Geography
Concept Of Geography
Geography is the study of places and the relationship between people and their environment. Geographers explore both the physical properties of the Earth's surface and the human societies spread across it.In the context of dynamic and changing world, it is very crucial to study Geography so as to be able to achieve sustainable human development.
Concept Of Geography
Introduction
In this topic, you will learn about the meaning of geography, branches of geography, and the importance of studying geography. The chapter ends with summary of the topic, revision questions and a list of references.
Objectives
By the end of this topic, you should be able to define ‘geography’, explain the interrelationships between different geographical phenomena explain the importance of studying geography as well as observe and record geographical phenomena.
Meaning of Geography Phenomena
Physical and human environments make up the two major geographical phenomena. The term phenomena refer to facts or circumstances observed, or observable within nature. Therefore, a geographical phenomenon, in this case, is an occurrence or fact in the geographical science. Geographical phenomena can be artificial (e.g. buildings), natural (e.g. rivers) or mixed type (e.g. smog).
Meaning of Geography
Define the term geography
The word "geography" comes from the ancient Greeks, who need to describe the writings and maps that were helping them to understand the world in which they lived. It is a combination of two Greek words: ‘geo’ and ‘graphia’. In Greek, ‘geo’ means Earth and ‘graphia’ means to write, draw or describe.
These two Greek words together form the word ‘geographia’, which means to draw, write about or describe the Earth. These meanings led to the development of the early definition of geography which referred to the description of the Earth by words, maps and statistics. The description includes both the physical Earth and everything found on it such as plants, animals and people. Therefore, geography is the study of the distribution and interrelationship of phenomena in relation to the Earth’s surface. In other words, geography can be defined as the study of places and the relationships between people and their environments in the Earth
A scientist who studies geography is called a Geographer. Geographers study both the physical features of Earth’s surface and the man-made features. They also examine how human activities interact with the natural environment and the way locations and places can have an impact on people. Geographers seek to understand geographical location of different things reasons for their occurrences and how changes occur over time.
Branches of Geography
There are two branches of geography, namely physical geography and human geography:
- Physical geography-mainly concerned with the formation of Earth’s physical features such as seasons, weather, climate, soil, streams, landforms and oceans. All of these features form the physical environment which includes all natural features found on the Earth’s surface such as water bodies, mountains, rivers, plains, natural forests, etc.
- Human geography-involves the study of human activities on the Earth’s surface. Human activities include farming, trade, mining, transportation, settlement, tourism, etc.
Inter-relationship between different geographical phenomena
Physical and human environments make up the two major geographical phenomena. The term phenomena refer to facts or circumstances observed or observable within nature. Therefore, a geographical phenomenon, in this case, is an occurrence of fact in geographical science. Geographical phenomena can be artificial (e.g. buildings), natural (e.g. rivers) or mixed type (e.g. smog – a mixture of smoke and fog).
The existence of relationships between different geographical phenomena occurs through different interactions. Physical environment; for example, interacts with living organisms including land resources which provides soil to supports plant growth.
Also, the Sun generates heat which leads to the evaporation of water; then water vapour forms clouds and eventually rain. The rainfall supports plant growth. Plants provide food for animals and human beings.
Climate determines the types of plant and animal species that can survive in a particular geographical area. It also influences human population distribution. Climate also determines human activities like farming, tourism and settlement. On the other hand, human activities can affect the physical environments, for example, mining activities (Figure 1.2), farming, overgrazing, deforestation etc.
Importance of Geography
The importance of studying geography
Geography answers questions about the natural and human aspects. The following are some of the importance of studying geography;
- Develop knowledge of places and environments throughout the world. This will help in solving issues about the environment and sustainable development
- Help us understand different geographical concepts in our everyday life. For example, soil formation, water bodies, rainfall formation, how water cycles and ocean currents work. All these are explained with studying of geography
- Helps in understanding of the location of places and the physical and cultural characteristics of those places in order to function more effectively in our increasingly interdependent world
- Enable us to explore the methods and strategies used by other nations for economic developments and how Tanzania can learn from those nations for a similar purpose
- Enable us to make sensible judgments about the spatial distribution of human settlements in relation to the physical environment
- Enable us to understand the renewable and non-renewable resources and how properly to use them
- Help us to ensure proper use of the resources available in the world in a sustainable manner
- Enable us understand better various types of natural environments and how to harness them sustainably for the present and future generations
- Serve as the basis for further studies in specialized fields such as cartography (the science of map making (Figure 1.3), land survey, meteorology (the study of weather and weather forecasting), climatology (study of climate), seismography (the scientific measuring and recording of the shock and vibrations of Earthquakes), aviation etc
Chapter Summary
Geography is the study of the distribution and interrelationship of phenomena in relation to the Earth’s surface. It can also be defined as the study of the Earth and its environment. The scientists who deal with the study of geography are called geographers
Geographers study both the physical features of Earth’s surface and the man-made features. Geography is divided into two branches namely, physical geography and human geography. These two branches form the major geographical phenomena which relates in one way or another. For example, climate influences human population distribution. It also determines the types of plant and animal species that can survive in a particular geographical area. Studying geography is important because it answers questions about the natural and human aspects of the Earth.
Revisions qestions
Question Time 1
1 (i) The word ‘geography’ is derived from
- Latin geographers
- our ancestors
- famous Greek mathematicians
- ancient Greek geographers
(ii) In Greek, the word ‘graphia’ means
- Earth
- to write
- to read
- to study
iii) The physical Earth includes all of the following except
- Plants
- Planets
- Animals
- People
iv) Geographers deal with both
- Living things and non-living things
- Physical and human geography
- Present and the past
- Past and future
v) Which of the following is not studied in physical geography?
- Season
- Weather
- Climate
- Commerce
2. For each of the following statements write T if the statement is correct or F if the statement is not correct
- Geography is the study of the Earth.
- In Greek, the word‘ geo’ means writing about or describing the Earth.
- The physical Earth includes every thing found on it such as plants, animals and people.
- Geographers examine how human culture interacts with the natural environment.
- Two branches of geography are physical and chemical geography.
- Physical geography involves the study of human activities on the Earth’s surface.
- Physical and human environments make up two major geographical phenomena.
- Climate has no influence on human population distribution.
- Geography helps us to understand basic physical systems that affect every day life.
3.Fill in the gaps in the following questions
- The word ― “geography” comes from the
- ______involves the study of human activities on the Earth’s surface
- Earth’s seasons, weather, climate, soil, streams, landforms, and oceans are studied in a branch of geography called____
- The ……..determines the types of plant and animal species that can survive in a particular geographical area
- The two branches of geography are called and
4.Short answer questions
- Define the term geography.
- Why studying geography is important?Give5reasons
References
MacMaster, D.N. (1995). Map Reading for East Africa. Cambridge University PressLondon
Monkhouse, F.J. and Small, J. (1979). A Dictionary of the Natural Environments. Edward Arnold. London
Mzezele, S. and Kibuuka, P. (2015). Geography In Focus Form One. Oxford University Press Ltd. Dar es Salaam
Tanzania Institute of Education (1986). Geography for Secondary Schools, Book One. NPC – (KIUTA). Dar es Salaam
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