Learning geography can be a daunting undertaking. Geography is a broad subject covering many different topics, and memorizing place names with little context can seem tedious and difficult. However, mastering geography can give you a great feeling that you have achieved a goal and helps you to know a lot more about the world you live in. As a result of studying geography, you may even find that you have a passion for travel and learning about new cultures!
Steps
Part 1 of 3: Getting started
Step 1. Set your learning goals
The approach you take will be determined by your learning goals. If you just want to find out more about where you live or answer geography quizzes better, it won't be very difficult. If you are planning a multi-country adventure trip and need to know how to orient yourself or if you have always slept in geography classes and need to prepare for the final exam, the required level will be higher.
- Ask yourself what you want to achieve by studying geography, and let the answer to this question guide your goal and approach.
- For example, if you plan to backpack around Europe, you should focus on the areas you will pass through and learn the culture, currency and perhaps the language of each area.
Step 2. Determine a goal
It is impossible for anyone to instantly learn everything about any place in the world. Determining your learning goals, whether it's knowing a small area very well or a larger area more generally, will help you find the right approach. Some possible goals could be:
- Learn all the streets of your city
- Learn all the main roads in your urban area
- Learn all the cities or regions of your country
- Learn all the states, their capitals and the type of government
- Learn all the nations of the world
- Learn all the continents, oceans and most populous nations
- Learn all English speaking countries
- Learn all European nations
Step 3. Choose an approach
There are two main approaches to the study of geography: starting from the inside or from the general to the particular. An inside approach will take the area you live in and slowly expand until you have a more general understanding of the world. An approach that moves from the general to the particular will start with a very general knowledge and then move on to more and more specific "levels" of knowledge.
- If you choose an “inside” approach, start studying your city or region. Then study something about the surrounding regions, then about the whole nation. You can then move on to neighboring states and those bordering on the latter. Study all the surrounding states, continuing to expand until you have a good understanding of the geography of the world.
- If you choose a general-to-detail approach, start by studying the continents and oceans. Then study the nations and their capitals. You can then move on to the main cities or regions of each country. Then you can move on to the leaders of each nation. Continue until you have reached the level of knowledge you set out to achieve. You may be studying one continent at a time as you move to a more specific level.
Step 4. Study the maps
To learn geography you have to use maps. There are many maps available online, but you can also use printed ones. Maps contain a great deal of information, but they have different levels of detail; be sure to choose maps that provide all the information you want to learn.
You may want to find and print blank maps. Copying the names of countries, regions and cities onto blank maps is a good way to learn them and you can also use blank maps to test your memory
Part 2 of 3: Deepening Your Knowledge
Step 1. Examine the culture and people
Knowing the names of places on maps is rather impersonal and just memorizing the names of countries may seem pointless if you don't connect them to the people who live there. Each place has many people, often with unique cultures and histories, and getting to know the characteristics of a locality by studying the culture and customs of the inhabitants can make the study of geography more lively.
- Try to make your study activity more interactive by “experiencing” the local culture. For example, you may find dance or music videos typical of the location you are studying.
- You could also enjoy cooking a recipe from each locality you study to put yourself in the shoes of the local population also from a gastronomic point of view.
Step 2. Study border disputes
Borders between nations often have a long history of conflict or dispute; studying them will make it easier for you to remember who is on each side of the border. Similarly, studying the name changes of cities or countries - not just the name changed, but understanding why and who changed it - can give you a better understanding of the context for understanding geography and remembering the names of cities and states.
Step 3. Follow the water
Civilizations have always developed alongside water. Most of the major cities, especially the oldest cities, are located next to oceans, ports or major rivers. Studying trade routes and imagining in detail shipping and sea voyages as countries developed to present-day nations can put territories into context.
Step 4. Relate geography to other topics that interest you
If you are trying to learn geography but find it boring or seem like a mechanical repetition, try to study it in terms of an area or topic that interests you. If you are interested in the climate, for example, studying the climate of each region can help you better remember its geography.
Step 5. Visit the places of interest
The best way to really get to know a place is to visit it! While it may seem counterintuitive to study geography after visiting a location (especially if you are studying it to effectively orient yourself on a trip), it can be easier to memorize details if you have direct experience to link them to.
For example, if you are looking to learn which cities are the most populous in a state, try to visit them all. Traveling from one to the other will give you a sense of the distance between them and the key characteristics of each
Step 6. Ask yourself about the status quo
To really understand something, you need to be able to think critically about it. In the case of geography, you may wonder who decides where the borders are, who made the maps you are studying, or how political borders affect or change local populations who did not initially conform to them.
Part 3 of 3: Test Your Memory
Step 1. Compile a blank map
Try to compile a blank map of the country, continent or region you are studying. Print it out and do your best to complete it. You could start with a list of names to place correctly on the map and then get to compile it from memory.
- Try searching online for "blank map of [place]." For example, you could search for "blank map of Africa."
- Fill in the blank map in pencil, so you can erase and make changes. Also, this way you can reuse it for a new test if you delete everything.
Step 2. Make it fun
One of the best ways to learn any subject is to learn while having fun. If you can find a way to turn geography study into a game, you will have a better chance of success. Here are some ideas to make it fun:
- Make a bet with a friend of yours that you are studying the same topics and see who can fill out a blank map faster. The loser offers dinner to the other.
- Create a fake 'passport' and, each time you master detailed knowledge of a nation, assign that state's 'stamp'.
- Play geography quiz online.
- Play quizzes that include geography as a category. Many venues have regular quiz nights and you can use the opportunity to "build your muscles". You could even win cash prizes or meal vouchers to spend at the venue!
Step 3. Use apps and software
There are many apps for smartphones and tablets and online software and programs for learning geography. Technology puts the world at your fingertips and, if you take advantage of the opportunities offered by various technologies, you will be able to learn the geography and culture of many different places in the world in no time!
