Erdkunde

(in Russian, zemlevedenie —an abbreviated term for general geography), a branch of physical geography, studying the most general characteristics of the composition, structure, and development of the geographic envelope of the earth. The Russian term is sometimes used as a shorthand designation for disciplines dealing with the earth as a planet (for example, geography, geophysics, and geology). The term Erdkunde was introduced to scientific literature by the German geographer K. Ritter, who used it in a sense indicating the study of countries.