Key Points - Human Geography Nature and Scope

- Geography is a field of study is integrative, empirical and practical.
- It studies each and every event on the earth over the space and time.
- Human geography studies the relationship between man and nature.
- Geography can be studied through law making or descriptive.

There are two approaches of geography:

1. Systematic approach

2. Regional approach

Physical and human phenomena are described in metaphors using symbols from the human anatomy.
Human Geography: Human geography is the synthetic study of relationship between human societies and earth’s surface.
Nature of Human Geography: (a) Human geography studies the inter relationship between the physical environment and socio-cultural environment created by man. (b) Elements of physical are land, water, soil, climate, vegetation, fauna (c) Elements of cultural are transport and communication, settlements, crops
Naturalization of Humans: (a) Man interact with nature with the help of technology (b) It is not important that what he creates but with what tools he used to create (c) Technology indicates the level of cultural development of society d. Understanding the nature helps to create technology

1. Understanding of friction and heat helped to discover fire

2. Understanding DNA helped to eradicate diseases

3. Laws of thermodynamics helped to develop fast planes

4. Knowledge about nature is extremely important to develop technology and technology loosens the shackles of environment on human being.

5. The interaction between primitive society and nature is called Environmental Determinism.

Humanizations of Nature

1. With the development of technology people understood the nature well

2. They move from state of necessity to state of possibilities

3. Human activities created cultural landscape

4. So it is called as possibilism

Non-determinism/ Stop and go Determinism

1. Developed by Griffith Taylor

2. It is a middle path between environmental determinism and possibilism

3. The concept shows that neither is there a situation of absolute necessity nor is there a condition of absolute freedom.

4. Sustainable development is the main aim

5. The Neo determinism maintains balance between development and nature

Human Geography Through the Corridors of Time
Schools of human geography
Welfare School
Concerned with social well-being of the people: (a) housing (b) Health (c) Education
Radical School: Concerned with causes of poverty, deprivation and social Inequality
Behavioural School: Given importance to lived experience, perception of space by Social categories
Stages Through Corridories of Time.
PERIOD
Colonial
APPROACHES
Exploration & description
Colonial
Regional analysis

1.30- interwar aerial differentiation

1.50-1960

1.70

1.90
Spatial organization
Emergence of humanistic, radical and behavioral school
Post modernism
Fields of human geo Sub field

Social geography
Behavioral geography
Geography of social well being
Geography of leisure
Cultural geography
Gender geography
Urban geography
Historical geography
Medical geography

BROAD FEATURES
Imperialism and trade lead to discover many lands
Understanding of parts in totality would lead to understand the whole
Find the reasons for the uniqueness of a region
Apply technology to study geography
Emergence of sociopolitical reality with the help of schools
Generalization and apply of universal laws to understand geography
Sister disciplines
Social science-sociology
Psychology
Welfare economics
Sociology
Anthropology
Sociology, anthropology, studies
History
Epidemiology
Urban studies and planning

Political geography
Pop. geography
Settlement geography
Eco. geography
Electoral geography
Military geography

Geography of resources
Geography of Agriculture
Geography of industries
Geography of marketing
Geography of tourism
Geography of international trade

Political science
Psephology
Military science
Demography
Urban and rural planning
Economics
Resource economics
Agricultural science
Industrial economics
Business studies, economics, commerce
Tourism and travel management
International trade