Geographer
See also: List of geographers.A
geographer is a
scientist whose area of study is
geography, the study of
Earth's physical
environment and
human habitat.
Though geographers are historically known as people who make
maps, mapmaking is actually the field of study of
cartography, a subset of geography. The geographer is capable of studying not only the physical details of the environment but also its impact on human and
wildlife ecologies,
weather and
climate patterns,
economics, and
culture.
The skills required to become a geographer are fairly grounded in the
physical sciences and are highly influenced by the
social sciences. The modern geographer is significantly involved in resolving the environmental and location problems of contemporary society.
Many modern geographers are also the primary practitioners of
geographic information systems and
cartography. They are often employed by local, state, and federal government agencies as well as in the private sector by environmental and engineering firms.
There is also a well-known painting by
Johannes Vermeer titled
The Geographer, which is often linked to Vermeer's
The Astronomer. These paintings are both thought to represent the growing influence and rise in prominence of scientific enquiry in
Europe at the time of their painting,
1668-
69.
