Regarded as one of the earliest departments in Umm al-Qura University (UQU), the Geography Department was once a department of the College of Education in Makkah. And when the College of Education (formerly known as the College of Teachers) was restructured in the academic year 1384/1385H, the Geography Department accompanied this college all through that journey, till 1404H.

Despite its name, the Geography Department was not limited to teaching geographical studies. Rather, in the academic year 1385/1386H (corresponding to 1965/1966), it cooperated with a constellation of faculty members specialized in Islamic history and culture from the College of Shariah and Islamic Studies.

Cooperation between the two colleges went on between the two colleges, and yielded the first study plan for geography and history, approved by virtue of the Ministry of Education's Resolution no. 572, dated Rabea al-Thani 4, 1382H.

Since its inception in 1384H, the Geography Department has been witnessing impressive scientific, cultural and administrative activity. It has always been endeavoring to realize objectives of the KSA comprehensive development plans. As one of the development manifestations, the university studies program was established in 1438H, including a section for geographical technologies and services.

The department programs are projected to undergo substantial developments, Allah willing, in a manner commensurate with the accelerated developments going on across the world. In this context the section was renamed to be: Section of Geographical Information Systems and Remote Sensing.