Physical geography (also known as geosystems or physiography) is one of the two major subfields of geography. Physical geography focuses on understanding the processes and patterns in the natural environment, as opposed to the built environment, the domain of human geography. Within the body of physical geography, the Earth is often split either into several spheres or environments, the main spheres being the atmosphere, biosphere, cryosphere, geosphere, hydrosphere, lithosphere and pedosphere. Research in physical geography is often interdisciplinary and uses the systems approach.
