70 Groundbreaking Geography Facts You Don't Learn In School

Geography class isn’t usually something that is remembered fondly by students. After all, who enjoys memorizing all the capitals to over a hundred countries? However, these geography facts might just surprise you with how interesting they can actually get.

Quick Facts

Essential Facts

Interesting Facts

Geography is the study of the lands, features, inhabitants, and phenomena of the Earth.
There are 195 recognized countries in the world.
The Earth is divided into 4 hemispheres.
90% of the Earth’s population lives in the Northern hemisphere.
There are over 24 different time zones on Earth.

Eratosthenes first used the word “geography.” (276–194 BC)
Geography comes from the greek geo (Earth) and graphy (description).
Geography is often defined in terms of two branches: human geography and physical geography.
Human geography studies the patterns and processes that influence society according to location.
Physical geography is the study of the earth’s climate, seasons, and other natural phenomena.
The geographic coordinate system marks locations on a map according to certain numbers and degrees.
Geographers study the physical and social environments on Earth.
An archipelago refers to a group of islands.
Regions are the basic units of geography. It can denote land, dialect, or other socio-cultural characteristics.
The Earth is divided into imaginary lines such as longitude, latitude, the equator, and the tropics.

Ancient Egypt saw the Nile River as the center of the world
People believed the world was flat until the 17th century.
The oldest maps in the world date back to ancient Babylon in 9th century BC.
Russia takes up 11% of the world’s landmass.
The Marianas Trench is 35,814 ft. deep.

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