Why Bernhardus Varenius (1622-1650) was be geographer?

Geography has a dynamic structure that is constantly developing in life. There are many elements that contribute to this development of geography; one of them is the history of geography. In this study, the processes of Bernhard Varenius, one of the scientists who contributed to the continuity and progress of the history of geography, on his way to becoming a geographer were analyzed. Accordingly, a discussion was made on whether the spirit of the period, environmental events, people or environments were effective in the development of scientific activities. Therefore, the methods of obtaining data were also diversified. Literature review, document analysis, biography and historical analysis were used. It was observed that the courses Varenius took during his university education and the knowledge he gained from his professors shaped his thoughts on geography, and that the exchange of ideas with academic circles and other scientists of the period played an important role in Varenius' scientific journey. The changes in the Europe of the period due to the discoveries also played a major role. With the discoveries, unknown parts of the Earth were revealed in a short period of time. In addition to the known and defined parts of the old world, there was a need to define a large land and sea surface. It is already generally known that these developments played an important role in increasing interest in geography. As Varenius' statements suggest, geography is an important field of knowledge for states. It has both topics that can be of interest to the public and a technical part related to mathematics, the favorite field of scientists of the time. These features were more than enough to make it a respected field. These basic conditions underlie the fact that a brilliant student like Varenius saw a deficiency in this field and started to study it. Varenius compiled and classified geographical information, divided it into general and special geographical areas, and recorded a method that has survived to this day. The findings show that Varenius' interest in geography was closely related to his education, the place where he lived, the people he interacted with and the characteristics of the period. Thus, it has become evident that all elements in the environment should be considered and evaluated together in the study of the history of science. In future studies, it is important to examine geographers such as Alexander von Humboldt and Carl Ritter in a similar way.