Geographer

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

See also: List of geographers.

A geographer is a scientist whose area of study is geography, the study of Earth's physical environment and human habitat. Geographers identify, analyse and interpret the distribution and arrangement of features on the earth's surface.

Though geographers are historically known as people who make maps, mapmaking is actually the field of study of cartography, a subset of geography. The geographer is capable of studying not only the physical details of the environment but also its impact on human and wildlife ecologies, weather and climate patterns, economics, and culture.

The skills required to become a geographer are grounded in the physical sciences, but are also highly influenced by the social sciences and the humanities. A modern geographer is often involved in resolving environmental problems and other issues that afflict modern society.

Many modern geographers are also the primary practitioners of geographic information systems and cartography. They are often employed by local, state, and federal government agencies as well as in the private sector by environmental and engineering firms.

There is also a well-known painting by Johannes Vermeer titled The Geographer, which is often linked to Vermeer's The Astronomer. These paintings are both thought to represent the growing influence and rise in prominence of scientific enquiry in Europe at the time of their painting, 1668-69.