How to quickly learn geography. Beginning geography course. How to learn geography: choosing an approach

The geographer Paganel, before his journey in The Children of Captain Grant, was an armchair scientist for twenty years and studied geography while sitting in an armchair. At the same time, he knew the whole world thoroughly. Is it possible to repeat his path today? It turns out that it is possible! And not only him, but also Thor Heyerdahl, Marco Polo and others... For me, last year’s find was the online geographical seminars of Asya Vanyakina (author of the popular books “Iceberg on the Carpet”, “Miracles in the Pocket, or the Search for Santa Claus”). Asya's idea is that the seminar participants go on a journey through space and time together with one of the great travelers of past years. During this journey, two to three months long, there is a complete immersion in the customs, culture, and sights of the countries through which the route passes.

In the autumn we traveled with Marco Polo Central Asia to China. He appeared to us as a 14-year-old boy who sent a new diary message with interesting tasks once a week. We followed his movements on the map, played out tasks: observed animals and created our own bestiary, made aqueducts, perched on the half-meter heels of Venetian ladies, caught flying fish with frying pans, wrote with a pen, sculpted a mosaic from clay and laid out Arabic patterns, and much, much more. other. We had a complete sense of presence, and Marco became our best friend, whom our son eagerly went to modern Venice to look for. On March 15, Marco went on a trip with the second group of participants. You can still join them.

And we are going to set off on March 28 with Thor Heyerdahl on the Kon-Tiki raft across the ocean to the shores of Polynesia. And I know that it will be very interesting, because we have a month-long “voyage” ahead of us.

We will participate in the construction of a raft, meet giant fish, desalinate water, battle reefs, get acquainted with underwater volcanoes, and dive into Peru and Ecuador. We will make Inca masks, recognize clouds, find out what bionics and bioluminescence are, who the stickies are and whether squids can fly. And also listen to the sound of the ocean and the music of the Incas, look at Gauguin’s paintings and stunning schools of fish.

The most wonderful thing is that Asya approaches everything with a huge soul, works out tasks in detail for different ages and introduces children and adults to real geography. Full of field life, adventure and discovery. I say this as a geographer whose soul sings when I read the tasks of her online seminars. Adults are no less interested in participating in them than children.

The format of the seminars is very convenient for parents with any type of employment. Once a week on the Learnart forum, Yulia Rempel publishes a story with pictures, photographs, videos, riddles, assignments and master classes. Each participant on the forum has his own diary, where he writes down his travel observations, posts photographs and drawings. Everyone visits each other, gets inspired and inspires. It turns out to be a very educational and friendly team trip to distant continents

Geography is a fascinating subject scientific direction, studying the earth's surface, oceans and seas, the environment and ecosystems, and the interaction between human society and the environment. The word geography literally translated from ancient Greek means “description of the earth.” Below is general definition geography term:

"Geography - system scientific knowledge, studying the physical features of the Earth and environment, including the influence of human activities on these factors, and vice versa. The subject also covers patterns of population distribution, land use, availability and production."

Scientists who study geography are known as geographers. These people are engaged in the study of the natural environment of our planet and human society. Although cartographers of the ancient world were known as geographers, today this is a relatively distinct specialization. Geographers tend to focus on two main areas geographical research: physical geography and human geography.

History of the development of geography

The term "geography" was coined by the ancient Greeks, who not only created detailed maps surrounding area, and also explained the differences between people and natural landscapes in different places on Earth. Over time, rich heritage Geography took a life-changing journey into the brightest Islamic minds. The Golden Age of Islam witnessed amazing achievements in the field of geographical sciences. Islamic geographers became famous for their innovative discoveries. New lands were explored and the first grid base for the map system was developed. Chinese civilization also contributed instrumentally to the development of early geography. The compass, developed by the Chinese, was used by explorers to explore the unknown.

A new chapter in the history of science begins with the period of great geographical discoveries, a period coinciding with the European Renaissance. A new interest in geography arose in the European world. Marco Polo - Venetian merchant and traveler led this new era research. Commercial interests in establishing trade contacts with the rich civilizations of Asia, such as China and India, became the main impetus for travel in those times. Europeans advanced in all directions, discovering new lands, unique cultures and... Geography's enormous potential for shaping the future of human civilization was recognized and, in the 18th century, it was introduced as a core discipline at university level. Based on geographical knowledge, people began to discover new ways and means to overcome the difficulties generated by nature, which led to the flourishing of human civilization in all corners of the world. In the 20th century, aerial photography, satellite technology, computerized systems, and complex software radically changed science and made the study of geography more complete and detailed.

Branches of geography

Geography can be considered as an interdisciplinary science. The subject includes a transdisciplinary approach, which allows you to observe and analyze objects in Earth space, as well as develop ways to solve problems based on this analysis. The discipline of geography can be divided into several areas of scientific research. The primary classification of geography divides the approach to the subject into two broad categories: physical geography and socio-economic geography.

Physical geography

Defined as the branch of geography that includes the study natural objects and phenomena (or processes) on Earth.

Physical geography is further subdivided into the following branches:

• Geomorphology: deals with the study of topographic and bathymetric features of the Earth's surface. Science helps clarify various aspects related to landforms, such as their history and dynamics. Geomorphology also tries to predict future changes physical characteristics external appearance of the Earth.
• Glaciology: a branch of physical geography that studies the relationship between the dynamics of glaciers and their impact on the ecology of the planet. Thus, glaciology involves the study of the cryosphere, including alpine and continental glaciers. Glacial geology, snow hydrology, etc. are some subdisciplines of glaciological studies.
• Oceanography: Since the oceans contain 96.5% of all water on Earth, the specialized discipline of oceanography is dedicated to their study. The science of oceanography includes geological oceanography (the study of the geological aspects of the ocean floor, seamounts, volcanoes, etc.), biological oceanography (the study of marine flora, fauna and ecosystems of the ocean), chemical oceanography (the study of chemical composition sea ​​waters and their effects on marine life forms), physical oceanography (the study of ocean movements such as waves, currents, tides).
• Hydrology: another important branch of physical geography, dealing with the study of the properties and dynamics of the movement of water in relation to land. She explores the planet's rivers, lakes, glaciers and underground aquifers. Hydrology studies the continuous movement of water from one source to another, above and below the Earth's surface, through.
• Soil Science: branch of science that studies Various types soils in their natural environment on the Earth's surface. Helps to collect information and knowledge about the process of formation (soil formation), composition, texture and classification of soils.
• : an indispensable discipline of physical geography that studies the distribution of living organisms in the geographical space of the planet. She also studies the distribution of species during geological periods time. Every geographical region has its own unique ecosystems, and biogeography explores and explains their relationship with physical and geographical features. There are various branches of biogeography: zoogeography (geographical distribution of animals), phytogeography (geographical distribution of plants), island biogeography (study of factors influencing individual ecosystems), etc.
• Paleogeography: branch of physical geography that studies geographical features at different points in time in the geological history of the Earth. Science helps geographers gain information about continental positions and plate tectonics, determined through the study of paleomagnetism and fossil records.
• Climatology: Scientific research climate, as well as the most important section of geographical research in modern world. Considers all aspects related to micro or local climate, as well as macro or global climate. Climatology also includes the study of the influence of human society on climate, and vice versa.
• Meteorology: studies weather conditions, atmospheric processes and phenomena that influence local and global weather.
• Environmental Geography: explores the interactions between people (individuals or society) and their natural environment from a spatial point of view.
• Coastal geography: a specialized field of physical geography that also includes the study of socio-economic geography. It is devoted to the study of the dynamic interaction between the coastal zone and the sea. Physical processes, forming coasts and the influence of the sea on landscape changes. The study also seeks to understand the impacts of coastal communities on coastal topography and ecosystems.
• Quaternary geology: a highly specialized section of physical geography that studies the Quaternary period of the Earth ( geographical history Earth, covering the last 2.6 million years). This allows geographers to learn about environmental changes that occurred in the planet's recent past. Knowledge is used as a tool to predict future changes in the world's environment.
• Geomatics: the technical branch of physical geography that involves the collection, analysis, interpretation and storage of data about the earth's surface.
• Landscape ecology: a science that studies the influence of various landscapes of the Earth on the ecological processes and ecosystems of the planet.

Human Geography

Human geography, or socio-economic geography, is a branch of geography that studies the impact of the environment on human society and the earth's surface, as well as the impact of anthropogenic activities on the planet. Socio-economic geography is focused on the study of the most developed creatures of the world from an evolutionary point of view - people and their environment.

This branch of geography is divided into various disciplines depending on the focus of the research:

• Geography population: studies how nature determines the distribution, growth, composition, lifestyle, and migration of human populations.
• Historical geography: explains the change and development of geographical phenomena over time. Although this section is considered as a branch of human geography, it also focuses on certain aspects of physical geography. Historical geography attempts to understand why, how, and when places and regions of the Earth change and the impact they have on human society.
• Cultural Geography: explores how and why cultural preferences and norms change across spaces and places. Thus, it studies the spatial variations of human cultures, including religion, language, livelihood choices, politics, etc.
• Economical geography: the most important section of socio-economic geography, covering the study of the location, distribution and organization of human economic activity in geographical space.
• Political geography: examines the political boundaries of countries around the world and the divisions between countries. She is also studying how spatial structures influence political functions, and vice versa. Military geography, electoral geography, geopolitics are some of the subdisciplines of political geography.
• Geography of health: explores the impact geographical location on people's health and well-being.
• Social geography: studies the quality and standard of living of the world's human population and attempts to understand how and why such standards vary across places and spaces.
• Geography settlements: engaged in research of urban and rural settlements, economic structure, infrastructure, etc., as well as the dynamics of human settlement in relation to space and time.
• Geography of animals: studies animal world Earth and the interdependence between people and animals.

Textbook for 5th grade

In preparing the textbook, suggestions and recommendations from geographer teachers at experimental schools were used:

Edited by Candidate of Geographical Sciences I.P.Galaya

Minsk, 2000

TO STUDENTS

Rules for working with the textbook

In geography lessons, while preparing homework, you, except teaching aid, you must have a geography atlas and a set of outline maps for 5th grade, a compass, a squared notebook, colored pencils, a compass, and an eraser.

Work at home on the paragraphs of the study guide in the following sequence:

Read the text.

Retell each part of the paragraph, and then the entire paragraph.

While reading the text, find on the map all the geographical objects mentioned in it.

Answer the questions and complete the tasks placed after each paragraph.

Write down all the words highlighted in the text of the paragraph (for example, geography) in a dictionary and remember how they are written.

If any term found in the text is not clear to you, refer to the brief dictionary of geographical concepts and terms (at the end of the textbook).

Introduction &1. What does geography study?

Let's remember: What do you know about our planet from the courses “Universe” or “Natural History”? Why is it warm in some areas of the globe and cold in others? Why does it rain?

Keywords:geography, natural conditions, population, economy, nature conservation.1. Geography as a science.G E O GRAPHY- a science that studies natural conditions earth's surface, the world's population and its economic activity. This science is one of the most ancient.

Geography translated from Greek language means land description (in Greek “ge” - Earth, “grapho” - I write, describe).

*The name “geography” was first used by Eratosthenes even before the beginning of our era in the book “Geography”. It examined the shape and size of the Earth, oceans, land, climate, described individual countries, and the history of geography .

For a long time (until the end of the 18th century), the main task of geography was the discovery and description of new lands, countries, peoples, and the elimination of blank spots on the geographical map. The names of discoverers and explorers - brave and courageous people- captured in geographical names on the map.

The first geographers were travelers and seafarers. They discovered new lands, countries, peoples, continents, islands, oceans, seas, bays, mountains, plains, rivers and lakes, drew up maps depicting travel routes and new lands, described natural conditions, life and occupations of the population. The routes of their travels and expeditions passed through sultry deserts and cold glaciers, in the sky-high mountains, along fast rivers and stormy ocean waters.

** People learned about ancient travels not only from descriptions, but also from scraps of papyrus or a fragment of a clay tablet with signs written on them.

Geographers have revealed and continue to reveal many secrets of nature. Thanks to their research and observations, we can already answer many questions. For example: why is it raining or windy? In what areas of the Earth should we look for coal, oil or other minerals? But nature still conceals many mysteries, which geographers and other scientists are working to uncover.

Geography is divided into two large parts: physical and economic. Physical geography studies the nature of the surface of the globe; economic geography - population, its economic activities, patterns of distribution of the population and economy.

2. The meaning of geography. Geography was descriptive in the past. Now the main task of geography is to study the diversity of nature, population, its economic activities and explain their development and distribution.

Modern geography clarifies the causes of processes and phenomena occurring on the surface of the globe, and the patterns of their change. One of the most important tasks of geography is forecasting the development of phenomena. Since the nature of the Earth began to change extremely quickly, it is necessary to anticipate those changes in the environment that may occur as a result of human economic activity.

Any development of the territory and construction does not begin without a preliminary study of the area. So, when building a hydroelectric power station on a river, it is necessary to determine where to build a dam, study what rocks the river banks are made of, and what area will be flooded with water after the construction of the dam.

For example, a project was proposed for the construction of a very large hydroelectric power station on the Ob River, which flows through the West Siberian Plain.

But when this project was thoroughly examined by geographers, it turned out that as a result of the construction of a hydroelectric dam, a huge reservoir would be formed that would flood a significant part of the plain. Swamps will form around the reservoir, which will lead to a change in the local climate, and other unfavorable changes in nature will occur. This project was not accepted. 3. Geography and nature conservation.

Geography provides answers to the questions of how best to use the wealth of nature, what to do so that nature does not become impoverished, so that forests do not disappear, fertile soils do not deplete, rivers do not dry up, how to restore and transform nature in the interests of man and nature itself.

The features of nature, population and economy of many parts of the earth's surface have not yet been sufficiently studied. People cannot always predict how nature will change as a result of their impact on it. Therefore, geographers continue to explore the Earth's surface. They participate in various expeditions on land and in the oceans, and conduct long-term observations at scientific stations.

1.What is called geography? 2. What two parts is geography divided into? 3. What does physical geography study? Economical geography? 4. What is the significance of geographical science?

Geography is a general education subject that begins to be studied in middle school. Geography program includes three blocks - general geography, physical geography and economic geography. All these sections are very important for those who want to discover a new world and understand the processes that take place in it. Moreover, many school subjects are in one way or another based on knowledge of geography.

Compact and clear

It is impossible to imagine studying this subject without visual materials - tables, diagrams, diagrams and, of course, geographical maps. is compiled in such a way that it provides time for self-education of schoolchildren. The necessary material for this can be found in textbooks, but often it is not enough to understand the topic well. The training also involves writing essays on various topics. Many schoolchildren study geography via the Internet, obtaining the missing information from various resources. To help schoolchildren study geography online, there are special websites with video lessons and text information generated in accordance with the geography program for secondary schools.

Such resources are not offered finished works on the subject - such sites are intended for distance learning. They give schoolchildren the opportunity to attend lessons and receive information on the subject that they missed or did not understand. This is a great help in self-education. The main advantage of video lessons is clarity. This is not dry textbook text or an article from a website. The material in the video lessons is given by the teacher exactly as it happens in classes at school. In a selection of video tutorials on geography online the entire program for the subject is reflected, which eliminates the need to move from resource to resource in search of material and saves students time.

Looking for information - on the Internet

The school curriculum in geography covers a huge layer of material that no student can master on his own. The hours allotted for studying a subject in class do not allow the teacher to fully cover all the topics; schoolchildren have to independently analyze misunderstood material. Just 10-15 years ago, the only help for children in studying geography were textbooks and encyclopedias.

In the modern world, you can acquire knowledge without leaving your home by simply connecting to the Internet and typing the query “ geography online" To write an essay, information still needs to be collected bit by bit from different resources, and to fill gaps in knowledge, you just need to attend video lessons. This training option is also suitable for those who cannot constantly go to school for some reason. Often these are health difficulties that serve as a prerequisite for studying only at home. Although many schoolchildren simply prefer to study remotely, without attending a classroom.