Geography is the study of the relationship between people and the land. Geographers (地理学家) [compare and contrast比较和对比] various places on the earth. But they also go beyond the individual places and consider the earth [as a whole作为一个整体]. The word geography comes from two Greek words: ge，the Greek word for "earth" and graphein, which. means "to write". The English word geography means "to describe the earth". Some geography books focus on a small area like a town or city. Others deal with a state, a region, a nation, or an entire continent. Many geography books deal with the whole earth. Another way to divide the study of geography is to distinguish between physical geography and cultural geography. The former focuses on the natural world; the latter starts with human beings and studies how human beings and their environment act upon each other. But when geography is considered as a single subject, neither两个都不；既不……也不 branch can neglect the other.

A geographer might be described as one who observes, records, and explains the differences between places. If all places were alike, there would be little need for geographers.

We know, however, that no two places are exactly the same. Geography, then, is a　point of view, a special way of looking at places.