# Croatian (BCS): Geography



## karim37

Hi,
what is the difference between geografija and zemljopis?
I have seen them both in the dictionary.


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## Orlin

They're synonyms: http://hjp.srce.hr/index.php?show=search_by_id&id=fFdkXRQ=&keyword=geografija, http://hjp.srce.hr/index.php?show=search_by_id&id=f15lXxB0&keyword=zemljopis.


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## karim37

Orlin said:


> They're synonyms: http://hjp.srce.hr/index.php?show=search_by_id&id=fFdkXRQ=&keyword=geografija, http://hjp.srce.hr/index.php?show=search_by_id&id=f15lXxB0&keyword=zemljopis.



Thank you.
Which one is more common? Which one is the subject you would study at school?


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## VelikiMag

In Serbia, Montenegro and probably in Bosnia children learn _geografija_, while in Croatia they learn _zemljopis_.
The same is with history. In Croatia it is called _povijest_ and in other countries _istorija_.


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## DenisBiH

VelikiMag said:


> In Serbia, Montenegro and probably in Bosnia children learn _geografija_, while in Croatia they learn _zemljopis_.
> The same is with history. In Croatia it is called _povijest_ and in other countries _istorija_.




In standard Bosnian it's _historija_. According to Senahid Halilović (1995) _istorija_ may be used as well, but _historija _is preferred. According to Institut za jezik Sarajevo (2007) _istorija_ is not listed at all, only _historija_. However, it's my personal impression that both are currently used. Another personal opinion - _povijest_ tends to pop up every now and then in the usage of Bosnian speakers, _zemljopis_ not so much (both are standard)

Note also that schools in Bosnia-Herzegovina where Croatian is the medium of instruction and B-H Croats in general also generally use the terms preferred in standard Croatian (_zemljopis_, _povijest_)


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## LilithE

karim37 said:


> Thank you.
> Which one is more common? Which one is the subject you would study at school?



The subject in elementary and high schools has always been called _zemljopis_. 
But if that is your choice of studies at the university, it is called _studij geografije_. I am not really sure but I think that used to be zemljopis as well.
It seems that _geografija/geografski_ is recently a prefered form in a 'scientific' context - I've noticed the usage of _geografske koordinate_, _geografska širina_, _geografska dužina_ ( _zemljopis/ zemljopisna_ is more common in every day speech ).

_History_ is almost always _povijest_ ( in any context ) - there are obviously some exceptions like _historijska geografija_ ( Orlin's first link ).


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## el_tigre

karim37 said:


> Thank you.
> Which one is more common? Which one is the subject you would study at school?




Well, linguists prefer "zemljopis", geographs prefer "geografija"

although  "zemljopis" is literral translation of "geography".


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## čakavica

karim37 said:


> Thank you.
> Which one is more common? Which one is the subject you would study at school?



zemoljopis 
At scholl more than 50 years we learn "zemljopis" and not "geografija".


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## karim37

čakavica said:


> zemoljopis
> At scholl more than 50 years we learn "zemljopis" and not "geografija".


You must be very good at it after 50 years. 
Thanks for the answer.


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## itreius

čakavica said:


> zemoljopis
> At scholl more than 50 years we learn "zemljopis" and not "geografija".


I went to school after the dissolution of Yugoslavia and during the first few grades it was named _Zemljopis_, whereas in high school it was named _Geografija_. Not sure what to think of that.

The Croatian wiki article on Primary school education says that the subject is called Geografija but the information is unsourced so I went and visited a random primary school's official web site. They're also using the term _Geografija_.
Maybe there was a change during the 90s?


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## čakavica

karim37 said:


> You must be very good at it after 50 years.
> Thanks for the answer.


Yep  I am 57 year

http://www.pomsk.hr/upisi.html
 


> hrvatski jezik, matematika, fizika, strani  			jezik, zemljopis (7. i 8. razredni odjel)



http://www.mioc.hr/site/upload/datoteke/20100622090603_UPISI.doc


> hrvatski jezik, matematika, strani jezik, fizika i jedan _predmet_ koji odredi _škola_ (_zemljopis_, kemija



http://www.os-brace-radic-zg.skole.hr/nastava/predmeti?ms_nav=aal


> Zašto naziv geografija, a ne zemljopis *?*
> "Zemljopis" nije adekvatan prijevod izvornog grčkog naziva "geografija”.
> Geografija  se kao znanstvena disciplina razvija već nekoliko tisuća godina.  Značajan doprinos njezinom razvoju dali su Grci: oni su joj, kako je  poznato, dali i ime.



Moderator note:
Sorry, but quotes are limited to 4 lines only; for this reason I had to shorten the quote. Please click the link to read on.
Cheers
sokol


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## Wikislav

The classical Croatian calque 'zemljopis' appeared by the first time 3 centuries ago in Croatian Principality (Banovina Horvatska) without Dalmatia, when Kaykavian was the public litterary language there (before subsequent Shtokavian): Thus its first public form was _Zemlepis_ up to 1848; there existed also its classical adjective _zemlepisni_ / newer 'zemljopisni' (geographical), and the name of related professor / scholar as _'zemljopisac'_. 

Simultaneously in the Chakavian areas at Adriatic, its international synonym had the form _'žeografija'_, and its professor was _'žeograf'_. Its youngest Shtokavian form of 'geografija' in Croatia appeared a century ago.


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