What do you consider “your world?” Perhaps, it’s where you spend most of your time—at home, at school, or even a local hangout like the mall or community center. However, you may also think of your world as being your city, state, country, or even planet Earth. Whatever you consider “your world,” you must acknowledge that it is constantly changing. It may change from year to year for you in August or September, as you begin a new school year with different teachers, or it may change when you get your first job or switch jobs and work with new employees. Change also takes place in regard to the weather during the various seasons. Our families also change in size with new additions through marriage and birth, and sadly, may decrease in size when a family member dies. Change is everywhere, and it is inevitable.

The study of geography gives us the tools to learn about our ever-changing world. Geography helps us understand the world from several different perspectives. By using geographical maps, graphs, and charts, we can see the changes all over the world and in our own neighborhood. Geography can also help us develop an understanding about the earth, its inhabitants, and the interactions between them.

According to Thomas J. Baerwald and Celeste Fraser, authors of World Geography — Building a Global Perspective, the word geography comes from a Greek word meaning “writing about or describing the earth.” Geography is defined as the study of where people, places, and things are located and how they relate to each other.