Why Studying Geography Is Important

Geography is an often misunderstood subject, it focuses on developing skills beyond just knowing where individual countries and regions are, in fact Geography is the study of Earth, and our relationship to it.

This can lead to understanding more about our relationship with the environment, and the causes and effects of this relationship. We can discover how we can solve many of the ongoing problems we face today, like stabilizing both negative or high population growth, to creating more people- friendly and sustainable environments.

Building an understanding of the World around us, can help us create a better World, that can overcome the current issues we face today like Global warming, whilst help us understand how to bridge cultural and national misconceptions which can often lead to conflict. Students who study Geography can develop a better understanding on how our natural world works.

The future employment opportunities linked to this knowledge are immense, people can work in development work especially relating to the environment, or become enter the World of Science doing Geographical research on phenomena like Volcanic activity, Tsunami's, and how we can discover and use the natural resources around us more efficiently without harming our natural environment.

According to data provided by the United Nations, the changes in weather patterns and the increase in populations in many areas of our World, are leading to a probable water crisis. The knowledge of how to manage our water resources are an important part of studying Geography, and helps teams of professionals who can access and implement solutions to our worsening water crisis.

Food security, and the ways we can nurture and work with Mother Nature to ensure future generations in our communities can have a more diverse and sustainable food supply, is another component of studying Geography, which helps produce more experts, who are needed in a World where many places still depend on outside sources of food.

Understanding the causes behind conflicts between countries is one part of Geography, because its often based on the lack of or the poor management of resources. Poor resource management, can affect many regions in the World, creating bad harvests, leading to hunger and sometimes even conflict between countries for the vital resources needed to sustain their populations.

Conflict resolution is a far better option than allowing countries to fall into protracted, and destructive wars over the resources needed to sustain their own population. This is one problem, where people knowledgeable about both human & physical Geography could help to stop.

A student today who gains a good knowledge of Geography, could tomorrow become an expert on renewable energies, city and town planning, resource management and sustainable agriculture. Given the immense problems many communities face today, these are skills needed for the future.

Understanding where countries and regions are is important, but Geography is about caring and working with our World, despite the differences every community has with its physical Geography, and cultural perceptions of the outside World. So if you really want to make a difference, or build a future career, studying Geography is a step towards this direction.

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