Q. Explain the
Nature and Scope of Geography. 10
Ans.:- Geography
is one of the oldest subject of the world. The term ‘geography’ was first
coined Eratosthenes a Greek scholar (276-194 BC). The word has been derived
from two roots from Greek language i.e. “Geo” and “Graphos” where geo- means
earth and graphos-means description. Thus, it can said that geography is the
description of the earth.
Nature of Geography:
The nature of geography refers to
the basic qualities of the subject that have been changing historically.
Geography has undergone changes in its approach. The earlier geographers were
descriptive geographers. Later, geography came to be developed as an analytical
science. Today the discipline is not only concerned with descriptions but also
with analysis as well as prediction.
Geography is concerned with place.
Understanding the nature and causes of aerial differentiation on the global surface
has been the geographer’s task since people first noticed differences between
places.
Through geography we seek to
understand these differences in patterns of human distribution,
interrelationships between human society and the physical environment, people’s
use of the Earth in time and space, and how these differences are related to
people’s cultures and economies. These, and other related themes, express major
concerns of our time and reflect the consequences of spatial decisions.
In geography’s pursuit of this
understanding the questions “where?” “Why?” and “how?” are central. The first
of these introduces the issues of location and spatial choice; the latter two
signify that modern geography is not content merely to describe, but seeks to
explain. Beyond these questions, geographers also ask a fourth―“what if?”―as a
means of seeking alternatives and giving the subject an applied dimension that
can assist decision makers in planning and development at a variety of
geographical scales.
Common themes in geographical
studies are:
- Areal
differentiation theme: this involves studying inherent characteristics
of areas or places which differentiate them from other locations, areas or
places.
- The
landscape theme:
this involves studying and closely examining the physical and cultural
landscape. It attempts to identify the natural and cultural factors
responsible for giving an area or region it peculiar nature.
- The
man-environment theme: this is concerned with examining the
relationship between man and the physical environment. It looks at how man
influences the physical environment and how the physical environment in
turn affects man and his activities.
- The
spatial distribution theme: this theme is concerned with the
degree of distribution of phenomena over the earth surface.
- The
geometric theme:
this theme examines the geometric properties of space and geographic
objects or things that influence them. The concepts related to geometric
theme include; spatial form, topology, distance, morphometry, geographical
coordinates.
Scope of Geography
The scope of geography is very vast.
The scope has grown up of its descriptive character. Now a day: an attempt is
being made to establish cause and effect relationship between various factors of
geography. It, therefore, tries to find answers to the questions of following
sort viz. Why do people belonging to a particular region use a particular and
peculiar type of food, dress etc. ? How is it that they have peculiar type of
shelter ? Why a particular type of vegetation is found at a particular place
and nowhere else ?
The scope of geography is wide
enough if include a double aspects physical environment (nature) and human
life. It has the relation with natural and social sciences. We can understand
the scope of geography with the help of its main branches. Geography has two
main branches with their own sub-branch. They are
a)
Physical
Geography
b)
Human
Geography.
a. Physical geography: Physical geography
is that branch of systematic geography (physical and human) that examines the
natural processes occurring at the earth’s surface that provide the physical
setting for human activities. Physical geography differs from other sciences in
that it focuses on the world around us from changes in daily weather conditions
to landforms we travel every day. Physical geography is not only the
agglomeration of different branches of earth and natural sciences like
geomorphology, climatology, meteorology, pedology, geology etc. but it also
studies the patterns of interactions between human activities and physical
environment.
There are five fields or branches of physical
geography varying from geomorphology to biogeography as highlighted below:
1.
Geomorphology: It is the science of earth surface processes and landforms. In
other words it is the scientific study of surface involving interpretative
description of landforms, their origin and development and nature and mechanism
of geomorphological processes, which evolve the landforms. It also focuses on
modeling landform shaping processes to predict both short-term (rapid) changes
such as landslides, floods, coastal storm, erosion, and long term (slower)
changes, such as soil erosion in agricultural areas or as a result of strip
mining.
2.
Climatology: Climatology is the science that describes and explains the
variability of atmospheric conditions (heat and moisture) over space and time.
It is the systematic and regional study of atmospheric conditions i.e. weather
and climate. Climatology is concerned with climate change, both in past and
future.
3.
Oceanography: The science of hydrosphere i.e. oceans and seas is called
oceanography which includes the consideration, description and analysis of both
physical and biological aspects of hydrosphere. It is concerned with the study
of various types of Oceanic component and processes related to ocean floor
depths, currents, corals reefs, and continental drifts etc.
4.
Pedology: is the study of the distribution of soil types and properties
and the processes of soil formation. It is related to both geomorphic processes
of rock break up and weathering, and to biological processes of growth,
activity and decay of organisms living in the soil.
5.
Biogeography: It is
the science of the distributions of organisms at varying spatial and temporal
scales, as well as the processes that produce these distribution patterns.
Local distribution of plants and animals typically depend on the suitability of
the habitat that supports them. In this application, biogeography is closely
aligned with ecology. Over broader scales and times, the migration, evolution
and extinction of plants and animals are key processes that determine their
spatial distribution patterns.
b. Human
Geography: Human Geography is the synthetic study of the relationship between
human societies and the earth’s surface. It is made up of three closely linked
components: the spatial analysis of the human population ; the ecological
analysis of the relation between human population and its environment and the
regional synthesis which combines the first two themes in an aerial
differentiation of the earth’s surface.
Human geography
has a number of sub-branches:-
a)
Anthropogeography: It largely deals
with racial phenomena in their spatial context.
b)
Cultural geography: It focusses on the
origin, components and impact of human culturs, both material and non-material.
c)
Economic geography: It refers to the study of the
location and distribution of economic activities at the local, regional,
national and world scale. Economic geography can be studied under the following
heads : Resource geography. Agricultural geography, Industrial and transport
geography.
d)
Political geography: It is the study of
political phenomena in their spatial context. Main focus remains for creation
and transformation of political and administrative region.
e)
Historical geography: Spatial and
temporal trends of geographical phenomena are studied in Historical geography.
f)
Social geography: It is the
analysis of social phenomena in space. Poverty, health, education, livelihood
are some important fields of study in social geography.
g)
Population geography: It is the study of
various dimensions of population like its population distribution density,
composition, fertility, mortality, migration etc.
h)
Settlement geography: It is the study of
Rural/Urban settlements, their size, distribution, functions, hierarchy, and
off various other parameters of settlement system.
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