The Department of Geography
The Department of Geography’s mission is to explore, understand and frame changes in the interrelation of humans and nature globally, regionally and locally. This includes e.g. climate change, its impact on nature and societies and different ways to mitigate and adapt and it likewise includes e.g. changes in societies, which lead to new lifestyles and thereby new ways of looking at nature and its resources and risks. We as geographers believe that these complex changes and challenges can only be understood in their spatial, cultural and regional contexts and through interdisciplinary approaches. The Munich Geography has made and will continue to make strong contributions to develop joint, interdisciplinary and integrative approaches of natural science and humanities, to study the interrelationship of humans and nature and to identify possible pathways of change in the future.
A main pillar of Physical Geography in Munich is Hydrology and Remote Sensing. Here models are developed to explore and deepen our knowledge on hydrological processes and the water cycle and satellite images are processed to enhance our understanding of the changing land surface in hydrology, ecology, agriculture, forestry, glaciology and climate research. Second pillar is Landscape Ecology, which is dealing with land use changes, environmental problems, high mountain regions and climate research. The overarching goal of Physical Geography in Munich is to develop projections and scenarios on how to deal with the impacts of global change in different regions of the Globe and to contribute to the sustainable improvement of the quality of life in critical regions.
Human Geography in Munich has its foci on Economic Geography and Human-Environment Relations. Economic Geography explores the interrelation between business and geographical space and its resources, with special emphasis on the role of tourism in different cultures and the interrelation of tourism and nature. Human-Environment Relations considers different cultural and regional aspects in the use of resources, the impact of societies on nature, as well as the handling of natural risks. Theories and methods of social, economic and human sciences, focusing on distinctly geographical approaches, form the pillars of research in these fields.
The Department of Geography of LMU is organized in four research and teaching units.
For further Information (in German) visit www.geographie.uni-muenchen.de