The information for the following story is from Grolier's Inc.'s The New Book of Knowledge.

Geography Then and Now

I wonder if the early cavemen, thousands of years ago set off on foot to explore what lay beyond the distant mountains. Maybe they heard the roaring waterfalls from far away and wondered what made that noise. They were probably curious and wondered what the land was like in other places. Was it similar to where they lived or was it different? Would there be different kinds of berries to gather? Would there be different animals to hunt? What about other humans? Maybe they could learn from them.

These early explorers studied the land. They explored the valleys, climbed the mountains, studied the rock formations, soil, and vegetation. They discovered oceans, rivers, lakes, and different kinds of animals. They also discovered that the climate affected the land and that lightning from thunderstorm clouds could start a fire.

Sitting at campfires at night, they passed on their knowledge and stories to their families, neighbors, and friends. By scratching rough maps on the ground with a stick, they showed the path that they had taken. Unknown to them, this was the beginning of geography. It was a crude beginning.