Scope of Human Geography Notes
Human geography is a dynamic and interdisciplinary field that involves the relationship between human and their spatial environments. It encompasses a wide scope, focusing on the patterns and processes of human activities, societies, and cultures across the globe. Unlike physical geography, human geography centers on the social aspects of our world. The American geographers, Finch and Trewartha divided the matter of the Scope of human geography into two broad categories: Physical or Natural environment and cultural or manmade environment.
Physical or Natural environment
This explores the natural features of the earth which consist of the physical or natural features and phenomena such as surface configuration climate, and drainage, and natural resources such as soils, minerals, water, and forests.
The cultural environment includes man-made features and phenomena on the earth such as cultures, languages, religions, and customs across different regions. This aspect delves into how cultural practices shape landscapes and influence human behavior.
Social Geography
It involves the spatial distribution of social phenomena, such as population demographics, migration patterns, and urbanization. It explores how social structures impact the organization of space.
Economic Geography
It analyzes the spatial distribution of economic activities, trade patterns, and resource utilization. This dimension explores how economic systems influence geographical landscapes and disparities. Of it,
Political Geography
involves the spatial organization of political entities, geopolitical relations, borders, and human landscape.
Urban Geography
It focuses on the spatial organization and development of cities and urban areas. Urban geography explores the social, economic, and environmental dynamics of urban spaces.
Rural Geography
investigates the spatial patterns of rural areas, agricultural practices, and the interactions between human communities and the natural environment in non-urban settings.
Development Geography
examines global patterns of development, disparities in wealth and well-being, and the impact of economic and social policies on different regions.
Environmental perception [scope of human geography notes]
and behavior explores how humans perceive and interact with their environments, including attitudes toward nature, landscapes, and sustainability.
According to Ellsworth Huntington (1956), human geography is concerned with the physical conditions and the human responses to the physical environment.
Scope of human geography notes: Vidal de la Blanche’s work in human geography deals with the worldwide distribution of population and settlements; the types and distribution of elements of civilization and the development of various forms of transportation. All these elements profoundly modify the landscape. Jean Brunches in his book divided human geography into a study of three groups and six types of essential facts: those connected with the unproductive occupation of the soil
- Houses and highways: those connected with the conquest of the plant and animal worlds
- Cultivated plants, and
- Domesticated animals and
- Exploitation of minerals.
Scope of Human Geography Notes
Apart from the above-stated fact, human geography is also concerned with the various aspects of the environment
- Geography of the first vital necessities: Fundamental physiological needs- foods, shelter, and clothing.
- Geography of the Utilization of the Earth Resources: This includes the material things that satisfy human needs such as agricultural, pastoral, and industrial activities.
- Economic and Social Geography: This includes the geography of culture, production, and transportation.
- Geography of History and Political Geography: This includes frontiers, territories, routes, groups of states, etc.
Scope of human geography notes Human geography is a field of study that examines the spatial distribution and interaction of human activities, behaviors, and cultures across the Earth’s surface. It explores topics such as population, urbanization, cultural landscapes, and geopolitical dynamics. This discipline encompasses a broad range of subjects, from the analysis of demographic patterns to the study of social, economic, and political systems within specific geographic contexts. Overall, human geography seeks to understand how humans shape and are shaped by their environments, fostering insights into the complexities of societies and their spatial relationships.