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UNIT, I, GEOGRAPHY AS A DISCIPLINE, This unit deals with, •, , Geography as an integrating discipline; as a science of spatial, attributes, , •, , Branches of geography; importance of physical geography, , 2021-22
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CHAPTER, , GEOGRAPHY, , Y, , ou have studied geography as one of the, components of your Social Science course, upto the secondary stage. You are, already aware of some of the phenomena of, geographical nature in the world and its, different parts. Now, you will study ‘Geography’, as an independent subject and learn about the, physical environment of the earth, human, activities and their interactive relationships., Therefore, a pertinent question you can ask at, this stage is — Why should we study, geography? We live on the surface of the earth., Our lives are affected by our surroundings in, many ways. We depend on the resources to, sustain ourselves in the surrounding areas., Primitive societies subsisted on ‘natural means, of subsistence’, i.e. edible plants and animals., With the passage of time, we developed, technologies and started producing our food, using natural resources such as land, soil and, water. We adjusted our food habits and, clothing according to the prevailing weather, conditions. There are variations in the natural, resource base, technological development,, adaptation with and modification of physical, environment, social organisations and cultural, development. As a student of geography, you, should be curious to know about all the, phenomena which vary over space. You learn, about the diverse lands and people. You, should also be interested in understanding the, changes which have taken place over time., Geography equips you to appreciate diversity, and investigate into the causes responsible for, creating such variations over time and space., You will develop skills to understand the globe, converted into maps and have a visual sense, , AS A, , DISCIPLINE, , of the earth’s surface. The understanding and, the skills obtained in modern scientific, techniques such as GIS and computer, cartography equip you to meaningfully, contribute to the national endeavour for, development., Now the next question which you may like, to ask is — What is geography? You know that, earth is our home. It is also the home of many, other creatures, big and small, which live on, the earth and sustain. The earth’s surface is, not uniform. It has variations in its physical, features. There are mountains, hills, valleys,, plains, plateaus, oceans, lakes, deserts and, wilderness. There are variations in its social, and cultural features too. There are villages,, cities, roads, railways, ports, markets and, many other elements created by human beings, across the entire period of their cultural, development., This variation provides a clue to the, understanding of the relationship between the, physical environment and social/cultural, features. The physical environment has, provided the stage, on which human societies, enacted the drama of their creative skills with, the tools and techniques which they invented, and evolved in the process of their cultural, development. Now, you should be able to, attempt the answer of the question posed, earlier as to “What is geography”? In very, simple words, it can be said that geography, is the description of the earth. The term, geography was first coined by Eratosthenese,, a Greek scholar (276-194 BC.). The word has, been derived from two roots from Greek, language geo (earth) and graphos (description)., , 2021-22
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3, , GEOGRAPHY AS A DISCIPLINE, , Put together, they mean description of the earth., The earth has always been seen as the abode, of human beings and thus, scholars defined, geography as, “the description of the earth as, the abode of human beings”. You are aware of, the fact that reality is always multifaceted and, the ‘earth’ is also multi-dimensional, that is, why many disciplines from natural sciences, such as geology, pedology, oceanography,, botany, zoology and meteorology and a, number of sister disciplines in social sciences, such as economics, history, sociology, political, science, anthropology, etc. study different, aspects of the earth’s surface. Geography is, different from other sciences in its subject, matter and methodology but at the same time,, it is closely related to other disciplines., Geography derives its data base from all the, natural and social sciences and attempts their, synthesis., We have noted that there exist variations, over the surface of the earth in its physical as, well as cultural environment. A number of, phenomena are similar and many are dissimilar., It was, therefore, logical to perceive geography, as the study of areal differentiation. Thus,, geography was perceived to study all those, phenomena which vary over space., Geographers do not study only the variations, in the phenomena over the earth’s surface, (space) but also study the associations with, the other factors which cause these variations., For example, cropping patterns differ from, region to region but this variation in cropping, pattern, as a phenomenon, is related to, variations in soils, climates, demands in the, market, capacity of the farmer to invest and, technological inputs available to her/him., Thus, the concern of geography is to find out, the causal relationship between any two, phenomena or between more than one, phenomenon., A geographer explains the phenomena in, a frame of cause and effect relationship, as it, does not only help in interpretation but also, foresees the phenomena in future., The geographical phenomena, both the, physical and human, are not static but highly, dynamic. They change over time as a result of, the interactive processes between ever, , changing earth and untiring and ever-active, human beings. Primitive human societies were, directly dependent on their immediate, environment. Geography, thus, is concerned, with the study of Nature and Human, interactions as an integrated whole. ‘Human’, is an integral part of ‘nature’ and ‘nature’ has, the imprints of ‘human’. ‘Nature’ has influenced, different aspects of human life. Its imprints can, be noticed on food, clothing, shelter and, occupation. Human beings have come to terms, with nature through adaptation and, modification. As you already know, the present, society has passed the stage of primitive, societies, which were directly dependent on, their immediate physical environment for, sustenance. Present societies have modified, their natural environment by inventing and, using technology and thus, have expanded the, horizon of their operation by appropriating and, utilising the resources provided by nature. With, the gradual development of technology, human, beings were able to loosen the shackles of their, physical environment. Technology helped in, reducing the harshness of labour, increased, labour efficiency and provided leisure to, human beings to attend to the higher needs of, life. It also increased the scale of production, and the mobility of labour., The interaction between the physical, environment and human beings has been very, succinctly described by a poet in the following, dialogue between ‘human’ and ‘nature’ (God)., You created the soil, I created the cup, you, created night, I created the lamp. You created, wilderness, hilly terrains and deserts; I, created flower beds and gardens. Human, beings have claimed their contribution using, natural resources. With the help of technology,, human beings moved from the stage of, necessity to a stage of freedom. They have put, their imprints everywhere and created new, possibilities in collaboration with nature. Thus,, we now find humanised nature and, naturalised human beings and geography, studies this interactive relationship. The space, got organised with the help of the means of, transportation and communication network., The links (routes) and nodes (settlements of all, types and hierarchies) integrated the space and, , 2021-22
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4, , FUNDAMENTALS OF PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY, , gradually, it got organised. As a social science, discipline, geography studies the ‘spatial, organisation’ and ‘spatial integration’., Geography as a discipline is concerned with, three sets of questions:, (i) Some questions are related to the, identification of the patterns of natural, and cultural features as found over the, surface of the earth. These are the, questions about what?, (ii) Some questions are related to the, distribution of the natural and human/, cultural features over the surface of the, earth. These are the questions about, where?, Taken together, both these questions take, care of distributional and locational aspects of, the natural and cultural features. These, questions provided inventorised information of, what features and where located. It was a very, popular approach during the colonial period., These two questions did not make geography, a scientific discipline till the third question was, added., (iii) The third question is related to the, explanation or the causal relationships, between features and the processes and, phenomena. This aspect of geography, is related to the question, why?, Geography as a discipline is related to, space and takes note of spatial characteristics, and attributes. It studies the patterns of, distribution, location and concentration of, phenomena over space and interprets them, providing explanations for these patterns. It, takes note of the associations and inter relationships between the phenomena over, space and interprets them providing, explanations for these patterns. It also takes, note of the associations and inter-relationships, between the phenomena resulting from the, dynamic interaction between human beings, and their physical environment., , GEOGRAPHY, , AS AN, , INTEGRATING DISCIPLINE, , Geography is a discipline of synthesis. It, attempts spatial synthesis, and history, attempts temporal synthesis. Its approach is, holistic in nature. It recognises the fact that, the world is a system of interdependencies., , The present world is being perceived as a global, village. The distances have been reduced by, better means of transportation increasing, accessibility. The audio-visual media and, information technology have enriched the data, base. Technology has provided better chances, of monitoring natural phenomena as well as, the economic and social parameters., Geography as an integrating discipline has, interface with numerous natural and social, sciences. All the sciences, whether natural or, social, have one basic objective, of, understanding the reality. Geography, attempts to comprehend the associations of, phenomena as related in sections of reality., Figure 1.1 shows the relationship of geography, with other sciences. Every discipline, concerned, with scientific knowledge is linked with, geography as many of their elements vary over, space. Geography helps in understanding the, reality in totality in its spatial perspective., Geography, thus, not only takes note of the, differences in the phenomena from place to, place but integrates them holistically which, may be different at other places. A geographer, is required to have a broad understanding of, all the related fields, to be able to logically, integrate them. This integration can be, understood with some examples. Geography, influences historical events. Spatial distance, itself has been a very potent factor to alter the, course of history of the world. Spatial depth, provided defence to many countries,, particularly in the last century. In traditional, warfare, countries with large size in area, gain, time at the cost of space. The defence provided, by oceanic expanse around the countries of, the new world has protected them from wars, being imposed on their soil. If we look at the, historical events world over, each one of them, can be interpreted geographically., In India, Himalayas have acted as great, barriers and provided protection but the, passes provided routes to the migrants and, invaders from Central Asia. The sea coast has, encouraged contact with people from East and, Southeast Asia, Europe and Africa. Navigation, technology helped European countries to, colonise a number of countries of Asia and, Africa, including India as they got accessibility, , 2021-22
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5, , GEOGRAPHY AS A DISCIPLINE, , through oceans. The geographical factors have, modified the course of history in different parts, of the world., Every geographical phenomenon undergoes, change through time and can be explained, temporally. The changes in landforms, climate,, vegetation, economic activities occupations and, cultural developments have followed a definite, historical course. Many geographical features, result from the decision making process by, different institutions at a particular point of, time. It is possible to convert time in terms of, space and space in terms of time. For example,, it can be said that place A is 1,500 km from, place B or alternately, it can also be said that, place A is two hours away (if one travels by, plane) or seventeen hours away (if one travels, by a fast moving train). It is for this reason,, time is an integral part of geographical studies, as the fourth dimension. Please mention other, three dimensions?, Figure1.1 amply depicts the linkages of, geography with different natural and social, sciences. This linkage can be put under two, segments., Physical Geography and Natural Sciences, All the branches of physical geography, as, shown in Figure 1.1, have interface with natural, sciences. The traditional physical geography, is linked with geology, meteorology, hydrology, and pedology, and thus, geomorphology,, climatology, oceanography and soil geography, respectively have very close link with the, natural sciences as these derive their data from, these sciences. Bio-Geography is closely related, to botany, zoology as well as ecology as human, beings are located in different locational niche., A geographer should have some proficiency, in mathematics and art, particularly in drawing, maps. Geography is very much linked with the, study of astronomical locations and deals with, latitudes and longitudes. The shape of the earth, is Geoid but the basic tool of a geographer is a, map which is two dimensional representation, of the earth. The problem of converting geoids, into two dimensions can be tackled by, projections constructed graphically or, mathematically. The cartographic and, quantitative techniques require sufficient, proficiency in mathematics, statistics and, , econometrics. Maps are prepared through, artistic imagination. Making sketches, mental, maps and cartographic work require, proficiency in arts., Geography and Social Sciences, Each social science sketched in Figure 1.1 has, interface with one branch of geography. The, relationships between geography and history, have already been outlined in detail. Every, discipline has a philosophy which is the raison, d’etre for that discipline. Philosophy provides, roots to a discipline and in the process of its, evolution, it also experiences distinct historical, processes. Thus, the history of geographical, thought as mother branch of geography is, included universally in its curricula. All the, social science disciplines, viz. sociology,, political science, economics and demography, study different aspects of social reality. The, branches of geography, viz. social, political,, economic and population and settlements are, closely linked with these disciplines as each, one of them has spatial attributes. The core, concern of political science is territory, people, and sovereignty while political geography is, also interested in the study of the state as a, spatial unit as well as people and their political, behaviour. Economics deals with basic, attributes of the economy such as production,, distribution, exchange and consumption. Each, of these attributes also has spatial aspects and, here comes the role of economic geography to, study the spatial aspects of production,, distribution, exchange and consumption., Likewise, population geography is closely, linked with the discipline of demography., The above discussion shows that, geography has strong interface with natural, and social sciences. It follows its own, methodology of study which makes it distinct, from others. It has osmotic relationship with, other disciplines. While all the disciplines have, their own individual scope, this individuality, does not obstruct the flow of information as in, case of all cells in the body that have individual, identity separated by membranes but the flow, of blood is not obstructed. Geographers use, data obtained from sister disciplines and, , 2021-22
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6, , FIELD OF GEOGRAPHY, , 2021-22, , FUNDAMENTALS OF PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY, , Figure 1.1 : Geography and its relation with other disciplines
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7, , GEOGRAPHY AS A DISCIPLINE, , attempt synthesis over space. Maps are very, effective tools of geographers in which the, tabular data is converted into visual form to, bring out the spatial pattern., , BRANCHES, , OF, , BRANCHES OF GEOGRAPHY (BASED, SYSTEMATIC APPROACH), 1. Physical Geography, , (i) Geomorphology is devoted to the study, of landforms, their evolution and related, processes., (ii) Climatology encompasses the study of, structure of atmosphere and elements, of weather and climates and climatic, types and regions., (iii) Hydrology studies the realm of water, over the surface of the earth including, oceans, lakes, rivers and other water, bodies and its effect on different life, forms including human life and their, activities., (iv) Soil Geography is devoted to study the, processes of soil formation, soil types,, their fertility status, distribution and, use., , GEOGRAPHY, , Please study Figure 1.1 for recapitulation. It has, very clearly brought out that geography is an, interdisciplinary subject of study. The study of, every subject is done according to some, approach. The major approaches to study, geography have been (i) Systematic and, (ii) Regional. The systematic geography approach, is the same as that of general geography. This, approach was introduced by Alexander Von, Humboldt, a German geographer (1769-1859), while regional geography approach was, developed by another German geographer and a, contemporary of Humboldt, Karl Ritter, (1779-1859)., In systematic approach (Figure 1.2), a, phenomenon is studied world over as a whole,, and then the identification of typologies or, spatial patterns is done. For example, if one is, interested in studying natural vegetation, the, study will be done at the world level as a first, step. The typologies such as equatorial rain, forests or softwood conical forests or monsoon, forests, etc. will be identified, discussed and, delimited. In the regional approach, the world, is divided into regions at different hierarchical, levels and then all the geographical phenomena, in a particular region are studied. These, regions may be natural, political or designated, region. The phenomena in a region are studied, in a holistic manner searching for unity in, diversity., Dualism is one of the main characteristics, of geography which got introduced from the, very beginning. This dualism depended on the, aspect emphasised in the study. Earlier scholars, laid emphasis on physical geography. But, human beings are an integral part of the earth’s, surface. They are part and parcel of nature. They, also have contributed through their cultural, development. Thus developed human, geography with emphasis on human activities., , ON, , 2. Human Geography, , 2021-22, , (i) Social/Cultural Geography encompasses the study of society and its, spatial dynamics as well as the cultural, elements contributed by the society., (ii) Population and Settlement Geography, (Rural and Urban). It studies population, growth, distribution, density, sex ratio,, migration and occupational structure, etc. Settlement geography studies the, characteristics of rural and urban, settlements., (iii) Economic Geography studies economic, activities of the people including, agriculture, industry, tourism, trade,, and transport, infrastructure and, services, etc., (iv) Historical Geography studies the, historical processes through which the, space gets organised. Every region has, undergone some historical experiences, before attaining the present day status., The geographical features also, experience temporal changes and these, form the concerns of historical, geography.
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8, , FUNDAMENTALS OF PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY, , Figure 1.2 : Branches of geography based on systematic approach, , (v) Political Geography looks at the space, from the angle of political events and, studies boundaries, space relations, between neighbouring political units,, delimitation of constituencies, election, scenario and develops theoretical, framework to understand the political, behaviour of the population., , 3. Biogeography, , 2021-22, , The interface between physical geography, and human geography has lead to the, development of Biogeography which, includes:, (i) Plant Geography which studies the, spatial pattern of natural vegetation in, their habitats.
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9, , GEOGRAPHY AS A DISCIPLINE, , (ii) Zoo Geography which studies the, spatial patterns and geographic, characteristics of animals and their, habitats., (iii) Ecology /Ecosystem deals with the, scientific study of the habitats, characteristic of species., (iv) Environmental Geography concerns, world over leading to the realisation of, environmental problems such as land, gradation, pollution and concerns for, conservation has resulted in the, introduction of this new branch in, geography., , BRANCHES OF GEOGRAPHY BASED ON REGIONAL, APPROACH (FIGURE1.3), 1. Regional Studies/Area Studies, Comprising Macro, Meso and Micro, Regional Studies, 2. Regional Planning, Comprising Country/Rural and Town/, Urban Planning, 3. Regional Development, 4. Regional Analysis, There are two aspects which are common, to every discipline, these are:, (i) Philosophy, (a) Geographical Thought, (b) Land and Human Interaction/, Human Ecology, (ii) Methods and Techniques, (a) Cartography including Computer, Cartography, (b) Quantitative Techniques/Statistical, Techniques, , (c) Field Survey Methods, (d) Geo-informatics comprising, techniques such as Remote, Sensing, GIS, GPS, etc., The above classification gives a, comprehensive format of the branches of, geography. Generally geography curricula is, taught and learnt in this format but this, format is not static. Any discipline is bound, to grow with new ideas, problems, methods, and techniques. For example, what was once, manual cartography has now been, transformed into computer cartography., Technology has enabled scholars to handle, large quantum of data. The internet provides, extensive information. Thus, the capacity to, attempt analysis has increased tremendously., GIS has further opened vistas of knowledge., GPS has become a handy tool to find out exact, locations. Technologies have enhanced the, capacity of attempting synthesis with sound, theoretical understanding., You will learn some preliminary aspects of, these techniques in your book, Practical work, in Geography – Part I (NCERT, 2006). You will, continue to improve upon your skills and, learn about their application., , PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY, , AND ITS, , IMPORTANCE, , This chapter appears in the book entitled, Fundamentals of Physical Geography. The, contents of the book clearly reflect its scope., It is therefore, appropriate to know the, importance of this branch of geography., , Figure 1.3 : Branches of geography based on regional approach, , 2021-22
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10, , FUNDAMENTALS OF PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY, , Physical geography includes the study of, lithosphere (landforms, drainage, relief and, physiography), atmosphere (its composition,, structure, elements and controls of weather, and climate; temperature, pressure, winds,, precipitation, climatic types, etc.), hydrosphere, (oceans, seas, lakes and associated features, with water realm) and biosphere ( life forms, including human being and macro-organism, and their sustaining mechanism, viz. food, chain, ecological parameters and ecological, balance). Soils are formed through the process, of pedogenesis and depend upon the parent, rocks, climate, biological activity and time., Time provides maturity to soils and helps in, the development of soil profiles. Each element, is important for human beings. Landforms, provide the base on which human activities are, located. The plains are utilised for agriculture., Plateaus provide forests and minerals., Mountains provide pastures, forests, tourist, spots and are sources of rivers providing water, to lowlands. Climate influences our house, types, clothing and food habits. The climate, has a profound effect on vegetation, cropping, pattern, livestock farming and some, industries, etc. Human beings have developed, technologies which modify climatic elements, in a restricted space such as air conditioners, and coolers. Temperature and precipitation, ensure the density of forests and quality of, grassland. In India, monsoonal rainfall sets the, agriculture rhythm in motion. Precipitation, recharges the ground water aquifers which, later provides water for agriculture and, domestic use. We study oceans which are the, store house of resources. Besides fish and other, , sea-food, oceans are rich in mineral resources., India has developed the technology for, collecting manganese nodules from oceanic, bed. Soils are renewable resources, which, influence a number of economic activities such, as agriculture. The fertility of the soil is both, naturally determined and culturally induced., Soils also provide the basis for the biosphere, accommodating plants, animals and micro, organisms., What is Geography?, Geography is concerned with the description, and explanation of the areal differentiation of, the earth’s surface., Richard Hartshorne, Geography studies the differences of, phenomena usually related in different parts, of the earth’s surface., Hettner, , The study of physical geography is, emerging as a discipline of evaluating and, managing natural resources. In order to, achieve this objective, it is essential to, understand the intricate relationship between, physical environment and human beings., Physical environment provides resources, and, human beings utilise these resources and, ensure their economic and cultural, development. Accelerated pace of resource, utilisation with the help of modern technology, has created ecological imbalance in the world., Hence, a better understanding of physical, environment is absolutely essential for, sustainable development., , EXERCISES, 1., , Multiple choice questions., (i), , (ii), , Which one of the following scholars coined the term ‘Geography’?, (a) Herodotus, , (c) Galileo, , (b) Erathosthenese, , (d) Aristotle, , Which one of the following features can be termed as ‘physical feature’?, (a) Port, , (c) Plain, , (b) Road, , (d) Water park, , 2021-22
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11, , GEOGRAPHY AS A DISCIPLINE, , (iii) Make correct pairs from the following two columns and mark the correct, option., , (iv), , (v), , 2., , 3., , 1. Meteorology, , A. Population Geography, , 2. Demography, , B. Soil Geography, , 3. Sociology, , C. Climatology, , 4. Pedology, , D. Social Geography, , (a) 1B,2C,3A,4D, , (c) 1D,2B,3C,4A, , (b) 1A,2D,3B,4C, , (d) 1C,2A,3D,4B, , Which one of the following questions is related to cause-effect relationship?, (a) Why, , (c) What, , (b) Where, , (d) When, , Which one of the following disciplines attempts temporal synthesis?, (a) Sociology, , (c) Anthropology, , (b) Geography, , (d) History, , Answer the following questions in about 30 words., (i), , What important cultural features do you observe while going to school?, Are they similar or dissimilar? Should they be included in the study of, geography or not? If yes, why?, , (ii), , You have seen a tennis ball, a cricket ball, an orange and a pumpkin., Which one amongst these resembles the shape of the earth? Why have, you chosen this particular item to describe the shape of the earth?, , (iii), , Do you celebrate Van Mahotsava in your school? Why do we plant so many, trees? How do the trees maintain ecological balance?, , (iv), , You have seen elephants, deer, earthworms, trees and grasses. Where do, they live or grow? What is the name given to this sphere? Can you describe, some of the important features of this sphere?, , (v), , How much time do you take to reach your school from your house? Had, the school been located across the road from your house, how much time, would you have taken to reach school? What is the effect of the distance, between your residence and the school on the time taken in commuting?, Can you convert time into space and vice versa?, , Answer the following questions in about 150 words., (i), , You observe every day in your surroundings that there is variation in, natural as well as cultural phenomena. All the trees are not of the same, variety. All the birds and animals you see, are different. All these different, elements are found on the earth. Can you now argue that geography is, the study of “areal differentiation”?, , (ii), , You have already studied geography, history, civics and economics as, parts of social studies. Attempt an integration of these disciplines, highlighting their interface., , 2021-22
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12, , FUNDAMENTALS OF PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY, , Project Work, Select forest as a natural resource., (i), (ii), (iii), , Prepare a map of India showing the distribution of different types of forests., Write about the economic importance of forests for the country., Prepare a historical account of conservation of forests in India with focus, on Chipko movements in Rajasthan and Uttaranchal., , 2021-22
