Why Is Geography So Important?

Geography has been invented and reinvented a number of times since its inception as a descri ptive discipline. In more recent decades it has come to represent a more analytical meeting-place of the humanities - where indeed Geography, History and other social sciences coalesce, through an analysis of spatial and temporal phenomena. It is a vital skill to be able to appreciate what the Department for Education see as a `curiosity and fascination about the world and its people` for this reason: no other subject allows a student to holistically appraise their individual position within a global context in such a rewarding manner.

Furthermore, Geography also melds together several important skills necessary for post-KS3 and KS4 success. The National Curriculum indicates that students will not only possess a theoretical and conceptual understanding of key physical and human elements of the world, but also that they will learn how to apply the more scientific attributes of numerical, data and fieldwork-based tuition. Geography is one of the rare subjects that allows undergraduates to pick between a BSc and a BA - and this is partially because it opens such a vast number of doors for later study and work.

Finally, it acts as an important gateway for students to the advantages of the social sciences. In understanding its content, a myriad disciplines are unlocked such as Politics, Sociology and Economics. In this sense, Geography plays a great role in the citizenship-building of future cohorts.