Question

Who coined the term ‘geography’?
A. Aristotle
B. Eratosthenes
C. Ptolemy
D. Gerardus Mercator

Answer 1

Hint: The man who coined the word ‘geography’ was a Greek versatile genius. He was a mathematician, geographer, poet, astronomer and music theorist. He was born in 276 BC.

Complete Answer: Eratosthenes, who was a versatile genius, coined the term Geography. He is known best for measuring the circumference of the earth. He is also the one who calculated the tilt of the Earth’s axis to the orbital plane of the earth. He is also the calculator of the distance from the Earth to the Sun and also invented the leap day. He is also the first inventor of the global projection of the world, incorporating parallels and meridians which is based on the available geographic data during his era. The great genius had written a book ‘On the measure of the Earth’ describing the techniques he used for his measurements and calculations; the book had not been preserved. The term Geography was first used as the study of different places in a book named ‘Geographica’, written by Eratosthenes of Cyrene in $3^{rd}$ century BCE. The word ‘geography’ is created from the amalgamation of two words, that is, ‘geo’ which means ‘the earth’ and a Greek word ‘graph’ which means ‘to write’.
Geography is a science that deals with the description of the earth. It is a study about the physical or natural aspects as well as the human, cultural, social, economic and political aspects of any place. It is also concerned about the universe as a whole, with all its celestial bodies.
Therefore, the correct answer is option B, Eratosthenes.

Note: Eratosthenes is known as the ‘father of modern geography’. He is the one who invented the system of latitude and longitude and then made up a map and named it as world.