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UNIT

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

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CHAPTER

GEOGRAPHY AS A DISCIPLINE

Y
ou have studied geography as one of the of the earth’s surface. The understanding and
components of your Social Science course the skills obtained in modern scientific
upto the secondary stage. You are techniques such as GIS and computer
already aware of some of the phenomena of cartography equip you to meaningfully
geographical nature in the world and its contribute to the national endeavour for
different parts. Now, you will study ‘Geography’ development.
as an independent subject and learn about the Now the next question which you may like
physical environment of the earth, human to ask is — What is geography? You know that
activities and their interactive relationships. earth is our home. It is also the home of many
Therefore, a pertinent question you can ask at other creatures, big and small, which live on
this stage is — Why should we study the earth and sustain. The earth’s surface is
geography? We live on the surface of the earth. not uniform. It has variations in its physical
Our lives are affected by our surroundings in features. There are mountains, hills, valleys,
many ways. We depend on the resources to plains, plateaus, oceans, lakes, deserts and
sustain ourselves in the surrounding areas. wilderness. There are variations in its social
Primitive societies subsisted on ‘natural means and cultural features too. There are villages,
of subsistence’, i.e. edible plants and animals. cities, roads, railways, ports, markets and
With the passage of time, we developed many other elements created by human beings
technologies and started producing our food across the entire period of their cultural
using natural resources such as land, soil and development.
water. We adjusted our food habits and This variation provides a clue to the
clothing according to the prevailing weather understanding of the relationship between the
conditions. There are variations in the natural physical environment and social/cultural
resource base, technological development, features. The physical environment has
adaptation with and modification of physical provided the stage, on which human societies
environment, social organisations and cultural enacted the drama of their creative skills with
development. As a student of geography, you the tools and techniques which they invented
should be curious to know about all the and evolved in the process of their cultural
phenomena which vary over space. You learn development. Now, you should be able to
about the diverse lands and people. You attempt the answer of the question posed
should also be interested in understanding the earlier as to “What is geography”? In very
changes which have taken place over time. simple words, it can be said that geography
Geography equips you to appreciate diversity is the description of the earth. The term
and investigate into the causes responsible for geography was first coined by Eratosthenese,
creating such variations over time and space. a Greek scholar (276-194 BC.). The word has
You will develop skills to understand the globe been derived from two roots from Greek
converted into maps and have a visual sense language geo (earth) and graphos (description).

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GEOGRAPHY AS A DISCIPLINE 3

Put together, they mean description of the earth. changing earth and untiring and ever-active
The earth has always been seen as the abode human beings. Primitive human societies were
of human beings and thus, scholars defined directly dependent on their immediate
geography as, “the description of the earth as environment. Geography, thus, is concerned
the abode of human beings”. You are aware of with the study of Nature and Human
the fact that reality is always multifaceted and interactions as an integrated whole. ‘Human’
the ‘earth’ is also multi-dimensional, that is is an integral part of ‘nature’ and ‘nature’ has
why many disciplines from natural sciences the imprints of ‘human’. ‘Nature’ has influenced
such as geology, pedology, oceanography, different aspects of human life. Its imprints can
botany, zoology and meteorology and a be noticed on food, clothing, shelter and
number of sister disciplines in social sciences occupation. Human beings have come to terms
such as economics, history, sociology, political with nature through adaptation and
science, anthropology, etc. study different modification. As you already know, the present
aspects of the earth’s surface. Geography is society has passed the stage of primitive
different from other sciences in its subject societies, which were directly dependent on
matter and methodology but at the same time, their immediate physical environment for
it is closely related to other disciplines. sustenance. Present societies have modified
Geography derives its data base from all the their natural environment by inventing and
natural and social sciences and attempts their using technology and thus, have expanded the
synthesis. horizon of their operation by appropriating and
We have noted that there exist variations utilising the resources provided by nature. With
over the surface of the earth in its physical as the gradual development of technology, human
well as cultural environment. A number of beings were able to loosen the shackles of their
phenomena are similar and many are dissimilar. physical environment. Technology helped in
It was, therefore, logical to perceive geography reducing the harshness of labour, increased
as the study of areal differentiation. Thus, labour efficiency and provided leisure to
geography was perceived to study all those human beings to attend to the higher needs of
phenomena which vary over space. life. It also increased the scale of production
Geographers do not study only the variations and the mobility of labour.
in the phenomena over the earth’s surface The interaction between the physical
(space) but also study the associations with environment and human beings has been very
the other factors which cause these variations. succinctly described by a poet in the following
For example, cropping patterns differ from dialogue between ‘human’ and ‘nature’ (God).
region to region but this variation in cropping You created the soil, I created the cup, you
pattern, as a phenomenon, is related to created night, I created the lamp. You created
variations in soils, climates, demands in the wilderness, hilly terrains and deserts; I
market, capacity of the farmer to invest and created flower beds and gardens. Human
technological inputs available to her/him. beings have claimed their contribution using
Thus, the concern of geography is to find out natural resources. With the help of technology,
the causal relationship between any two human beings moved from the stage of
phenomena or between more than one necessity to a stage of freedom. They have put
phenomenon. their imprints everywhere and created new
A geographer explains the phenomena in possibilities in collaboration with nature. Thus,
a frame of cause and effect relationship, as it we now find humanised nature and
does not only help in interpretation but also naturalised human beings and geography
foresees the phenomena in future. studies this interactive relationship. The space
The geographical phenomena, both the got organised with the help of the means of
physical and human, are not static but highly transportation and communication network.
dynamic. They change over time as a result of The links (routes) and nodes (settlements of all
the interactive processes between ever types and hierarchies) integrated the space and

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4 FUNDAMENTALS OF PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY

gradually, it got organised. As a social science The present world is being perceived as a global
discipline, geography studies the ‘spatial village. The distances have been reduced by
organisation’ and ‘spatial integration’. better means of transportation increasing
Geography as a discipline is concerned with accessibility. The audio-visual media and
three sets of questions: information technology have enriched the data
(i) Some questions are related to the base. Technology has provided better chances
identification of the patterns of natural of monitoring natural phenomena as well as
and cultural features as found over the the economic and social parameters.
surface of the earth. These are the Geography as an integrating discipline has
questions about what? interface with numerous natural and social
(ii) Some questions are related to the sciences. All the sciences, whether natural or
distribution of the natural and human/ social, have one basic objective, of
cultural features over the surface of the understanding the reality. Geography
earth. These are the questions about attempts to comprehend the associations of
where? phenomena as related in sections of reality.
Taken together, both these questions take Figure 1.1 shows the relationship of geography
care of distributional and locational aspects of with other sciences. Every discipline, concerned
the natural and cultural features. These with scientific knowledge is linked with
questions provided inventorised information of geography as many of their elements vary over
what features and where located. It was a very space. Geography helps in understanding the
popular approach during the colonial period. reality in totality in its spatial perspective.
These two questions did not make geography Geography, thus, not only takes note of the
a scientific discipline till the third question was differences in the phenomena from place to
added. place but integrates them holistically which
(iii) The third question is related to the may be different at other places. A geographer
explanation or the causal relationships is required to have a broad understanding of
between features and the processes and all the related fields, to be able to logically
phenomena. This aspect of geography integrate them. This integration can be
is related to the question, why? understood with some examples. Geography
Geography as a discipline is related to influences historical events. Spatial distance
space and takes note of spatial characteristics itself has been a very potent factor to alter the
and attributes. It studies the patterns of course of history of the world. Spatial depth
distribution, location and concentration of provided defence to many countries,
phenomena over space and interprets them particularly in the last century. In traditional
providing explanations for these patterns. It warfare, countries with large size in area, gain
takes note of the associations and inter - time at the cost of space. The defence provided
relationships between the phenomena over by oceanic expanse around the countries of
space and interprets them providing the new world has protected them from wars
explanations for these patterns. It also takes being imposed on their soil. If we look at the
note of the associations and inter-relationships historical events world over, each one of them
between the phenomena resulting from the can be interpreted geographically.
dynamic interaction between human beings In India, Himalayas have acted as great
and their physical environment. barriers and provided protection but the
passes provided routes to the migrants and
GEOGRAPHY AS AN INTEGRATING DISCIPLINE invaders from Central Asia. The sea coast has
Geography is a discipline of synthesis. It encouraged contact with people from East and
attempts spatial synthesis, and history Southeast Asia, Europe and Africa. Navigation
attempts temporal synthesis. Its approach is technology helped European countries to
holistic in nature. It recognises the fact that colonise a number of countries of Asia and
the world is a system of interdependencies. Africa, including India as they got accessibility

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GEOGRAPHY AS A DISCIPLINE

FIELD OF GEOGRAPHY

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Figure 1.1 : Geography and its relation with other disciplines
5
6 FUNDAMENTALS OF PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY

through oceans. The geographical factors have forests, etc. will be identified, discussed and
modified the course of history in different parts delimited. In the regional approach, the world
of the world. is divided into regions at different hierarchical
Every geographical phenomenon undergoes levels and then all the geographical phenomena
change through time and can be explained in a particular region are studied. These
temporally. The changes in landforms, climate,
regions may be natural, political or designated
vegetation, economic activities occupations and
region. The phenomena in a region are studied
cultural developments have followed a definite
historical course. Many geographical features in a holistic manner searching for unity in
result from the decision making process by diversity.
different institutions at a particular point of Dualism is one of the main characteristics
time. It is possible to convert time in terms of of geography which got introduced from the
space and space in terms of time. For example, very beginning. This dualism depended on the
it can be said that place A is 1,500 km from aspect emphasised in the study. Earlier scholars
place B or alternately, it can also be said that laid emphasis on physical geography. But
place A is two hours away (if one travels by human beings are an integral part of the earth’s
plane) or seventeen hours away (if one travels surface. They are part and parcel of nature. They
by a fast moving train). It is for this reason,
also have contributed through their cultural
time is an integral part of geographical studies
as the fourth dimension. Please mention other development. Thus developed human
three dimensions? geography with emphasis on human activities.
Figure1.1 amply depicts the linkages of
geography with different natural and social BRANCHES OF GEOGRAPHY (BASED ON
sciences. This linkage can be put under two SYSTEMATIC APPROACH)
segments.
1. Physical Geography
BRANCHES OF GEOGRAPHY
(i) Geomorphology is devoted to the study
Please study Figure 1.1 for recapitulation. It has of landforms, their evolution and related
very clearly brought out that geography is an processes.
interdisciplinary subject of study. The study of (ii) Climatology encompasses the study of
every subject is done according to some structure of atmosphere and elements
approach. The major approaches to study of weather and climates and climatic
geography have been (i) Systematic and types and regions.
(ii) Regional. The systematic geography approach (iii) Hydrology studies the realm of water
is the same as that of general geography. This over the surface of the earth including
approach was introduced by Alexander Von oceans, lakes, rivers and other water
Humboldt, a German geographer (1769-1859) bodies and its effect on different life
while regional geography approach was forms including human life and their
developed by another German geographer and a activities.
contemporary of Humboldt, Karl Ritter (iv) Soil Geography is devoted to study the
(1779-1859). processes of soil formation, soil types,
In systematic approach (Figure 1.2), a their fertility status, distribution and
phenomenon is studied world over as a whole, use.
and then the identification of typologies or
2. Human Geography
spatial patterns is done. For example, if one is
interested in studying natural vegetation, the (i) Social/Cultural Geography encom-
study will be done at the world level as a first passes the study of society and its
step. The typologies such as equatorial rain spatial dynamics as well as the cultural
forests or softwood conical forests or monsoon elements contributed by the society.

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GEOGRAPHY AS A DISCIPLINE 7

Figure 1.2 : Branches of geography based on systematic approach

(ii) Population and Settlement Geography agriculture, industry, tourism, trade,


(Rural and Urban). It studies population and transport, infrastructure and
growth, distribution, density, sex ratio, services, etc.
migration and occupational structure (iv) Historical Geography studies the
etc. Settlement geography studies the historical processes through which the
characteristics of rural and urban space gets organised. Every region has
settlements. undergone some historical experiences
(iii) Economic Geography studies economic before attaining the present day status.
activities of the people including The geographical features also

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8 FUNDAMENTALS OF PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY

Figure 1.3 : Branches of geography based on regional approach

experience temporal changes and BRANCHES OF GEOGRAPHY BASED ON REGIONAL


these form the concerns of historical APPROACH (FIGURE1.3)
gography. 1. Regional Studies/Area Studies
(v) Political Geography looks at the space Comprising Macro, Meso and Micro
from the angle of political events and Regional Studies
studies boundaries, space relations 2. Regional Planning
between neighbouring political units, Comprising Country/Rural and Town/
delimitation of constituencies, election Urban Planning
scenario and develops theoretical 3. Regional Development
framework to understand the political 4. Regional Analysis
behaviour of the population. There are two aspects which are common
to every discipline, these are:
3. Biogeography (i) Philosophy
(a) Geographical Thought
The interface between physical geography (b) Land and Human Interaction/
and human geography has lead to the Human Ecology
development of Biogeography which (ii) Methods and Techniques
includes: (a) Cartography including Computer
(i) Plant Geography which studies the
Cartography
spatial pattern of natural vegetation in
(b) Quantitative Techniques/Statistical
their habitats.
Techniques
(ii) Zoo Geography which studies the spatial
(c) Field Survey Methods
patterns and geographic characteristics
of animals and their habitats. (d) Geo-informatics comprising
(iii) Ecology /Ecosystem deals with the techniques such as Remote
scientific study of the habitats Sensing, GIS, GPS, etc.
characteristic of species. The above classification gives a
(iv) Environmental Geography concerns comprehensive format of the branches of
world over leading to the realisation of geography. Generally geography curricula is
environmental problems such as land taught and learnt in this format but this
gradation, pollution and concerns for format is not static. Any discipline is bound
conservation has resulted in the to grow with new ideas, problems, methods
introduction of this new branch in and techniques. For example, what was once
geography. manual cartography has now been

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GEOGRAPHY AS A DISCIPLINE 9

transformed into computer cartography. pattern, livestock farming and some


Technology has enabled scholars to handle industries, etc. Human beings have developed
large quantum of data. The internet provides technologies which modify climatic elements in
extensive information. Thus, the capacity to a restricted space such as air conditioners and
attempt analysis has increased tremendously. coolers. Temperature and precipitation ensure
GIS has further opened vistas of knowledge. the density of forests and quality of grassland.
In India, monsoonal rainfall sets the agriculture
GPS has become a handy tool to find out exact
rhythm in motion. Precipitation recharges the
locations. Technologies have enhanced the
ground water aquifers which later provides
capacity of attempting synthesis with sound
water for agriculture and domestic use. We
theoretical understanding.
study oceans which are the store house of
You will learn some preliminary aspects of resources. Besides fish and other sea-food,
these techniques in your book, Practical work oceans are rich in mineral resources. India has
in Geography – Part I (NCERT, 2006). You will developed the technology for collecting
continue to improve upon your skills and learn manganese nodules from oceanic bed. Soils are
about their application. renewable resources, which influence a number
of economic activities such as agriculture. The
PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY AND ITS IMPORTANCE fertility of the soil is both naturally determined
This chapter appears in the book entitled and culturally induced. Soils also provide the
Fundamentals of Physical Geography. The basis for the biosphere accommodating plants,
contents of the book clearly reflect its scope. It animals and micro organisms.
is therefore, appropriate to know the
importance of this branch of geography. What is Geography?
Physical geography includes the study of
lithosphere (landforms, drainage, relief and Geography is concerned with the description
and explanation of the areal differentiation of
physiography), atmosphere (its composition,
the earth’s surface.
structure, elements and controls of weather and Richard Hartshorne
climate; temperature, pressure, winds,
precipitation, climatic types, etc.), hydrosphere Geography studies the differences of
(oceans, seas, lakes and associated features phenomena usually related in different parts
of the earth’s surface.
with water realm) and biosphere ( life forms
Hettner
including human being and macro-organism
and their sustaining mechanism, viz. food
chain, ecological parameters and ecological The study of physical geography is
balance). Soils are formed through the process emerging as a discipline of evaluating and
of pedogenesis and depend upon the parent managing natural resources. In order to
rocks, climate, biological activity and time. Time achieve this objective, it is essential to
provides maturity to soils and helps in the understand the intricate relationship between
development of soil profiles. Each element is physical environment and human beings.
important for human beings. Landforms Physical environment provides resources, and
provide the base on which human activities are human beings utilise these resources and
located. The plains are utilised for agriculture. ensure their economic and cultural
Plateaus provide forests and minerals. development. Accelerated pace of resource
Mountains provide pastures, forests, tourist utilisation with the help of modern technology
spots and are sources of rivers providing water has created ecological imbalance in the world.
to lowlands. Climate influences our house Hence, a better understanding of physical
types, clothing and food habits. The climate has environment is absolutely essential for
a profound effect on vegetation, cropping sustainable development.

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10 FUNDAMENTALS OF PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY

EXERCISES

1. Multiple choice questions.


(i) Which one of the following scholars coined the term ‘Geography’?
(a) Herodotus (c) Galileo
(b) Erathosthenese (d) Aristotle
(ii) Which one of the following features can be termed as ‘physical feature’?
(a) Port (c) Plain
(b) Road (d) Water park
(iii) Make correct pairs from the following two columns and mark the correct
option.

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
(iv) Which one of the following questions is related to cause-effect relationship?
(a) Why (c) What
(b) Where (d) When
(v) Which one of the following disciplines attempts temporal synthesis?
(a) Sociology (c) Anthropology
(b) Geography (d) History
2. 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

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GEOGRAPHY AS A DISCIPLINE 11

between your residence and the school on the time taken in commuting?
Can you convert time into space and vice versa?
3. 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.
Project Work
Select forest as a natural resource.
(i) Prepare a map of India showing the distribution of different types of forests.
(ii) Write about the economic importance of forests for the country.
(iii) Prepare a historical account of conservation of forests in India with focus
on Chipko movements in Rajasthan and Uttaranchal.

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