吴传钧院士是杰出的地理学家。在60多年的学术生涯中，孜孜以求，不断探索，为地理学的发展和国家建设做出了多方面重大贡献，同时推动了中国地理学走向世界、为地理学的国际多维交流，做出了不懈努力。本文扼要地阐述了吴传钧院士的地理学思想，概括了他对中国地理学事业发展，特别是农业地理学、土地利用研究、中国经济地理学发展定向、开拓国土整治和可持续发展新领域，全力倡导并组织实施人文地理学的复兴，组织我国地理学界联合与合作，开展国际学术交流等领域的重大贡献。还着力探讨了吴传钧地理学思想的精髓-人地关系地域系统的产生背景、理论思想和内涵以及与可持续发展的相互关系等。吴传钧先生创造性地提出“人地关系地域系统”这一科学术语，并认为人地关系是地理学的研究核心，始终贯彻地理学的各个阶段。主张地理学研究人地关系地域系统形成过程、结构和发展理论；各子系统相互作用强度分析、潜力估算、后效评价和风险分析；人地系统相互作用和物质、能量传递与转换机理、功能结构和整体调控；地域人口承载力分析；动态仿真模型建造；地域分异和地域类型分析；不同层次、不同尺度的各种类型区人地关系协调发展的优化调控模型筛选等。

Academician Wu Chuanjun is an outstanding geographer of China, well known home and abroad. In his academic career of 60 odd years, Professor Wu has made significant contributions to the development of geographical study and national construction in China, and has been taking a leading role in the process of increasing international recognition of Chinese geography and enhancing international communication of China’s geographical circle with foreign colleagues through his continuous hard efforts and serious commitment. This paper elaborates briefly the profound geographical thoughts of Professor Wu, and gives a concise introduction to his remarkable contributions to the overall development of geography in China, with focus on his significant achievements in the aspects of strengthening agriculture geography and land use study, defining the development orientations of China’s economic geography, opening up new research fields such as territorial planning and sustainable development, initiating and organizing the renewal of China’s human geography, organizing the internal cooperation in China’s geographical society, promoting international academic communication, etc.. This paper also gives insight discussions on the theory of man-earth areal system, the essence of geographical thoughts of Professor Wu, mainly referring to the background, conceptions and its relationship with sustainable development of the theory. Professor Wu creatively put forward the theoretical term of “man earth areal system”, and stresses that man earth relationship remains as the core of geographical study in all developmental stages of the discipline. He proposed that the major contents of geographical study should include following issues: general theories about the formation, functional structure and development of man earth areal system; study on the relationship among sub systems of man earth areal system, such as interaction intensity analysis, potential assessment, effect evaluation and risk analysis; study on the basic rules concerning the material and energy flow and convey in man earth areal system and approaches of overall systematic control; analysis of areal capacity of population; study on the dynamic models; analysis of areal differences and areal categorizing; study on the improved monitoring and modeling of coordinated man earth relationship of various types of regions of different spatial levels and scopes, and so on. Professor Wu has long been paying great efforts in training qualified personnel for the long term prosperity of China’s geographical career, with remarkable results concerning various fields and levels. With his most respected age of eighty approaching, Professor Wu is still on his important career mission with full energy and wisdom, providing strategic support to the development of China’s geographical study towards the 21st century.