Notes on the Characteristics of Geography
Modern geography places emphases on the research of processes and evolution and has made a great progress in quantification.But the characteristics or the nature of geography have been ignored especially in China when researchers are establishing different models.It is very important for geographic learning,developing and research to understand the characteristics of geography.Based on studying classic works about geography,this paper summarizes the geography as a science of the planet Earth(mainly focusing on the Earth surface),a science of relationships,a science of locations and a science concerning distributions.These four aspects as a whole compose the characteristics of geography,which makes geography different from other sciences.A lack of any of these four components will results in a misunderstanding of the science of geography itself.