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HUMAN GEOGRAPHY-AN OUTLINE

Technical Report · August 2017

DOI: 10.13140/RG.2.2.14028.92802

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 HUMAN GEOGRAPHY -AN OUTLINE
BY
PROF. A. BALASUBRAMANIAN
Centre for Advanced Studies in Earth Science,
University of Mysore,
Mysore-6

1
 Introduction:
Geography is an interesting subject for all. It deals
with location, space, patterns and distribution of
life, landforms, resources, environment and
development.
The subject of geography involves, five themes as
1. Location
2. Place
3. Human-environment interaction
4. Movement and
5. Region.

2
 In addition to these, geography also includes six
"essential elements" as:
1. The World in spatial terms
2. Places and regions
3. Physical systems
4. Human systems
5. Society & Environment and lastly
6. the uses of geography.
Geography basically bridges the human and
physical sciences.

3
 Because of this linkage, the subject of geography
is divided into two main branches as physical
geography and human geography.
 Human geography is the study of human use and
understanding of the whole world and the
processes which have affected it.
 Human geography broadly differs from physical
geography in that it focuses on the built
environment and how the space is created,
viewed, used and managed by the humans as well
as the influence humans on the space they occupy.

4
 The Fields of human geography includes several
aspects of human life support systems. It includes
culture, economy, language, population, politics,
religion, transport, health, marketing, tourism and
urbanization related issues.
In this episode, the following aspects of Human
geography are highlighted:
1. Human Evolution & population
2. Mosaic of Human activities in space
3. Patterns of human development
4. Human settlements and urbanization
5. Impact of humans on the environment.
5
1. HUMAN EVOLUTION & POPULATION

The basic aspect related to Human Geography

versus Human Ecology are discussed first.
Human Geography as the Study of Man and His
Adjustment to Natural Environment are very
essential aspects. There are so many theories and
concepts in geography like Determinism or
Environmental Determinism/Possibilism and
Neo-determinism.
All these are analysed with reference to human
related activities.
6
The Cultural or Social Determinism and
Behavioural Environment are also studied.
Human geography also deals with the
Evolution and Races of Man , Racism and Ethnic
Groups and their distribution in different parts of
the world.
The First People of the world are studied
under this subject.
It includes:
Food Gatherers
The Pygmies (Pigmees) of Congo Basin
Semangs
7
Sakais
The Andamanese
The San Bushmen of Kalahari Desert
The Blackfoots
Paiutes
Inuits (Eskimos): the Hunters of Maritime
Mammals
Aborigines of Australia
Yukaghirs
Pastoral Nomads
The Bedovins (Badawins) of the Arabian Desert
The Kirghizs of Central Asia
8
Tungus: The Reindeer Herders of Siberia
Yakuts: The Reindeer and Horse Herders
Chuckchis and Koryaks
Samoyeds
The Masais (Mah-Sy) of East Africa
Boro: The Cultivators of the Western Amazon
Basin
The Oceanians: Agriculturists of the Islands
The Cultivators of the Eastern Solomns
Yoruba (Yoh-roo-bah): The Hoe Cultivators of
African Forests
The Bhils of India
9
Gonds
The Gujjars and Bakarwals of Jammu and Kashmir
The Nagas of Northeast India

Population geography is the study of the ways in

which spatial variations in the distribution,
composition, migration, and growth of
populations are related to the nature of places.
Historical geography deals with the study of the
human, physical, fictional, theoretical, and "real"
geographies of the past.

10
It aims to understand how the cultural features of
various societies across the globe got emerged
and evolved, by understanding how a place or
region changes through time.

POPULATION and its WORLD PATTERNS are

analysed.

Population Prior to Agricultural Revolution

History of Population Growth
Factors Influencing the Distribution of World
Population.
11
Density of Population
Densely Populated Regions
Sparsely Populated Regions
Future Distribution of Regions
Age and Sex Structure among populations
Age-Groups of populations are also studied.

The Literacy is an important parameter of

assessment of a population.

12
The Determinants of Literacy / Spatial Pattern of
Literacy are also studied under this subject.

There are several theories put forward about

Population studies. The Malthusian
Theory/Marxian Theory/Demographic Transition
Theory are the major theories studied in this
subject.
Optimum Population, Population Problems,
especially Problems of Developing
Countries/Developed Countries are also studied.

13
Population Policies, especially, the Policies
Discouraging Population Growth/One Child
Policy of China/Policies Encouraging
Population Growth, India’s Population Scenario
are the very essential aspects.

The Density of Population / Growth pattern / Sex

Ratio / Fertility Rate / Life Expectancy are also
important under the context of human geographic
studies.

14
Population Policy of India, National Population
Policy 2000, Population and Human Well-being
are some more aspects included in this subject.

Migration of population is yet another major

area of study.
It deals with the Causes of Migration
Consequences of Migration
International Migration,
Population Redistribution through International
Migration
Recent International Migration
15
 Emigration from India
Theories of Migration
Lee’s Model of Migration and
Zelinskys’ Mobility Transition Model are all
studied in this subject.

Children's geographies is related to the study of

places and spaces of children's lives, characterised
experientially, politically and ethically. It is a new
concept which got emerged recently.

16
2. MOSAIC OF HUMAN ACTIVITIES IN SPACE

This division mainly deals with THE MOSAIC OF

CULTURE, LANGUAGE, RELIGION AND CUSTOMS.
It includes the study the distribution of
Language
Dialect
Spatial Distribution of Major languages
Linguistic classification
Diffusion and pattern of languages
Ancestry f Indo-European Languages
17
Germanic Family
The Latin Linguistic Family
Balto-Slavic Languages
Indo-Iranian Languages
Iranian Languages
Sino-Tibetan Languages
Semito-Hametic Languages and
Africa Languages.

18
 Language geography is related to the study of
geographic distribution of language or its
constituent elements. There are two principal
fields of study within the geography of language:
1. Geography of languages which mainly deals
with the distribution through history and space of
languages and
2. Linguistic geography which deals with the
regional linguistic variations within the languages.

RELIGION is apart of the human social systems.

Classification of Religion
19
Universalizing Religions / Ethnic Religions /
Tribal or Traditional Religions.
Religion and Natural Features are all studied in
this subject.
World’s major religions like
Christianity
Islam
Buddhism
Hinduism
Judaism are all discussed.
In addition, The Tribal Religions, Chinese and
Japanese Religions are also analysed.
20
 Religion geography is another study dealing with
the impact of geography, i.e. place and space, on
various religious belief.
Concepts like Confucianism / Taoism / Shintoism
are also studied in this branch of geography.
Cultural Patterns and Processes include the
following areas;
A. Concepts of culture
1. Traits
2. Diffusion
3. Acculturation
21
4. Cultural regions
B. Cultural differences
1. Language
2. Religion
3. Ethnicity
4. Gender
5. Popular and folk culture
C. Environmental impact of cultural attitudes and
practices
D. Cultural landscapes and cultural identity
1. Values and preferences
2. Symbolic landscapes and sense of place
22
CUSTOMS of people like Food, Clothing and Other
Wearing , Folk Medicines and The Oral Folk
Traditions are also included.

Cultural geography is the study of cultural

products and norms and their variations across
the spaces and places. It also focuses on
analyzing the ways the language, religion,
economy, government and other cultural
phenomena vary or remain constant, from one
place to another.
23
Political geography is the study of the spatially
uneven outcomes of political processes and the
ways in which the political processes are
themselves affected by the spatial structures.
Basically, the inter-relationships between people,
state, and territory are discussed in political
geography.
The Electoral geography deals with the
relationship between election results and the
regions they affect , and of the effects of regional
factors upon voting behavior.
24
Aspects like Geopolitics , and Strategic
geography are included in it.

Military geography deals with the application of

geographic tools, information, and techniques to
solve military problems in peacetime or war.

Sexuality and space is another dimension which

encompasses all the relationships and interactions
between human sexuality, space, and place.

25
 The geographies of prostitution and adult
entertainment, use of sexualised locations in the
arts, and sexual citizenship are all coming under
this branch.

3. PATTERNS OF HUMAN DEVELOPMENT

Human geography deals with the patterns and
Approaches to Development. It includes, the
study of Growth versus Distribution /
Agricultural versus Industrial Development /
Urban versus Rural Development /
Capital versus Labour Intensive aspects.
26
It also deals with Centralization versus
Decentralization /
Modern versus Traditional /
Socio-economic versus Physical Planning

The other areas of study are

Iniquitous International Order
Traits of Development in Developing Countries
Measures of Development
Composite Measures of Development and
Uneven Development.

27
There are some models of development like Core-
Periphery Model, Rostows’ Model, and Balanced
Growth Model which are also studied.

Development Regions of the World, like

Anglo-America
Western Europe
Eastern Europe and the Erstwhile Soviet Union
Japan
The South Pacific Countries of Australia and
New Zealand
The Middle East
28
 Latin America
Tropical Africa
East Asia
Southeast Asia and
South Asia are all analysed in detail.

Human Development is a major aspect of

geographic studies.

Wealth and Human Development and Human

Development Index are the two major aspects
included.
29
 The parameters of human development index
like
Life Expectancy at Birth /
Senile Population /
Juvenile Population /
Literacy /
GNP and GDP are all included.

30
The reasons for Unequal Human Development
and their Spatial Patterns, Salient Features of
Human Development Index, issues like Poverty in
Developing Countries,
Salient Features of Human Poverty Index for
Developing countries,
Human Poverty in Industrial Countries, Income
Disparities,
The Ultra-Rich and the Rural-Urban and Gender
Disparities,
Ethnic and Racial Disparities,

31
Consumption Pattern and the methods of
Computing the Human Development Index are
included.

Development geography is the study of the Earth's

geography with reference to the standard of living
and quality of life. It handles the aspects like
economic, political and social factors, and seeks to
understand both the geographical causes and
consequences of varying development.

32
 Analysis pertaining to More Economically
Developed Countries (MEDCs) and Less
Economically Developed Countries (LEDCs) are
studied in this subject.

It also includes, the Political Organization of Space .

A. Territorial dimensions of politics
1. The concept of territoriality
2. The nature and meaning of boundaries
3. Influences of boundaries on identity,
interaction, and exchange
B. Evolution of the contemporary political pattern
33
1. The nation-state concept
2. Colonialism and imperialism
3. Federal and unitary states
C. Challenges to inherited political-territorial
arrangements
1. Changing nature of sovereignty
2. Fragmentation, unification, alliance
3. Spatial relationships between political
patterns and patterns of ethnicity, economy, and
environment
4. Electoral geography, including
gerrymandering
34
4. HUMAN SETTLEMENTS AND URBANIZATION

Origin of Settlements , Religious / Cultural /

Political Military / Economic aspects of
settlement,
Site of Settlements-Unstable settlements / Stable
Rural Settlements
Classification of settlements-Compact or
Nucleated / Semi-Compact or Semi-Nucleated
Settlements / Dispersed Settlements
Functions of Rural Settlements
Patterns of Rural Settlements
35
 Planned Rural Settlements
Rural-Urban Settlements
Urban Settlements - Origin of Towns /
Functional Classification of Towns / Definitions of
Urban Places / Zoning of Towns / The Urban
Hierarchy, Social Areas of Cities are discussed.

Settlement Geography is an effective tool.

Knowing where, why and how people choose to
live in a particular area helps to develop business
plans and to locate new franchises.
36
Such studies can also help in focusing the
developments of municipalities with fixed
economy and targets. If an area has high
unemployment and low job availability, people
need public transport and work places adjacent to
it.
Regional Planning make use of the theories of
settlement Geography and also the data to balance
the growth dimension of a region.

37
If a housing development starts adjacent to an old
town, the sewage treatment and water supply
become essential requirements. It has been
observed in some places, during some seasons
that water supply is done once in two days and
also for an hour or two. The dwellers are also
supplied water using water tankers.
Human geography also deals with various aspects
of urban settlement.

38
 Urban geography is a major field of study in
geography. It deals with the origin and growth of
urban areas, in terms of their concentration,
infrastructure, economy, and other environmental
impacts. Urban design and town planning, urban
architecture are also included in this subject.

Urbanization studies deal with

Basis of Urban Settlement
Origin and Growth of Urbanization
Recent Urban Growth
Mega cities
39
Urbanization of India
Urbanization in India After Independence
Level and Trend of Urbanization in India
Metropolitan Areas
Indian Mega Cities
National Capital Region
Slum Population and
Salient Features of Indian Urbanization.

40
 The Growth and diffusion of industrialization
also comes under this subject.
1. The changing roles of energy and technology
2. Industrial Revolution
3. Evolution of economic cores and peripheries
4. Geographic critiques of models of economic
localization (i.e., land rent, comparative costs of
transportation), industrial location, economic
development, and world systems,
Contemporary patterns and impacts of
industrialization and development.
5. Spatial organization of the world economy
41
6. Variations in levels of development
7. Deindustrialization and economic
restructuring
8. Pollution, health, and quality of life
9. Industrialization, environmental change, and
sustainability are also studied.

Economic geography is a major aspect of study. It

deals with the location, distribution and spatial
organization of economic activities across the
world.

42
Aspects included in this branch are the location of
industries, economies of agglomeration (also
known as "linkages"), transportation,
international trade and development, real estate,
gentrification, ethnic economies, gendered
economies, core-periphery theory, the economics
of urban form, the relationship between the
environment and the economy and globalization.

43
Marketing geography is yet another promising
discipline deals with marketing analysis which
uses geolocation (geographic information) in the
process of planning and implementation of
marketing activities. It can also be used in any
aspect of the marketing mix – the product, price,
promotion, or place (geo targeting).

44
5. IMPACT OF HUMANS ON THE ENVIRONMENT.

Geography deals with the life and its environment.

The role of life on the environment is also an
essential part of this study.
Environment is the total set of circumstances
surrounding any life. Geography is the location
and pattern of distribution of living things on
earth.

45
Hence, Environmental Geography deals with the
spatial distribution of various ecosystems, habitat,
plants, animal and human life. Man-made
changes and developments are many. They have
profound effects on the environment.

Hence,
Environmental Geography includes the study of
location and the impact of industries,
urbanization and deforestation on human
settlements.

46
Pollution, and environmental issues of
municipal/industrial and agricultural wastes, soil
and coastal erosion, are also studied under this
branch. Emphasis is given to analyze the
relationship between people and nature in
environmental Geography.

IMPACT OF MAN ON ENVIRONMENT

Causes of Climatic Change
Environmental Change in the Historic Period
Increase in Greenhouse Gases
Early Spring, Late Winter
47
Acidification
Ozone Depletion
Environment Change Caused by the Disposal of
Waste Material
Impact of Chemical Fertilizers on Environment
Soil Erosion
Salinization
Desertification
Deforestation
Tourism and Recreation as the Agents of
Environmental Change
Bio-genetic Engineering and Environment
48
It is under this concept biogeography,
environmental geography, animal geography came
in.

The world we live in has diversified species of

plants and animals. Biogeography is yet another
branch of geography dealing with the study of
physical factors influencing the world distribution
of plants and animals, forms and functions of
ecosystems like forests, grassland, plains and
mountains.

49
Biodiversity and its depletion through natural and
man-made causes, conservation
and management of Ecosystems and the migration
of animals over the regions and different
climatic zones, are all the topics studied under
biogeography.

Animal geographies are studies related to the

spaces and places occupied by animals in human
culture.

50
It is mainly concerning with heavily populated
animals of many differing kinds and in many
differing ways like the farm animals, pets, wild
animals located in different places.
Another impetus that has influenced the
development of this subject is the nature-society
relations, including animal welfare and their
rights.
Earth is a dynamic planet. Natural hazards are
happening every few minutes. Disasters are
dangerous to all life. It is under these issues the
subject Hazards Geography got evolved.
51
Hazards Geography is a modern branch of
geography mainly dealing with natural and man-
made hazards, locations of disasters, impacts and
disaster management initiatives. This subject
also includes the topics like landslides,
earthquakes, Tsunamis, floods and droughts and
epidemics. Hazards geography concentrates on
various ecological issues and remedies, zonation
mapping and mitigation methods.

52
Tourism geography is the study of travel and
tourism. It is also concerning with tourism as an
industry and as a social and cultural activity, and
their impact on places, including the
environmental impact of tourism, the geographies
of tourism and leisure economies, answering
tourism industry and management concerns and
the sociology of tourism and locations of tourism.
Transportation geography is also a branch of
economic geography. It investigates the spatial
interactions between people, freight and
information.
53
It aims to study the humans and their use of
transport systems including vehicles or other
modes of travelling as well as how the markets are
serviced by the flows of finished goods and raw
materials over a geographic region.

Health geography deals with the application of

geographical information, its perspectives, and
methods to the study of the distribution of health,
disease, and health care.

54
It aims to provide a spatial understanding of a
population's health, the distribution of disease in
an area, and the environment's effect on health
and diseases. It also deals with accessibility to
health care and the spatial distribution of health
care providers.
Human Geography is the study of human use and
understanding of the world and the processes
which have affected it.

55
It focuses on the built environment and also on
how the space is created, viewed and managed by
humans as well as the influence of humans on the
space they occupy.
Human beings invariably need food, clothes and
shelter for normal living.
These three are the basic necessities. Shelter is
the place for a safe rest and comfortable stay.

56
 Shelter is also a place for human cultural activities
and social linkages.
The word “shelter” may denote houses, dwellings,
group of dwellings and habitations.
The word hamlet was also used for a small groups
of shelters, in the rural areas.
Geographers analysed the landuse, identified the
merits and demerits of settlements during early
civilizations and their functional relationships
with other geographic factors.
57

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