Chapter 1
Human Geography
(Nature and Scope)
1. Choose the right answer from the four alternatives given below:
Question 1.(i)
Which one of the following statements does not describe geography?
(a) an integrative discipline
(b) study of the inter-relationship between humans and environment
(c) subjected to dualism
(d) not relevant in the present time due to the development of
technology
Answer:
(d) not relevant in the present time due to the development of technology
Question 1.(ii)
Which one of the following is not a source of geographical information?
(a) traveller’s accounts
(b) old maps
(c) samples of rock materials from the moon
(d) ancient epics
Answer:
(c) samples of rock materials from the moon
Question 1.(iii)
Which one of the following is the most important factor in the
interaction between people and environment?
(a) human intelligence
(b) people’s perception
(c) technology
(d) human brotherhood
Answer:
(c) technology
Question 1.(iv)
Which one of the following is not an approach in human geography?
(a) Areal differentiation
(b) Spatial organisation
(c) Quantitative revolution
(d) Exploration and description
Answer:
(c) Quantitative revolution
2. Answer the following questions in about 30 words:
Question 2.(i)
Define human geography.
Answer:
Human geography is defined as “the relationship between the physical/
natural and the human worlds, the spatial distribution of human
phenomenon and how they come about, the social and economic
difference between different parts of the world.” According to Ratzel “
Human geography is the synthetic study of relationship between human
societies and earth’s surface”.
According to Ellen C. Semple “Human geography is the study of the
changing relationships between the unresting man and unstable earth”
According to Paul Vidal de la Blache “Conception resulting from a more
synthetic knowledge of the physical laws governing our earth and of the
relations between the living beings which inhabit it.”
Question 2.(ii)
Name some sub-fields of human geography.
Answer:
Some sub-fields of human geography are:
Behavioral geography, Geography of social well-being, Geography of
leisure, Cultured geography, Gender geography, Historical geography,
Medical geography, Electoral geography, Military geography, Geography
of Resources, Geography of agriculture, Geography of industries,
Geography of Marketing, Geography of Tourism and Geography of
international trade.
Question 2.(iii)
How is human geography related to other social sciences?
Answer:
Human geography attempts to explain the relationship between all
elements of human life and the space they occur over. Thus, human
geography assumes a highly interdisciplinary nature. It develops close
interface with sister disciplines in social sciences in order to understand
and explain human elements on the surface of the earth. With the
expansion of knowledge, new sub-fields emerge and it has further
expanded realm of human geography.
Example; Within social geography there are following sub fields with the
interface with sister disciplines of social sciences:
Behavioural geography-Psychology
Geography of social well-being- Welfare Economics
Geography of Leisure-Sociology
Cultural Geography-Anthropology
Gender Geography-Sociology, Anthropology, Women’s Studies Historical
Geography-History Medical Geography-Epidemology
3. Answer the following questions in 150 words:
Question 3.(i)
Explain naturalization of humans.
Answer:
Human beings interact with their physical environment with help of
technology. It is not important what human beings produce and create
but it is extremely important with the help of what tools and techniques
do they produce and create. Technology indicates the level of social and
cultural development of society.
In the early stages of their interaction with environment, human beings
interacted with environment with help of primitive technology, hence
nature played a dominant role over humans. Human beings were greatly
influenced by nature and adapted to dictates of the nature. This type of
interaction when, human society was at primitive stage of development
and hence adapted itself as per the nature, is called naturalization of
humans also known as environmental determinism. This is a stage of
naturalized humans, who listen to nature, are afraid of nature’s fury and
worship it. All the actions of human beings are guided by the nature,
especially by climate, wild animals and availability of water and edible
plants. At this stage due to lack of technological advancement and
understanding of nature, human beings are not able to loosen the
shackles of nature and hence follow it and all their actions are guided by
nature. This type of interaction can still be seen in tribal societies where
tribal lives’ revolve around nature and their daily routine is well knit with
the natural processes.
Example; Tribals depend on the edible plants and their parts they get
from nature, some of the hunter tribes hunt wild animals with help of
primitive tools. They use medicines out of natural plants available. Their
religious practices involve worshiping trees, forces of nature, wild groves
etc.
Question 3.(ii)
Write a note on the scope of human geography.
Answer:
Geography as a field of study is integrative, empirical, and practical.
Thus, the reach of geography is extensive and each and every
phenomenon that varies over space and time can be studied
geographically.
Human geography is defined as “the relationship between the physical/
natural and the human worlds, the spatial distribution of human
phenomenon and how they come about, the social and economic
difference between different parts of the world.” The core concern of
geography as a discipline is to understand the earth as home of human
beings and to study all those elements that have sustained them.
Human geography covers a very wide range of fields. It not only studies
presence of human phenomenon but also relationship of human and
physical world, the pattern and distribution of human processes
including both social and economical.
It makes study of geography more relevant as it tries to relate the
physical and man-made world with full causal understanding hence
making it more applicable to our daily lives. It not only helps us to
understand various problems, their causes and effects, but also helps us
in finding a suitable solution for them. In the present scenario with
increasing discord between human beings and nature resulting in
environmental destruction, human geography becomes all the more
relevant as it explains the relationship between human and nature and
thus assumes highly important role in helping to bring back the
environmental symphony and hence saving our planet.
