Definition of Geography PDF

**Definition of Geography** Most individuals define geography as a field of study that deals with maps. This definition is only partially correct. A better definition of geography may be the study of natural and human constructed phenomena relative to a spatial dimension. The discipline...

**Definition of Geography** Most individuals define geography as a field of study that deals with maps. This definition is only partially correct. A better definition of geography may be the study of natural and human constructed phenomena relative to a spatial dimension. The discipline of geography has a history that stretches over many centuries. Over this time period, the study of geography has evolved and developed into an important form of human research. Definition of Geography Many different definitions Geography -- -- From the Greek word geographia - \"earth description" -- Geo=earth; Graphia=writing (Greek) -- is a field of science devoted to the study of the lands, the features, the inhabitants, the phenomena of Earth. Definition of Geography Geography , in its simplest form, is the field of knowledge that is concerned with how phenomena are spatially organized. As a subject, geography is concerned with \'where\' and \'why\' the objects and events are located in space and moreover, with the patterns of phenomena and the processes that created them. Geography covers a very diverse group of disciplines and their branches in both social as well as physical sciences. 3 History of Geography Some of the first truly geographical studies occurred more than four thousand years ago. The main purpose of the early investigations was to map features and places observed as explorers traveled to new lands. At that time, Chinese, Egyptian, and Phoenician civilizations were the pioneers to explore spaces within and outside of their homelands. The earliest evidence of such explorations comes from the archaeological discovery of a Babylonian clay tablet map that dates back to 2300 BC. History of Geography\.... cont The early Greeks were the first civilization to practice a form of geography that was more than simple map making or cartography. Greek philosophers and scientist were interested in learning about spatial nature of human and physical features found on the Earth. One of the first Greek geographers was Herodotus (484 - 425 BC). Herodotus wrote a number of volumes that described the human and physical geography of the various regions of the Persian Empire. The ancient Greeks were also interested in the form, size, and geometry of the Earth. Aristotle (384 - 322 BC) hypothesized and scientifically demonstrated that the Earth had a spherical shape. The first individual to accurately calculate the circumference of the Earth was the Greek geographer Eratosthenes (276 - 194 BC). Eratosthenes calculated the equatorial circumference to be 40,233 kilometers using simple geometric relationships. This primitive calculation was unusually accurate. Measurements of the Earth using modern satellite technology have computed the circumference to be 40,072 kilometers. History of Geography\...\...\..... cont Most of the Greek accomplishments in geography were passed on to the Romans. Roman military commanders and administrators used this information to guide the expansion of their Empire. The Romans also made several important additions to geographical knowledge. Strabo (64 BC - 20 AD) wrote a 17 volume series called \" Geographia \". Strabo claimed to have traveled widely and recorded what he had seen and experienced from a geographical perspective. In his series of books, Strabo described the cultural geographies of the various societies of people found from Britain to as far east as India, and south to Ethiopia and as far north as Iceland. History of Geography\...\...\..... cont During the second century , Ptolemy (100 - 178 AD) made a number of important contributions to geography. Ptolemy\'s publication \" Guide to Geography \" compiled and summarized much of the Greek and Roman geographic information accumulated at that time. Development of the concepts of geographical latitude and longitude was one of his ( Ptolemy) important contribution. Latitude & Longitude -- Latitude is a north-south and the Longitude is a east- west measurement of position on the Earth. They are measured in degrees, minutes, and seconds. What is Geography The Spatial Perspective -- Geographers can study anything that has a significant spatial component. -- Geographers concentrate on the \"where\" and by doing this they may be able to gain a better understanding of what is being studied than if the \"where\" were ignored. -- This perspective is useful in a wide variety of fields and therefore you have a wide variety of sub-disciplines in the field of geography (like political geography, cultural geography, physical geography, etc.). -- Businesses use geography when they decide WHERE to locate a new plant. Spatial = with respect to space \| Temporal = with respect to time Latitude and longitude , coordinate system by means of which the position or location of any place on Earth's surface can be determined and described. Latitude ( shown as a horizontal line ) is the angular distance, in degrees, minutes, and seconds of a point north or south of the Equator. Lines of latitude are often referred to as parallels. Longitude ( shown as a vertical line ) is the angular distance, in degrees, minutes, and seconds, of a point east or west of the Prime ( Greenwich ) Meridian. Lines of longitude are often referred to as meridians. A Grid Latitude and longitude may be combined on a globe or map to create a grid. One specific parallel will only intersect a specific meridian at one place on the earth. Using the two together allows for locating places precisely. This early map of the world was constructed using map making techniques developed by Ptolemy. Note that the map is organized with crisscrossing lines of latitude and longitude. History of Geography\...\...\..... cont Little academic progress in geography occurred after the Roman period. For the most part, the Middle Ages (5th to 13th centuries AD) were a time of intellectual stagnation. In Europe, the Vikings of Scandinavia were the only group of people carrying out active exploration of new lands. However, in the 8th century, Arab academics started translating the works of Greek and Roman geographers and began exploring southwestern Asia and Africa. Some of the important intellectuals in Arab geography were Al- Idrisi, Ibn Battutah, and Ibn Khaldun. Ibn Battutah and Ibn Khaldun are well-known for writing about their extensive travels to North Africa and the Middle East. Pilgrimage as well as trade in the vast Muslim empire needed communication and navigational skills. From the beginning of the seventh century, the knowledge of geography was equally growing with the spread of Islam. MUSLIM GEOGRAPHERS\... The Muslim Geographer Al-Idrisi (1100-1165) prepared a World map with description. AL-IDRISI Al-Idrisi MUSLIM GEOGRAPHERS\... Ibn-Battutah (1305-1368) wrote Rihlah (Travels) based on three decades of journey around the World. IBN-BATTUTAH Ibn-Battutah History of Geography\...\...\..... cont The Renaissance is a cultural movement that spanned roughly the 14th to the 17th century, beginning in Florence in the Late Middle Ages and later spreading to the rest of Europe. During the Renaissance period, various journeys of geographical exploration were commissioned by different European countries. Most of these voyages were financed because of the potential commercial returns from resource exploitation. These voyages also added many significant contributions to geographic knowledge. Important explorers of this period include Christopher Columbus, Vasco da Gama, Ferdinand Magellan, Jacques Cartier, Sir Martin Frobisher, Sir Francis Drake, John and Sebastian Cabot, and John Davis. EUROPEAN GEOGRAPHERS\... Christopher Columbus re-discovered America in 1492 and he was in search of a westward route to Asia to access the sources of spices and other oriental goods. COLUMBUS Columbun Map of Columbus RENAISSANCE: GERMAN GEOGRAPHERS\... Immanuel Kant: Divided Geography into six sub branches/disciplines. Alexander Von Humboldt: Published KOSMOS which examines the Geology and Physical Geography of the Earth. Fredrich Ratzel: Theorized that the distribution and culture of the Earth's various human populations was strongly influenced by the nature. Carl Ritter: Developed the concept of Regional Geography. History of Geography\...\...\.....cont Though the academic traditions described by Pattison are still dominant fields of geographical investigation, the frequency and magnitude of human induced environmental problems has been on a steady increasing scale. These increases are the result of a growing human population and the consequent increase in the consumption of natural resources. An increasing number of researchers in geography are studying how anthropogenic activities modify the environment. FOUNDATION OF KNOWLEDGE\... Foundations of modern science established during 17 th Century. Navigational tools and skills merely facilitated scientific discovery. Discussions of the relative merits of different societies, cultures and civilizations around the world. 18 th Century: Era of European enlightenment. 20 th Century: Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and Remote Sensing (RS) Application. Key Concepts of Geography Understanding the relationship between objects that share proximity and adjacency is fundamental to geography. Like the laws of gravity, geography has a set of laws which are yet to be disproven. The most famous of these laws was conceived by Waldo Tobler in 1970. Tobler\'s first law stated \"Everything is related to everything else, but near things are more related than distant things." (Theobald, 2005). Additionally, the study of Geography has a set of key concepts. 8 Key Concepts The 8 key concepts are: direction , distance , scale , location , distribution , localizatio n , spatial interaction and region 1) Direction- is a geometric property used to describe relative location. The true direction is measured by reference to a meridian. 2\) Distance- Geographical distance or geodetic distance is the distance measured along the surface of the earth. Points which are defined by geographical coordinates in terms of latitude and longitude. 3) Scale- is the size of the area being studied and is related to the level of precision and generalization applied to the area of interest. Scale on a map may be represented three ways: With a scale bar , as words \" one centimeter to a kilometer" or as a representative fraction (1/10,000). 4\) Location- is either relative or absolute. Absolute location is restricted to a reference system similar to Euclidian distance or GPS location. Relative location is related to other object as they are seen as important (one example: the school is adjacent to the hospital). 5\) Distribution- is the spatial pattern in an area. The three patterns recognized in spatial statistics are: 7\) Spatial interaction- is the movement of people, ideas, or goods between areas on the earth. The concept of spatial interaction is tied closely with human geography. 8\) Region- A region is defined by the researcher to study the likenesses and differences of areas. Regions in GIS are represented by polygons or raster cells of the same value. With the help of GIS we can explore the concepts of geography and demonstrate how to analyze spatial data based on these fundamental concepts Absolute location is the identification of place by a precise and accepted system of coordinates; therefore, sometimes it is called mathematical location (eg: Latitude & Longitude) Relative location: the position of a place or thing in relation to that of other places or things Absolute direction is based on the cardinal points of north, south, east, and west. We also commonly use relative, or relational, directions. 37 Absolute distance : the spatial separation between two points on the earth's surface, measured by an accepted standard unit---such as miles or kilometers for widely separated locales, feet or meters for more closely spaced points. Relative distance: time distance for example. " NSU is 5 minutes away from my house" " NSU is 15 taka rickshaw ride from my house" 38 QUESTION TIME! Explain with the help of the map 1\) Absolute location 2\) Relative Location of the RED DOT 39 Place "What is it like there?" A place is often known by its own special characteristics. Types of characteristics for Place : Human Physical Human Characteristics: The main customs, languages, and beliefs of the people in a certain place. Special traditions or holidays Clothing styles Political ideals Architecture (how buildings are made) Physical Characteristics: Mountains, plains Oceans, rivers, lakes Climate (hot, cold, humid, dry) Types of animals that live there What types of plants grow there. 40 Regions Scientists divide the Earth's land into sections, called Regions, based on certain traits those sections share. Regions may be created based on: -- Same Climate (weather trends) -- Location (where it is on a map) -- Languages & Cultures of the people -- Landforms (mountains or plains, wetlands or desert) 41 Formal regions are those that are designated by official boundaries, such as cities, states, counties, and countries. For the most part, they are clearly indicated and publicly known. Functional regions are defined by their connections. For example, the circulation of paper area for a major city area is the functional region of that paper. Vernacular regions are perceived regions, such as \"The South,\" \"The Midwest,\" or the \"Middle East\"; they have no formal boundaries but are understood in our mental maps of the world. 43 Movement Humans interact with each other as well as many places and things almost every day. We travel from place to place; we communicate with each other in many different ways; and we depend on products, information, and ideas that come from outside our own environments. MOVEMENT explores where different resources are located, the people that use them, and how they are transported to locations all over the earth's surface. The theme of MOVEMENT helps us understand how we connect with, and depend on, other regions, cultures, and people in the world. 44 People/Goods Trucks/Cars Planes Trains/Buses Boats Information Telephones Computers (email, internet) Mail Ideas (How trends and fads move from place to place.) Magazines/Books Radio Television 45 Human Environment Interaction How people interact with their surroundings. People depend on their environment. -- We depend on the land (soil) to grow food. -- We depend on rivers and streams for drinking water & or transporting goods. People modify (change) the environment. -- We pave roads to travel on. -- We clear land to build houses & buildings on. People adapt to their environment. -- We wear lighter clothing in the summer (warm/hot) and wear heavier clothing in the winter (cold). There are consequences as well as benefits to the actions we take in interacting with our environment: Positive: -- More interaction between people of different cultures Negative: -- Faster use of the Earth's natural resources. -- Air pollution -- Global warming 46 Branches of Geography Geography is also a discipline that integrates a wide variety of subject matter. Physical geography\'s primary sub-disciplines: study the Earth\'s atmosphere ( meteorology and climatology ), animal and plant life ( biogeography ), physical landscape ( geomorphology ), soils ( pedology ), and waters ( hydrology ); The human geography includes: human society and culture ( social and cultural geography ), behavior ( behavioral geography ), economics ( economic geography ), politics ( political geography ), and urban systems ( urban geography ). Physical Geography Human Geography Rocks and Minerals Population Landforms Settlements Soils Economic Activities Animals Transportation Plants Recreational Activities Water Religion Atmosphere Political Systems Rivers and Other Water Bodies Social Traditions Environment Human Migration Climate and Weather Agricultural Systems Oceans Urban Systems Some of the phenomena studied in physical and human geography 49 50 51 Holistic approach The study of geography can also involve a holistic synthesis. Holistic synthesis connects knowledge from a variety of academic fields in both human and physical geography. For example, the study of the enhancement of the Earth\'s greenhouse effect and the resulting global warming requires a multidisciplinary approach for complete Understanding. Strength and Weakness of Holistic Nature The holistic nature of geography has both strength and weakness. Geography\'s strength comes from its ability to connect functional interrelationships that are not normally noticed in narrowly defined fields of knowledge. The most obvious weakness associated with the geographical approach is related to the fact that holistic understanding is often too simple and misses important details of cause and effect.