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INTRODUCTORY MODULE FOR GEOGRAPHY

(PLACES AND LANDSCAPE IN THE CHANGING WORLD)

GEOGRAPHY

Geography is an ancient and honorable field of learning with its roots firmly set in classical antiquity.

The word GEOGRAPHY comes from two Greek words

a. “GEO”- which means “EARTH” and;b. “GRAPHE”- which means “to write” or “to draw”

Geography literally means “Earth description”------ A science of space and place.

A discipline which deals with both (1) Physical and (2) Social Science aspect

Geography is concerned with the study of the earth’s surface including people’s responses to topography and climate as well as soil and vegetation and the distribution and interaction of different phenomena on Earth.

The first unique concept or approach In the study of geography is to study the aerial distribution of phenomena such as:

People Climates Farms Roads Shopping centers and; Schools

These phenomena can be described generally, or be precisely located, counted or measured Placed on a map, or in a computer database.

The second unique aspect is spatial interaction or the relationship of phenomena below in a given place.

Physical and Human Geography

Geography is neither a physical science nor a social science; rather, it combines characteristics of both and can be conceptualize as bridging gap between two.

As a field of learning, it subdivides or branches into two broad and separate subfields:

A. PHYSICAL OR NATURAL GEOGRAPHY

B. CULTUTAL OR HUMAN GEOGRAPY

ELEMENTS OF GEOGRAPHY

Physical or natural elements Cultural or human elements

Weather and ClimateLandformsContinents and IslandsHighlandsLowlandsWater formsOceans and SeasWaters of the landPlants and animalsNatural resources

ManPopulationCultural GroupsCultural InstitutionsWorks of manSettlementsEconomics or ways of lifeRoutes of transportationCommunication

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Historical Development of Geography

PEOPLE engage in the study of geography because it satisfies their natural curiosity about foreign places and different ways of life. Geography helps people with their experience with natural elements. It also assist them in finding direction.

The ancient Greeks made the first step in Geography

Herodotos

Was not only the “Father of History” but also geography because he always placed historic events in their geographic setting. He observed the rich black soil of the Delta of the Nile and explained it as the river deposition. He explained the relationship of the physical environment to the activities of man. This is the very essence of geography.

Eratosthenes

He was the first person to use the word "geography" and invented the discipline of geography as we understand it. He invented a system of latitude and longitude.

Other Greeks who studied Geography

A. Hipparchus – concept of Meridians

B. Thales of Miletus-

C. Anaximander- world is a shape like cylinder

D. Aristotle- Earth was sphere

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E. Strabo

F. Ptolemy

Middle Age Geography

Muslim writers such as EDRID (1099-1154) , IBN-BATUTA (1304- 1378), and IBN-KHALDUN (1332-1406) collected accurate information about the location of coastlines, and mountain ranges in areas conquered by Muslims.

Phei Hsiu, known as the father of Chinese cartography, produced an elaborate map of China in A.D 267.

7th and 18th Age Geography

1.Bernhard Varenius

Wrote “GEOGRAPHICA GENERALIS”. His book served as the standard treatise on systematic geography for more than a century.

2. Immanuel Kant

Was a German philosopher who provided the philosophical underpinnings of geography. He justified its place among sciences

3. Alexander von Humboldt and Carl Ritter

They believe that geography should use scientific methods to explain the reasons for the presence or absence of certain phenomena. This started the “where” and “why” approach in geography.

4. Friedrich Ratzel and Ellen Churchill

Believed that geography was the study of the influences of the natural environment on people.

Ratzel was widely recognized as the father of Human Geography.

5. Ellsworth Huntington

An early American Geographer, argued that climate was a major determinant of civilization

6. Paul Vidal de la Blache and Jean Brunhes

They developed what is known as the regional geography approach, sometimes called the “cultural language”

7. Carl Saver and Robert Platt

they adopted the regional geography approach developed by Blache and Brunhes.

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Elements of Geography

An analysis of the human habitat indicates that its nature results from the interaction of two groups of elements, the physical or natural and the cultural or human.

Branches of Geography

Geographers organize their study of the Earth in several ways. They may divide the field into REGIONAL and TOPICAL geography. They may also classify the branches of geography according to whether they deal with the physical or with human activity

REGIONAL GEOGRAPHY- deals with all or many of the geographic elements of a place or region. Within the region, it investigates and analyzes the distribution and association of elements which give the region its distinctive character.

TOPICAL GEOGRAPHY- Concentrates on the study of one earth feature or human activity as it occurs throughout the world. The worldwide pattern of soil quality and railroad transportation are two example of the topical approach in geography.

PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY- Is concerned with the location of such earth features as land, water, and climate; their relationship to one another and human activities; and the forces that create and change them.

Subdivisions of Physical Geography

1. Geomorphology studies land and water forms as well as the development of irregularities in the surface of the earth (glaciations, river floodplains, underground caves, shorelines, coral reefs, sand dunes, volcanic features and the erosion cycle

HOLISTIC SYNTHESIS

HydrologyClimat

ologyBiogeographyGeomorphology

MeteorologyPedolo

gy

Social Geograp

hy

Cultural Geograp

hy

Economic Geograp

hyBehavioral Geograph

y

Political Geograph

yUrban

Geography

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2. Climatology studies the differences and similarities in climate from place to place. It considers win movements, cloud formation, temperature changes and precipitation of all kinds. It is related closely to meteorology.

3. Mathematical Geography has to do with the accurate measurements of the earth and the calculation of the exact location of points on the earth’s surface such as the exact location of a city in latitude and longitude.

4. Oceanography is concerned with the study of the ocean and its phenomena, current wave activity, temperature differences, and tides

5. Biogeography is concerned with the study of the geographical distribution of plants known as plant geography and as phytogeography, and animals, known as zoogeography. It is related to ecology, which studies the relationship between plants and animals and their habitat

6. Medical Geography, a relative new science, is concerned with the study of the relationship between disease-causing organism and their physical environment.

7. Pedogenesis it deals with the process of soil formation. The term “pedon” is a basic soil sampling unit that is often viewed as a soil profile that goes from the surface to a depth where soil meets bedrock.

8. Hydrology deals with the study of hydrosphere. It describes waters of the earth. Water exist in various forms, including atmosphere, oceans, lakes, rivers, glaciers, snowfields, and groundwater.

9. Meteorology a scientific study of the atmosphere and associated phenomena.

Subdivisions of Human Geography (Another name for this division is ANTHROPOLOGY )

1. Cultural geography deals with the study of the distribution of cultural traits such as customs, traditions, taboos, religions, dialects, and dwellings.

2. Population geography deals with the study of numbers and distribution of people.

3. Political geography deals with the study of the relationship between political units such as provinces or states, nations, or unions of nations.

4. Historical geography is the study of manner by which geographic patterns of man and his works change through time; or it may place emphasis only on the complete geography of small region at a certain time.

5. Economic geography is the study of the widely varying economic conditions across the earth. It can be influence by climate, geology, and socio-political factors.

6. Urban Geography is the study of cities play in the life of a nation. Urban Geography is one of the latest growing kinds of human geography. It is usually concerned with the study of the site of a city and how it has influenced the type and direction of its growth, the function of a city and its specializations if there is any.

7. Behavioral Geography, this inductively explores behavior and the rationale behind the decision-making process and the production of models replicating such behavior.

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