Definition: The word 'footprint' refers to a geographical area or region, and its size and distribution can be easily seen when viewed from space. In other words, it describes an outline that we see when looking at the ground. For example, in geography, if you were to plot out the state of Pennsylvania, you would likely find that this is an "footprint" of about 142 square miles (358 square kilometers) due to its large area and shape. This can be useful for measuring and understanding land areas or regions. The word 'footprint' was first used by Carl Linnaeus in 1769, who introduced the concept of describing the distribution and size of an organism as a "foot" on its back. This is now widely accepted and used to describe any area within the earth that humans are aware of, whether it be a country or region. The word 'footprint' can also refer to the measurement of how much land has been covered by water in a given region, which is known as hydrology.