power, and a virtual limitless number of others. Some geographers work in both
areas. Those scholars who study cultural ecology or environmental geography,
for example, frequently include in theirworkananalysisoftheinteraction
between the human and natural worlds. All studies in geography attempt to
answer, either directly or obliquely, two basic questions: where, and why?
This handbook is a modest effort to aid in the study of a fascinating and crucial
approach to the world—the approach ofgeography. My colleague at Oklahoma
State University, Dr. Stephen J. Stadler, wrote the entries in this volume focused
on physical geography, and I covered the material that deals with human geogra-
phy. Such an endeavor presents a number of challenges. First, one must select
those terms and concepts deemed most relevant, important, and necessary to write
about. There will inevitably be concepts and vocabulary left out that might, and
perhaps should, be included. Second, there is the task of presenting and explaining
a complex lexicon of geography using a quite limited number of words. Condens-
ing the information that in many instances might fill several pages of a textbook
was a significant and difficult task indeed. My hope is that we have managed to
convey the essence of these ideas, while presenting them as concisely as possible.
Our purpose here is to present those terms and concepts most likely to be encoun-
tered by students and teachers of geography, as well as by the layman who seeks to
enlarge his or her understanding of the world, and the spatial relationships that
give rise to its diversity and wonder. Most of all, the aim of this volume is to
inspire many to learn more about geography and read further about those ideas that
brought them to this book in the first place. The selected bibliography at the end of
the work provides a listing of both classic and contemporary works that may be
consulted by readers who seek a deeper discussion than what we are able to offer
in these pages.
Reuel R. Hanks
Introduction xix