Geography is singularly the broadest subject on the curriculum and will take you into areas of Science, Maths, Economics, History, Politics, Sociology, Anthropology…the list goes on.

The word “Geography” comes from two Ancient Greek words, “γεω” and “γραφία”, literally meaning “to write about the world”. As such, there is not a single aspect of our lives that does not have its own ‘geography’.

Pursuing Geography to a high level will give you a very broad range of skills for you to apply to all walks of life; it is one of the most easily applicable degrees to most fields of employment because of the diverse range of skills in which you become literate. It is for these reasons it was named the "must have A -level" by the Guardian.

There are a number of ways in which you can improve your geographical knowledge. Read on for nuggets of geographic gold…

Read

The following magazines and journals will truly inspire you through their up to date content and stunning photography

• Geographical Magazine
• National Geographic Magazine
• New Scientist Magazine If you really want to get your teeth into a particular topic, here is a selection of good introductory works in various topics
• Geography, An Integrated Approach, David Waugh. A good, cover-all textbook. Very comprehensive, standard issue for most A-Level geographers.
• Two-Mile Time Machine, Richard B. Alley. A very readable account of climate change and ice core drilling in Antarctica. (Additionally, Cambridge is home to the Scott Polar Research Institute and many of the Directors of Studies for Geography are climatologists!)
• The Edge of Empire, Jane Jacobs - A very interesting read about how Britain’s colonialist past shapes London today. It is all about the symbolism of buildings and space in the city.
• The European Miracle; Environments, Economies and Geopolitics in the History of Europe and Asia, Eric Jones - The book that tries to explain why Europe rose to become the dominant centre of the world at the end of the second millennium, despite the ancient cultures of Japan and China being far more advanced in the past.
• The Great Divergence; China, Europe and the Making of the Modern World Economy, Kenneth Pomeranz - The counter claim to Jones’ book, Pomeranz argues that the “European Miracle” is down to the good fortune of its position to America and the “ecological windfall” that this brings.
• Atmosphere, Weather & Climate, Roger Barry & Richard Chorley - Everything you need to know about meteorology.
• Volcanoes, Peter Francis & Clive Oppenheimer.  

Visit

• The Royal Observatory in Greenwich where east meets west at Longitude 0°.
• Experience an earthquake simulator at The Natural History Museum

Watch

• Whenever a David Attenborough documentary is on television, watch it! You are guaranteed to learn something!
• You will also be inspired by the Hidden Britain By Drone series
• There are a number of good websites that will carry interesting and up to date articles:
• BBC News Website
• National Geographic

Contact

Become a member of the Royal Geographical Society or The Geography Association

• The Royal Geographical Society
• The Geographical Association

Make & Do

There are some great ideas including how to make a river model and a 3D volcano at 3D Geography