39 Quotes About Geography

The scientific world of the time was in the midst of a terrible ferment, with discoveries and realizations coming at an unseemly rate. To many in the ranks of the conservative and the devout, the new theories of geology and biology were delivering a series of hammer blows to mankind's self-regard. Geologists in particular seemed to have gone berserk, to have thrown off all sense of proper obeisance to their Maker.. Mankind, it seemed, was now suddenly rather — dare one say it? — insignificant. He may not have been, as he had eternally supposed, specially created. Simon Winchester

Note for Americans and other aliens: Milton Keynes is a new city approximately halfway between London and Birmingham. It was built to be modern, efficient, healthy, and, all in all, a pleasant place to live. Many Britons find this amusing. Neil Gaiman

The decline of geography in academia is easy to understand: we live in an age of ever-increasing specialization, and geography is a generalist's discipline. Imagine the poor geographer trying to explain to someone at a campus cocktail party (or even to an unsympathetic adminitrator) exactly what it is he or she studies. "Geography is Greek for 'writing about the earth.' We study the Earth.""Right, like geologists."" Well, yes, but we're interested in the whole world, not just the rocky bits. Geographers also study oceans, lakes, the water cycle.."" So, it's like oceanography or hydrology."" And the atmosphere."" Meteorology, climatology.."" It's broader than just physical geography. We're also interested in how humans relate to their planet."" How is that different from ecology or environmental science?"" Well, it encompasses them. Aspects of them. But we also study the social and economic and cultural and geopolitical sides of--"" Sociology, economics, cultural studies, poli sci."" Some geographers specialize in different world regions."" Ah, right, we have Asian and African and Latin American studies programs here. But I didn't know they were part of the geography department."" They're not."( Long pause.)" So, uh, what is it that do study then? . Ken Jennings

We’ve gone from a planet ruled by natural geography to political geography to kinetically functional geography to a cyber geography that is ruled by ideological variation rather than politically constructed boarders. James Scott

Krakatoa, spelled “Krakatau” in Indonesian, is a volcano in the Sunda Strait between Java and Sumatra. It is also the name of an island group made up of what is left of a larger island, consisting of three volcanic peaks that were destroyed by the catastrophic 1883 eruption. This explosive force was equivalent to 100, 000 Hiroshima sized atomic bombs. It was the loudest sound ever heard in modern history and could be heard up to 3, 000 miles away. At that time, the explosion caused huge tsunamis which killed more than 36, 000 people and sent out shock waves that were recorded worldwide for almost a week. Years later in 1927, “Anak Krakatau” a new island mountain formed in its place and is again the location of volcanic activity. It is considered a part of the Pacific “Ring of Fire. . Hank Bracker

It is no coincidence that, on all four sides, in all four corners, the borders of the Roman Empire stopped where wine could no longer be made. Neel Burton

As any distance we take from things give us an outside perspective, so does taking a geographical distance–offering us a new vantage point over our lives. Lauren Klarfeld

Geography is destiny. Abraham Verghese

Nothing kills creativity faster than a wall. Unknown

It is the relationship between the physical environment and the environed organism, between physiography and ontography (to coin a term), that constitutes the essential principles of geography today. William Morris Davis

Science rock: The pursuit of science, lead us to the beautiful places of the world. Lailah Gifty Akita

The ancient paused for a moment, as if his strength were failing. Yet I sensed that there was more to tell. Looking deep into my eyes, he whispered: 'The Gond kingdoms have fallen, their people live dispersed in poverty: the teak trees and the jungles have been cleared... but the importance of the Gonds must not be forgotten! Tahir Shah

To lovers of adventure and novelty, Africa displays a most ample field. James Rennell

And the geography of the thing--the geography of them--was completely and hopelessly wrong. Jennifer E. Smith

Bhutan does seem a bit unreal at times. Hardly anybody in the U.S. knows where it is. I have friends who still think the entire country is a figment of my imagination. When I was getting ready to move there, and I told people I was going to work in Bhutan, they'd inevitably ask, "Where's Butane?"It is near Africa, " I'd answer, to throw them off the trail. "It's where all the disposable lighters come from." They'd nod in understanding. Linda Leaming

If the Pentateuch is not inspired in its astronomy, geology, geography, history or philosophy, if it is not inspired concerning slavery, polygamy, war, law, religious or political liberty, or the rights of men, women and children, what is it inspired in, or about? The unity of God?–that was believed long before Moses was born. Special providence?–that has been the doctrine of ignorance in all ages. The rights of property?–theft was always a crime. The sacrifice of animals?–that was a custom thousands of years before a Jew existed. The sacredness of life?–there have always been laws against murder. The wickedness of perjury?–truthfulness has always been a virtue. The beauty of chastity?–the Pentateuch does not teach it. Thou shalt worship no other God?–that has been the burden of all religions. Robert G. Ingersoll

If one is seeking for Heaven on earth, has slept in geography class. Unknown

The hardest part of being a Canadian kid is having to color in Nunavut with a crayon in school, hell on earth. Rebecca McNutt

More than ever, I've come to see conspiracy theories as the refuge of those who have lost their natural curiosity to cope with change. Kathleen Norris

I like geography best, he said, because your mountains & rivers know the secret. Pay no attention to boundaries. Brian Andreas

. In that Empire, the Art of Cartography attained such Perfection that the map of a single Province occupied the entirety of a City, and the map of the Empire, the entirety of a Province. In time, those Unconscionable Maps no longer satisfied, and the Cartographers Guilds struck a Map of the Empire whose size was that of the Empire, and which coincided point for point with it. The following Generations, who were not so fond of the Study of Cartography as their Forebears had been, saw that that vast map was Useless, and not without some Pitilessness was it, that they delivered it up to the Inclemencies of Sun and Winters. In the Deserts of the West, still today, there are Tattered Ruins of that Map, inhabited by Animals and Beggars; in all the Land there is no other Relic of the Disciplines of Geography.Suárez Miranda, Viajes de varones prudentes, Libro IV, Cap. XLV, Lérida, 1658. Jorge Luis Borges

Much of the geographical work of the past hundred years.. has either explicitly or implicitly taken its inspiration from biology, and in particular Darwin. Many of the original Darwinians, such as Hooker, Wallace, Huxley, Bates, and Darwin himself, were actively concerned with geographical exploration, and it was largely facts of geographical distribution in a spatial setting which provided Darwin with the germ of his theory. David R. Stoddart

Can you see the sunset real good on the West side? You can see it on the East side too. S.E. Hinton

Education is political. Noel Castree

I sketched North America onto my crude and now crowded map, and Hao was astounded to learn that it was not a piece of Europe, as he had always assumed. Howard W. French

Geography and mileage mean nothing. Separate is a single word that covers all distances that aren't together. Rivera Sun

War is God's way of teaching Americans geography. Ambrose Bierce

Sometimes I think war is God's way of teaching us geography. Paul Rodriguez

GIS, in its digital manifestation of geography, goes beyond just the science. It provides us a framework and a process for applying geography. It brings together observational science and measurement and integrates it with modeling and prediction, analysis, and interpretation so that we can understand things. Jack Dangermond

My family is no different from yours. We may be different from the geography that we come from. Some of you all may pray differently than I do, some of you all may be from a different ethnicity, but we all have the same story. Cory Booker

Landscape architecture is basically geodesign; it's designing geography. And yet geodesign is not only done by landscape architects, it's done by some of the world's largest corporations. Jack Dangermond

If some peoples pretend that history or geography gives them the right to subjugate other races, nations, or peoples, there can be no peace. Ludwig Von Mises

To me, it seems a dreadful indignity to have a soul controlled by geography. George Santayana

'Air' is what the world looks like: An inconvenient mashup of human politics and divine geography. We leave bits and pieces of ourselves and our history in every place we encounter. G. Willow Wilson