The Department of

Geography Geography (from Greek: , ''geographia''. Combination of Greek words ‘Geo’ (The Earth) and ‘Graphien’ (to describe), literally "earth description") is a field of science devoted to the study of the lands, features, inhabitants, an ...

is one of the constituent departments of the

University of Cambridge The University of Cambridge is a public collegiate research university in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1209 and granted a royal charter by Henry III in 1231, Cambridge is the world's third oldest surviving university and one of its most pr ...

and is located on the

Downing Site The Downing Site is a major site of the University of Cambridge, located in the centre of the city of Cambridge, England, on Downing Street and Tennis Court Road, adjacent to Downing College. The Downing Site is the larger and newer of two ci ...

. The department has long had an international reputation as a leading centre of research and is consistently ranked as one of the best geography departments in the UK. In 2022 the department was ranked by ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...

'' University Rankings as the best geography undergraduate degree in the country.University guide 2023: Geography. ''The Guardian'' (24 Sep 2022)
(accessed 12 Dec 2022)

History

There is a long tradition of geography at Cambridge stretching back to the first University Lecturer in Geography appointed in 1888. Teaching was initially for a special examination leading to a diploma in geography. The Geographical

Tripos At the University of Cambridge, a Tripos (, plural 'Triposes') is any of the examinations that qualify an undergraduate for a bachelor's degree or the courses taken by a student to prepare for these. For example, an undergraduate studying mathe ...

- the examination for a B.A. degree - was established in 1919. In 1931 the first professor was appointed and in 1933 the department moved into its own accommodation. That building, which now constitutes the eastern end of the department, was considerably extended in the 1930s, with the construction of new lecture theatres and laboratories. In the 1980s, the building was further extended with the addition of a top floor to provide a new laboratory for computing, remote sensing and geographical information systems. In 1999 the department expanded again, to occupy two floors in an adjacent building where new laboratories, seminar rooms and offices are housed. Since then, the Cambridge Group for the History of Population and Social Structure (CAMPOP) has been integrated into the teaching and research activities of the Department (2001), and the Scott Polar Research Institute became a sub-department in 2002. Today, the Department has 35 academic staff including ten professors and four readers.

Research

Research in the department is organised in the following thematic research groups: * Vital Geographies * Infrastructural Geographies * Geographies of Knowledge * Biogeography and Biogeomorphology * Climate and Environmental Dynamics * Glaciology and Glacial Geology

Notable alumni and staff

The department has produced a large range of notable alumni, including

David Harvey David W. Harvey (born 31 October 1935) is a British-born Marxist economic geographer, podcaster and Distinguished Professor of anthropology and geography at the Graduate Center of the City University of New York (CUNY). He received his P ...

, the world's most cited academic geographer, and winner of the Lauréat Prix International de Géographie Vautrin Lud. Other notable alumni and staff include: File:Richard Chorley.jpg, File:Frank Debenham.jpg, File:Sir Peter Hall.jpg, File:David Harvey2.jpg, File:James Mann Wordie - c. 1914.jpg, * Dawn Airey * Ash Amin * John Barrett *

Anthony Bebbington Anthony Bebbington (born 1962) is a geographer, International Director for Natural Resources and Climate Change at the Ford Foundation and Higgins Professor of Environment and Society in the Graduate School of Geography, Clark University, USA (on ...

* Piers Blaikie * William Maurice Brown *

Paul Brummell Paul Brummell (born 28 August 1965) is a British diplomat and travel writer. Early life Brummell was educated at St Albans School before reading geography at St Catharine's College, Cambridge. He entered the Foreign and Commonwealth Office ...

Sylvia Chant Sylvia Chant (24 December 1958 – 18 December 2019) was a British academic who was professor of Development Geography at the London School of Economics and Political Science and was co-director of the MSc Urbanisation and Development Programme ...

Richard Chorley Richard John Chorley (4 September 1927 – 12 May 2002) was an English geographer, and Professor of Geography at Cambridge University, known as leading figure in quantitative geography in the late 20th century, who played an instrumental role in ...

Miles Clark Miles Clark (3 November 1960 – 17 April 1993) was a sailor, journalist and writer from Northern Ireland. A few months before he died, Clark circumnavigated Europe through several of Russia's waterways which led him to winning the Cruising World ...

* Roger Clarke * Mark Cleary *

John Terence Coppock John Terry Coppock CBE FBA FRSE (2 June 1921 – 28 June 2000) was a British geographer who was the Ogilvie Professor of Human Geography at University of Edinburgh from 1966 to 1986 and Secretary and Treasurer of the Carnegie Trust for the Univ ...

* Bernie Cotton * Philip Cox *

Mike Crang Michael A. Crang is the Head of Department in the Department of Geography at Durham University. He is a Professor in cultural geography, with his main research areas relating to the relationship between social memory and identity, theories on space ...

Gabriel Crouch Gabriel Crouch is a British baritone, choral conductor, and record producer. Early life Gabriel Crouch was born on 19 September 1973. Musically inclined since the age of eight, he joined the choir of Westminster Abbey. He became the Head Choris ...

* Frank Debenham *

Hugh Dennis Peter Hugh Dennis (born 13 February 1962) is an English comedian, presenter, actor, writer, impressionist and voice-over artist who has appeared in the comedy double act Punt and Dennis with partner Steve Punt. He played Dr Piers Crispin in the ...

* Robin Donkin * Julian A. Dowdeswell * George Freeman * Phil Gibbard * Andrew Goudie *

Derek Gregory Derek Gregory Ph.D. (Cantab) FBA, FRSC (born 1 March 1951) is a British academic and world-renowned geographer who is currently Peter Wall Distinguished Professor and Professor of Geography at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver. H ...

* Peter Haggett * Peter Hall * John Heap * Michael Heffernan * Bronwyn Hill * Mike Kirkby * Hal Lister * Sylvia Law *

Huw Lewis-Jones Huw Lewis-Jones (born 2 May 1980) is a British historian, editor, broadcaster and art director. Formerly a historian and Curator of Art at the Scott Polar Research Institute, University of Cambridge, Lewis-Jones left Cambridge in June 2010 to p ...

* Paul Madden *

Gordon Manley Gordon Valentine Manley, FRGS (3 January 1902 – 29 January 1980) was a British climatologist who has been described as "probably the best known, most prolific and most expert on the climate of Britain of his generation". He assembled the Centra ...

* Ron Martin * Ann Mather * Michael Mortimore *

John Noble John Noble (born 20 August 1948) is an Australian actor. He is known for his roles as Denethor in the ''Lord of the Rings'' film trilogy, Dr. Walter Bishop on the science fiction series ''Fringe'', Henry Parrish on the action-horror series '' ...

* James Oldfield * Joe Painter * Chris Philo * Luke Piper *

Matthew Price Matthew William Price (born 5 June 1972 in Hampstead, London) is a British journalist who currently works as Chief Correspondent for the BBC Radio 4 Today programme. Education Matthew Price was educated at The Haberdashers' Aske's Boys' Schoo ...

* Sarah A. Radcliffe * Phil Rees * Chris Robinson *

John Rymill John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Second ...

* Susan J. Smith *

Oskar Spate Oskar Hermann Khristian Spate (30 March 191129 May 2000) was a geographer best known for his role in strengthening geography as a discipline in Australia and the Pacific. Early life Spate was born to a German father and an English mother in the ...

Ken Sykora Ken Sykora (13 April 1923–7 March 2006), born Charles Kenneth Sykora, was an English jazz guitarist and radio presenter. Sykora had two older sisters: Rose M. Sykora, born in 1911, shortly after her parents' marriage, and Clara Phyllis ...

* Sam Toy *

Piers Vitebsky Piers Vitebsky is an anthropologist and is the Head of Social Science at the Scott Polar Research Institute, University of Cambridge, England. Education Vitebsky studied his undergraduate degree in Classics with Modern and Medieval Languages at ...

* Andrew Warren * George T. Whitesides *

David Wilshire David Wilshire (born 16 September 1943) is a British former politician. A member of the Conservative Party, he was the Member of Parliament (MP) for Spelthorne in Surrey from 1987 to 2010. Wilshire was considered to be to the right of the party ...

* Charles W. J. Withers *

James Wordie Sir James Mann Wordie CBE FRS FRSGS LLD (26 April 1889 – 16 January 1962) was a Scottish polar explorer and geologist. Friends knew him as Jock Wordie. He was President of the Royal Geographical Society from 1951 to 1954. Early life and e ...

Tony Wrigley Sir Edward Anthony Wrigley (17 August 1931 – 24 February 2022) was a British historical demographer. Wrigley and Peter Laslett co-founded the Cambridge Group for the History of Population and Social Structure in 1964. Wrigley was born in M ...

References

External links

Official department website
{{Authority control Geography, Department of Geography departments in the United Kingdom