Department of Geography

DEPARTMENTAL PROFILE

Established in 1949 just after a year of the establishment of the Gauhati University, the department of Geography has now successfully completed 46 years of teaching and research.

MISSION

India's north east, the initial hinterland of the department, continued to be a terra incognita even after the country's independence. This naturally posed before the department an intellectual challenge to unravel the marvels of the region's nature and culture. Directed thus by the prevalent situation, curiosity and compulsion, the then faculties of the department decided to set a goal, rather a mission, towards understanding the geographical fabric of the region. Today, as we live in an increasingly interdependent world caught up in a global chain of events, the department redefines its mission to put it under the umbrella phrase- understanding geography of the north -east in a new global order- besides upholding the general academic standard of the discipline.

HISTORY

Established in 1949 just after a year of the establishment of the Gauhati University, the department of Geography has now successfully completed 46 years of teaching and research. However the department took almost a decade to start postgraduate teaching in the discipline, whereas formal research leading to Ph.D. degree began only in mid 60's. Notably enough the department has the unique distinction of being the pioneer in the university in introducing M.Phil course in 1981. Thus for the last three decades, apart from regular teaching, the department has been carrying out study and research on geomorphological, economic, social and political problems including works on population, land use, agriculture, settlement, urbanisation, and transport in North east India specially Assam. A good no of research papers and books of national and international repute have been contributed by its faculty members.

FACILITIES & ASSETS

Laboratory

At present the department has two laboratories with modern sophisticated instruments. The GIS laboratory is established recently with the fund provided by the Department of Science and Technology of Govt. of India under FIST program. The GIS lab is equipped with 14 computers with the software of GIS and Remote Sensing.