Articles Index

Geographer Yi-Fu Tuan
A biography of the famous Chinese-American geographer Yi-Fu Tuan, from the About.com Geography site.

Ellen Churchill Semple
Ellen Churchill Semple was America's first influential female geographer. Explore Semple's life and scholarship in this lengthy biographical article from your About.com Guide to Geography.

Carl O. Sauer
A biographical overview of cultural geographer Carl Sauer. Carl Sauer led the Berkeley school of cultural geography.

Geography in the United States
Your About.com Guide to Geography provides an overview of the history of geography in the United States of America.

Cheng Ho
The famous eunuch Chinese Admiral explorer Cheng Ho sailed the Indian Ocean with his Treasure Fleet in the 15th century, long before Columbus sailed the ocean blue. Learn about Cheng Ho from your About.com Guide to Geography.

Frederick Law Olmstead
A biographical outline of famous landscape architect Frederick Law Olmstead, who designed the grounds of hundreds of famous locations, including Central Park in New York City, from that About.com expert Geography Site.

Louisiana Purchase
An overview and history of the Louisiana Purchase, including the Lewis and Clark expedition of the Louisiana Purchase. From the About.com expert Geography site.

Robert Cavelier de la Salle
A biography of the French explorer Robert Cavelier de la Salle who explored much of the region of the Louisiana Purchase and North America in the seventeenth century.

Ferdinand Magellan
A biography of the life of Ferdinand Magellan, the Portuguese explorer who is credited with circumnavigating the earth.

Age of Exploration
An overview of the history of the Age of Exploration and its impact on the geography of the world, from the About.com Geography site.

Goodbye Dear Atlas
An essay reflecting on the changes in geography in the past decade by About.com Guide to Geography Matt Rosenberg.

Eratosthenes
Learn about Eratosthenes, the ancient Greek scholar and head librarian of the Great Library at Alexandria, known today as the father of geography.

Prince Henry the Navigator
Prince Henry the Navigator of Portugal established his institute at Sagres and expanded geographic knowledge, from your About.com Guide to Geography.

Union Jack
Information and history of the Union Jack flag of the United Kingdom. All about the Union Jack flag from your About.com Guide to Geography.

Islamic Geography in the Middle Ages
An overview of Islamic geography in the middle ages, from your About.com Guide. Islamic scholars helped provide the information which allowed the discovery and exploration of the New World in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries.

The Spanish Empire
A description of the Spanish Empire in the sixteenth century in the New World of Latin America and South America and Asia - New Castile, New Granada, and New Spain. From your About.com expert Guide to Geography.

William Morris Davis
William Morris Davis is often called the 'father of American geography' for his work in not only helping to establish geography as an academic discipline but also for his advancement of physical geography and the development of geomorphology.

Grand Tour of Europe
The Grand Tour of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries was designed to enlighten the young elite of England. Learn about their travels to the European mainland from your About.com Guide to Geography.

Carl Ritter
A biographical overview of one of the founders of modern geography, Carl Ritter, from your About.com Guide to Geography.

Ptolemy
The story of the geographical scholar Ptolemy - Claudius Ptolemaeus, from your About.com Guide to Geography.

The International Map of the World
Learn about the huge project to create a standardized map of the world, known also as the Millionth Map, from your About.com Guide to Geography.

Alexander von Humboldt
A short biographical overview of the life of the founder of modern geography, Alexander von Humboldt.

Place Names
How did the Amazon River get its name? What did the 17th century governor of Virginia have to do with the naming of Delaware? Find out the meaning behind these and other place names.

Place Names II
What country's name means "city of lions"? What country is named for the Latin word for prophesy? Find out the interesting meanings behind these ordinary place names.

Prester John
In the twelfth century, a mysterious letter began to circulate around Europe. It told of a magical kingdom in the East that was in danger of being overrun by infidels and barbarians. This letter was supposedly written by a king known as Prester John.