地理(dì lǐ) - Geography in Mandarin

地理 (dìlǐ) is geography, both as a school subject and as the general word for the physical layout of a place. 地 (dì) means "earth, land, ground" and 理 (lǐ) means "reason, principle, pattern", so the compound points at the underlying patterns of the land.

As a subject it sits alongside 历史 (lìshǐ), history, in the humanities half of a typical school timetable, and the two are often mentioned together, 地理和历史 (dìlǐ hé lìshǐ), "geography and history", when someone lists what they studied.

地理位置 (dìlǐ wèizhì), "geographical location", is the fixed phrase you will meet constantly outside the classroom too, in news reports about trade, border disputes and travel, so the word earns its keep well beyond the school gates.