If you are interested in the relationships between the environment and society and want to learn about landscapes and people, consider studying geography. Geography is about place and space. It studies the interdependence among regions, natural systems, physical features, society, and cultural activities. Using a “spatial” perspective, it aims to form a coherent understanding of Earth and its environments and physical landscapes using technologies such as aerial photographs, satellite imagery, geographic information systems, as well as extensive field work and surveys.

Geographers explore questions such as: How was the current physical landscape created (e.g., volcanoes, glaciers, rivers), what led people to inhabit these areas (e.g. access to natural resources, climate, growing populations) and how have these processes shaped human culture? Now that humans can significantly alter the natural environment (e.g. dams, water quality, habitat alteration), how do these changes affect people’s habits? How do these changes to the natural environment affect other physical processes and species?