Abstract: The relationship between human beings and the environment, and the important features of the Earth's surface and their spatial structural changes longterm concerned by geography, are becoming the core issues of contemporary science and society, and directing at today's pressing concerns of general public and policy makers. However, the understanding of society to geography is far from sufficient, so that the responses to such major issues as environmental change, resource scarcity, unbalanced development and national conflicts subject to many restrictions. Therefore, it is necessary to rediscover geography in the new perspective of contemporary science and society. With new perspectives of global change and sustainability, this article discusses the study objects, research approaches, core concepts, position in scientific knowledge system, and roles to meet social needs and in national science and technology development of geography.

Key words:  geography, subject, approach, key concept, scientific position, practical function