actual layout of a real place.