geography

noun ge·og·ra·phy \ jē-ˈä-grə-fē \

|Updated on: 20 Aug 2018

Definition of geography

plural geographies

1 : a science that deals with the description, distribution, and interaction of the diverse physical, biological, and cultural features of the earth's surface

2 : the geographic features of an area

3 : a treatise on geography

4 a : a delineation or systematic arrangement of constituent elements : configuration

the philosophers … have tried to construct geographies of human reason
—Times Literary Supplement

b : makeup 1

her emotional geography

See geography defined for English-language learners

See geography defined for kids

Examples of geography in a Sentence

studying the geography of the western United States
the geography of the region matches ancient descriptions of the location of the lost city

Recent Examples of geography from the Web

Emirates, which started in 1985 as a shuttle service between Dubai and Pakistan, turbocharged that model, taking advantage of the geography of its hub in Dubai, situated between Asia and the West.

— nicolas parasie, WSJ, "Chateau Margaux for Seat 2A: Emirates Rewrites Rules for Airlines," 12 July 2018
In Washington State, the geography of energy — from the hydropower projects of the 1930s through the nuclear energy era a generation later — has always been tangled up with state politics.

— kirk johnson, New York Times, "Solar Plan Collides With Farm Tradition in Pacific Northwest," 11 July 2018
Now new estimates indicate that Nigeria has knocked India out of that position, part of a profound shift taking place in the geography of the world’s poorest people.

— joanna slater, Washington Post, "India is no longer home to the largest number of poor people in the world. Nigeria is.," 10 July 2018
The assessor’s office conducts a major reassessment of all properties in the county over a three-year period, dividing up the geography by the north suburbs, south suburbs and the city.

— hal dardick, chicagotribune.com, "Home values rise on North Side, fall on South Side as Berrios tweaks assessments," 3 July 2018
Phil Neel, a graduate student at the University of Washington, draws attention to the geography of class in Hinterland, identifying both a new working class and the global forces that have shaped it.

— jedediah purdy, The New Republic, "The Remaking of Class," 27 June 2018
Local business owners say that public misconceptions about the volcano’s effects and a basic misunderstanding about the geography of Hawaii is keeping tourists away and hurting businesses even far from the danger zone.

— gabby raymond, Time, "Hawaiians Blame Misunderstanding of Volcano and 'Doomsday' Headlines for Big Drop in Tourism," 21 June 2018
Changes in agriculture and new infrastructure projects continue to open new pathways for disease, and global processes such as climate change affect the geography and ecology of our planet in dramatic ways.

— daniel fernandez, Smithsonian, "How Globalization Changed the Way We Fight Disease," 4 June 2018
There has been talk of simply taking the top 16 teams in the league into the playoffs, leaving geography out of the equation.

— al saracevic, San Francisco Chronicle, "Warriors vs. Cavs, Round 4: Is this good for the NBA?," 30 May 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'geography.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of geography

Latin geographia, from Greek geōgraphia, from geōgraphein to describe the earth's surface, from geō- + graphein to write — more at carve

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 15th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

geography Synonyms

Synonyms

geomorphology, landscape, terrain, topography;

Related Words

scenery;

ground, land, landform, terrane, terrene;

Other Geology Terms

anthracite, boulder, cwm, erratic, igneous, intrusive, mesa, sedimentary, silt, swale

GEOGRAPHY Defined for English Language Learners

geography

noun

Definition of geography for English Language Learners

: an area of study that deals with the location of countries, cities, rivers, mountains, lakes, etc.
: the natural features (such as rivers, mountains, etc.) of a place