Geography

What is “geography”?

Geography (from Greek γεωγραφία - geographia, lit. "earth describe-write") is the science that studies the lands, features, inhabitants, and phenomena of Earth. A literal translation would be "to describe or write about the Earth".

Earth

The Continents

What do you think?

• Why is it important to study the humanities? The Humanities: art, history, culture, language

• Do you know much about the world? Should you?

• Why do you think Chinese students spend less time studying geography than other subjects like math and science?

Which world city is this?

New York CityNew York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and entertainment. The home of the United Nations Headquarters, New York is an important center for international affairs and is widely deemed the cultural capital of the world.

Mumbai

Mumbai ( /mʊmˈbaɪ/; Marathi: मुं��बई, Mumbaī), formerly known as Bombay in English, is the capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the most populous city in India, and the fourth most populous city in the world, with a total metropolitan area population of approximately 20.5 million. Mumbai is the commercial and entertainment capital of India, it is also one of the world's top 10 centres of commerce in terms of global financial flow, generating 5% of India's GDP. The city also houses India's Hindi-language film industry, known as Bollywood.

TokyoTokyo ( 東京 Tōkyō, "Eastern Capital") is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family.

Tokyo has been described as one of the three "command centers" for the world economy, along with New York City and London. In 2010 Tokyo was named the second most expensive city for expatriate employees, according to the Mercer and Economist Intelligence Unit cost-of-living surveys,[10] and named the fourth Most Liveable City and the World’s Most Livable Megalopolis by the magazine Monocle.

Rio de JaneiroRio de Janeiro, commonly referred to simply as Rio, is the second largest city of Brazil, and the third largest metropolitan area in South America, boasting approximately 6.3 million people within the city proper, making it the 6th largest in the Americas, and 26th in the world.

Rio de Janeiro is the most visited city in the southern hemisphere and is known for its natural settings, carnival celebrations, samba, Bossa Nova, and beautiful beaches such as Barra da Tijuca, Copacabana, Ipanema, and Leblon. Some of the most famous landmarks in addition to the beaches include the giant statue of Christ the Redeemer ('Cristo Redentor') atop Corcovado mountain, named one of the “New Seven Wonders of the World”.

ParisParis is the capital and largest city in France. The city of Paris, within its administrative limits has an estimated population of 2,211,297, but the Paris metropolitan area has a population of 12,089,098, and is one of the most populated metropolitan areas in Europe. Paris was the largest city in the Western world for about 1,000 years, prior to the 19th century, and the largest in the entire world between the 16th and 19th centuries. Paris is today one of the world's leading business and cultural centres, and its influences in politics, education, entertainment, media, fashion, science, and the arts all contribute to its status as one of the world's major global cities.

Mexico CityMexico City (Spanish: Ciudad de México) is the capital of Mexico. It is a federal entity within Mexico which is not part of any one of the 31 Mexican states but belongs to the federation as a whole. Mexico City is the country's largest city as well as its most important political, cultural, educational and financial center. The city was originally built on an island of Lake Texcoco by the Aztecs in 1325 as Tenochtitlan, which was almost completely destroyed in the 1521 siege of Tenochtitlan, and subsequently redesigned and rebuilt in accordance with the Spanish urban standards. Today it is one of the largest and most important cities in North America, and the whole of the Spanish-speaking world.

What do you think?

• Which of the cities we have talked about today would you most like to visit?

• How are these cities like the ones in China? How are they different?

• Is it good that all of the places in the world are very different, or should they be the same?