Human geography

Human geography

Human geography is concerned with the spatial organization of society. In the beginning, the focus was on the description of the places where people lived. More recently, economic activities receive more attention with some emphasis on the regional distribution of resources and economic activities. Environmental issues also receive attention, but the focus is more on how landscape affects people than the reverse.

Climatology is the study of the climate of a particular place. Climate has considerable impact on the quality of life and on economic issues. For example, lack of rain has a notable impact on grain growers.

Cultural geography is more humanities oriented. It looks at the representation and impact of place in art, music, and literature. Cultural geography also considers the geographical distribution of cultural activity

Demography is properly the study of human population, including change by place. Besides birth and death, migration and immigration are also important topics. Demography has a strong geographic orientation.

Economic geography examines economic resources and activities by place. Knowing where tin deposits may be found is an example.

Historical geography looks at historical phenomena by place. Typically, historical geography is seen as part of history rather than geography.

Planning, whether urban or regional, may be part of human geography or may be a separate profession. Interest in planning emerged based on factors such as the municipal reform movement, concerns about building better communities and lifting them above prevailing, haphazard, and crowded conditions, and civic ideals for creating graceful coherent urban places in America.

Political geography is more than the study of borders and boundaries. A wide variety of political phenomena may be considered. In the past, political and military geography have received considerable attention in schools. Knowing the capital of the 50 states is an example of political geography. Political geography may also include the profession of planning.

Social geography is relatively recent and relates a variety of social conditions to place. Marriage, divorce, crime, poverty, education, and income by place are good examples.

A sub discipline may be created by combining almost any topic/subject with geography. For example, add geography following these terms:

* Bio
* Coastal
* Educational
* Internet
* Marketing
* Medical
* Military
* Musical
* Political
* Social
* Soil
* Transportation.

A geographer can examine almost any phenomenon. For example, in librarianship a famous study on the "geography of reading" examined the placement of libraries and book stores.
Physical Geography

Physical geography evolved from geology and other natural sciences. In fact, this is more of a natural science rather than a social one. Physical geography is concerned with environmental variables:

* Climate
* Landforms, including rock type and arrangement, relief and drainage
* Fauna and flora
* Soils
* Wild vegetation
* Relationships between these variables.

Study of Geography

A. Geography is the study of

1. the earth's surface and the processes that shape it,
2. the connections between places,
3. and the complex relationships that develop between people and their environments— physical surroundings.

Geographers are scientists who study the relationship between people and their environments.


B. Branches of Geography

1. The two major branches of geography are

a. physical geography—study of the physical features and changes on the earth's surface
b. cultural geography—study of humans and their ideas, and the impact of human ideas and actions on the earth.

culture—the way of life that distinguishes a group of people (i.e. tools, foods, gov't, religions, language, customs, beliefs, knowledge, skills, art, clothing, music, literature, architecture, law, lifestyles, etc.)

2. Other branches of geography include:

a. biophysical geography—study of the natural environment and the interrelationships of all the living things in that environment
b. topography—shapes of the land and the bodies of water in a given location
c. political geography—study of the political organization of areas
d. social geography—study of groups of people, and the interrelationships among groups and communities
e. economic geography—study of resources and resource use, agriculture and land use, and global trade interactions
f. historical geography—study of the ways in which the relationships between people and their environments have changed over time
g. urban geography—focuses on the locations of cities, the services cities provide, and the movements of goods and people to and from cities
h. cartography—art and science of map-making.
i. cartographer—a person who makes maps or charts

C. Importance of Geography

Geography is important because it can
1. help us know more about each other and our cultures,
2. help us understand our environment and problems associated with it,
3. help us better understand the ways in which each of us interacts with, and is dependent on others and the environment,
4. and help us solve environmental, political, economic, and social problems.

Theories of Population

Theories of Population


# These are theories to explain the patterns of population growth in different countries of the world.

1. Biological Theory: This theory states that man is like any other living thing. He is incapable of controlling his growth in numbers.
2. Cultural Theory: This theorstates that man is rational and uses his intellect yo control his growth in numbers, eg the one-child policy in China
3. Economic Theory: Based on Marxist-Leninist theories, it supposes that growth in population is as a result of a demand for labor.