Political Geographer

A Political Geographer conducts research, and creates and modifies maps, graphs, and diagrams of geographic spaces while taking into account their political relevance. This means that in addition to charting a particular area’s shape and terrain, bodies of water, and coordinates, Political Geographers also include its political allegiances. If you’re a Political Geographer, you look at the connection between the area and the way people vote, who’s in leadership, and if there are any political disagreements, both on a local and global level.

Most of the time, you’ll be more responsible for the political aspects of your work than the geographical. That’s because most land maps have already been created, with astonishing accuracy. And with the exception of the occasional natural disaster, they don’t change with that much severity.

But politics are constantly changing. With the induction of a new leader, with the latest war, or with any number of political changes, the maps of some areas also change.

Political Geographers cover more than just politics though. Under this umbrella, you also find cultural differences, economics, and social characteristics, each of which relates to geographic location in some way.

Do people who live near mountains or large bodies of water vote differently than those who live in flatlands and rural areas? What exactly is the correlation? You get to find that out.

You’re responsible for gathering and translating all the data that comes to you. Your work will most likely be done on a computer, as this is easiest. However, mapmaking can also be done by hand, though it takes some significant artistic skill.