GEOGRAPHY

Competencies:

1. Discuss some basic geographical concepts, processes and patterns

2. Examine the character of the various regions of the Philippines as influenced by environmental, cultural,
and historical forces
3. Explain the diversity of connections of people and places in globalizing world as mediated by cultures,
politics, and historical development

Nature of Geography

Geography came from two Greek works “geo” (earth) and “graphos” (description). It is a science dealing with Earth’s
surface and such elements like climate, time, space, landscape, resources, population, and issues. Geographers study
the location (nominal, relative and absolute), spatial relation (relation between places, earth features and groups of
people), regional characteristics (socio-cultural, political, economic, environmental, etc.) and forces that change the earth
(volcanism, diastrophism, waves, earthquakes, land subsidence, etc.) There are four classifications of geography namely:
Physical geography (geomorphology, climatology, biogeography, medical geography, environmental geography, etc.)
Human geography (cultural geography, population geography, historical geography, etc.) Economic geography (trade and
commerce, transportation and communication, and agriculture) and Facilities and Instruments (cartography, fieldwork
geographical survey, etc.)

The Egyptians, Mesopotamians, Hindus, and Chinese laid much of the groundwork, but it was the Greeks who made so
much contribution to the development of geography as a discipline. Works such as ‘Odyssey’ which describes the many
recognizable places that ‘Ulysses’ reached during his long voyage home from Troy, and ‘Histories’ by Herodotus which
describes so many places in Egypt, Persia, Mesopotamia, Africa and Asia Minor, are some of the earliest geographic
works. Anaximander drew the first scaled world map, while Eratosthenes was the first to use the word ‘geography’
(Geograpika) and measured accurately the circumference of the earth. Strabo was the first to divide the world into frigid,
temperate, and tropic zones.

Concerns of a Geographer

1. Location – nominal, relative, absolute

2. Spatial relations – relation between places, earth features, and group of peoples.
3. Regional Characteristics – refer to the physical, cultural, political, social, economic, and other characteristics of a
region. Region can be functional or uniform
4. Forces that change the earth’s surface – volcanism, earthquake, subsidence, and emergence, waves,
diastrophism, folding, etc.
5. Time – considered as fourth element of geography

PLACES AND LANDSCAPES

Geography is also a science of space, places and landscapes. Geographers use the words “place” or “landscape” to
describe particular location which are familiar, and other with which people are connected to. Geography is the study of
the relationship between people and these “places” or “landscape”. A “place” refers to the locality, spot, position, town,
village, residence, buildings, etc. (Websters dictionary). A “landscape” refers to the distinctive feature/characteristics of an
extensive area or given area other than physical landscapes: urban landscapes, activity spaces, landscapes of
consumption, extreme landscapes, heritage landscapes, protected landscapes, landscapes of religion, landscape of
happiness, erotic landscapes, etc.

Coverage of Geography

Cartography, Photos, Tables, Pictographs, Geomorphology, Hydrogeography, Biogeography,

Timelines, Charts, Diagrams, Geostatistics, Climatology and Meteorology, Environmental
Fieldwork, Survey, Satellites, Almanacs, Atlas, etc. Geography, Oceanography, Genography,
Geomatics, Polar Geography

FACILITIES AND PHYSICAL

EQUIPMENT GEOGRAPHY
GEOGRAPHY
HUMAN ECONOMIC
GEOGRAPHY GEOGRAPHY

Cultural Geography, Urban Geography, Social Trade and Commerce, Communication

Geography, Population Geography, Political Geography, Transportation Geography,
Geography/Geopolitics, Historical Geography Agricultural Geography, Rural Geography, Tourism
Geography, Developmental Geography

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Relationship of Geography and Astronomy

- Astronomy is considered to be the first science

- Sun’s periodic storm/solar flares or intense outbursts can imperil astronauts, push satellites out of the orbit or fry
their circuitry, can turn compass needles topsy-turvy knockout electric power system, and possibly cause climate
change.
- The moons’ gravitational pull can cause the tidal waves
- The earth tilting at 23.5˚ due to the gravitational pull of the northern Star/Polaris
- The Hubble’s telescope is continuously sending images of galaxies which can be exactly the same with our
galaxy, while the Kepler telescope is in a mission to look for planets which are similar to the earth.
- Due to its tilting, the earth has varied climates and climatic zone.

BRANCHES OF GEOGRAPHY

A. FACILITIES AND INSTRUMENTS AND TOOLS

1. CARTOGRAPHY – in Greek “chartis” (map) and “graphien” (write); is the study and practice of making graphical
maps.
Concerns/Problems of Cartography:
a. Set the map’s agenda and select traits of the object to be mapped.
b. Represent the terrain of the mapped object on flat media.
c. Eliminate characteristics of the mapped object that are not relevant to the map’s purpose.
d. Reduce the complexity of the elements/characteristics that will be mapped.

Parts of the Map Types of Maps

a. Legend/Symbology
b. Title/Map Image a. Climate maps
c. Neat line/Borderline b. Economic or resources maps
d. Compass Rose/North Arrow c. Physical maps
e. Scale Bar Projection d. Political maps
f. Overview Map e. Road maps
g. Information about the map resources f. Topographic maps
h. Accuracy and publication

Map Projections (some of 242 know projections) j. Sinusoidal

a. Mercator k. Azimuthal Equal-Area
b. Mollweide l. Orthographic
c. Van Der Grinten m. Globe Rosette
d. Robinson n. Perspective
e. Globe Gores o. Amo Peter’s
f. Bonne p. Stereographic
g. Briesemeister q. Miller Cylindrical
h. Azimuthal Equidistant r. Gnomonic
i. Polyconic

2. PHOTOGRAPHS, TABLE, PICTOGRAPHS, TIMELINES

a. GRAPHS – are special reference material that uses dots, bars, and lines to show a system of relationships
between things. The four basic types are: line, bar, pictograph, and pie or circle graphs.
b. TIMELINE – is a drawing that shows when events happened and the order in which they happened.
c. TABLES, CHARTS AND DIAGRAMS – tables are visual displays of numeral or non-numeral data arranged in
vertical columns so that the data maybe emphasized, composed, or contrasted. Diagram is used to show
different parts of a device or the stages of a process. Chart is a tool that shows facts arranged in columns and
rows.
d. GEOSTATISTICS – the way primary sources are linked to geography, or the method of relating statistics to
geographical entities (addresses, streets, segments, coordinates, administrative units, etc.)
e. FIELDWORK SURVEY – a general descriptive term for the collection of raw data. An investigation is carried
out in the field rather than in a laboratory as headquarters e.g. landuse, farm survey, village surveys, work
surveys, survey of buildings, transport system survey.
Basic Survey Equipment are orienteering compass, pencil, colored pencils, questionnaires, weather
instruments, pen, computer, range finder (displays the distance and bearing to the object), Geographic
Information System (GIS), Geographic Positioning System (GPS)
f. SATELLITE – a object which has been placed into orbit by human endeavor. There are solar observation
satellites, communications satellites, broadcast satellites, weather satellites, earth observation satellites,
geographic observation satellites, navigation satellites, military satellites, spy satellites, reconnaissance
satellites, space stations, tether satellites (connected to another satellite by a thin cable.)
g. ALMANACS – convey information about such subjects as world events, tragedies, sport features, general
information, facts, statistics, documents about many countries, newspaper, religion group, business
organizations, and trades or professions.
h. ATLAS – a book of maps. It sometimes includes facts and figures about places, typically of Earth or a region
of Earth, but there are also atlases of the other planets in the solar system. (e.g. Atlas of World History)
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B. PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY – concerns with the locations of such earth features as lands, water and climate; their
relation to one another and to human activities.
1. GEOMORPHOLOGY – scientific study of landforms and the processes that shape them.
a. Fluvial – fluvial processes comprise the motion of sediment and erosion of or deposition on the river bed.
(hydraulic action, abrasion, attrition)
b. Aeolian – wind erosion, transport, disposition (saltation).
c. Mass wasting – or slope movement, e.g. creeps, landslides, flows, topples.
d. Glacial – gradual movement of ice down valley which causes abrasion and plucking of the underlying rock.
e. Weathering – thermal expansion, frost disintegration, pressure release, waves, salt crystallization, biological
weathering, chemical weathering, hydration, hydrolysis, oxidation.

Practical Application of Geomorphology

a. Measuring the effects of climate change

b. Hazard assessment including landslide prediction and mitigation
c. River control and restoration
d. Coastline protection from receding
e. Assessing the presence of water in Mars

2. HYDROGEOGRAPHY – focuses on the measurement of physical characteristic of water and marginal land. Deals
with the flow of liquids in pipes, river, and channels and their confinements by dams and tanks.
Concerns of Hydrogeography
a. The hydraulic cycle at the global scale.
b. Soil hydrology
c. Hydrological basis and the hydrological balance
d. Hydrology of surface water
e. Impact of human intervention in the planning of management of water resources

3. BIOGEOGRAPHY – the study of the distribution of biodiversity over space and time. It answers the question
“which species and where” then followed by the question “why”.
FUNDAMENTALS OF BIOGEOGRAPHY
1. Evolution – change in genetic composition of a population
2. Extinction – disappearance of species
3. Biological dispersal – movement of species away from their points of origin
4. Endemism – being unique to the particular geographic location, such as specific island, habitat type, nation,
or other defined zone
5. Vicariance – referring to organisms whose ranges are entirely separated, so that they do not appear in any
one place together
6. Range and distribution – geographical area within which that species can be found

4. CLIMATOLOGY AND METEOROLOGY

Climatology is the study of climate scientifically defined as weather condition over period of time. Meteorology is
the interdisciplinary scientific study of the atmosphere that focuses on weather processes and forecasting.

Fundamentals of Climatology
1. Type of climate
2. Type of clouds
3. Climatic/weather issues: El Niño, La Niña, monsoons, dry spells, typhoons, twisters/hurricanes, erratic
weather conditions (New York, New Zealand, London), cyclones, climate change

5. ENVIRONMENTAL GEOGRAPHY – branch of geography that describes the spatial aspect of interactions
between humans and the natural world.

Branches of Environmental Geography

1. Hazards/Emergency Management 4. Political Ecology

2. Environmental Management/Perception 5. Environmental Justice
3. Sustainability

6. MEDICAL GEOGRAPHY – branch of physical geography that deals with the geographic aspects of health and
healthcare. It studies the effects of locale and climate upon health.
a. Recording of diseases’ location, mapping and analyzing
b. Accurate diagnosis of diseases
c. Timely reporting of a disease’s presence, time dimension

7. OCEANOGRAPHY – called Oceanology or marine science, is the branch of Earth Science and Geography that
studies the ocean.

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 BRANCHES

a. Biological Oceanography or marine biology c. Geological Oceanography or marine geology

b. Chemical Oceanography or marine chemistry d. Physical Oceanography or marine physics

8. GENOGRAPHY – launched by the National Geographic Society and IBM, The Genographic Project is a five-year
genetic anthropology study that aims to map historical human migration patterns by collecting and analyzing DNA
samples from hundreds of thousands of people from around the world.

Human Prehistoric Framework

1. African Cradle – 200,000 years ago
2. Out of Africa – left Africa 50,000 to 70,000 year ago
3. First Australians – reached Southern Asia (Malaysia) and Australia nearly 50,000 years ago.
4. Early Europeans – reached Europe between 40,000 and 30,000 years ago
5. Populating Asia – around 40,000 years ago pushed into Central Asia
6. Into the New World – 15,000 to 20,000 year ago, Siberia and Alaska were connected by land bridges

9. GEOMATICS – the discipline of gathering, storing, processing and delivering geographic information, or spatial
reference information.

Disciplines include

a. Surveying e. Photogrammetry
b. Mapping f. Geodesy – measurement of the shape of the
c. Remote Sensing world
d. Geographic Information System g. Global Positioning System (GPS)

10. POLAR GEOGRAPHY – branch of geography that deals with the world’s “coolants”. The ecology of the polar
regions is being investigated to study the impact of global warming in glaciers, creatures, and biodiversity. Other
issues of concern include mining, overfishing, ozone layer depletion, nuclear waste disposal.

C. HUMAN GEOGRAPHY – concerned with patterns of human activities and their relationships with the environment.
1. CULTURAL GEOGRAPHY – study of cultural products and norms and their variations across and relation to
spaces. It focuses on describing and analyzing the ways language, religion, economy, government and other
cultural phenomenon vary or remain constant from one place to another on explaining how humans function
spatially.
Cultural Landscape – the defining unit of geographic study (Carl O. Sauer)
Cultural Realm/Region – a portion of Earth’s surface that has common cultural elements.

Areas of Study of Cultural Geography

a. Globalization
b. Westernization
c. Cultural Hegemony/Assimilation
d. Cultural Aerial Differentiation
e. Cultural Landscapes
f. Colonialism, Post-Colonialism, Internationalism, Immigration, emigration, eco-tourism
g. Gendered Geography/Space and Sexuality

2. SOCIAL GEOGRAPHY – studies how society affects geographical features and how environmental factors affect
the society. Study of human spatial behavior and the derived geographical patterns from the point of view of
society: the summation of a population’s symbolic interaction.

Concerns of Social Geography

a. Social conditions and problems
b. Social difference
c. Community’s social and geographical structure and the decision that governs its growth
d. What are the public spaces like?
e. How does human behavior vary from place to place?
f. Do small town and big city people really act differently?
g. When a person buys a house or rents an apartment how does he choose a location?
h. How will a new home reflect on the family’s social image?

Social and Geographical Aspect of Human Identity

a. Social and geographical stereotypes and self-identities
b. Primary and secondary group relationships – formal, familiar, and cliques.
c. Reference group and places – ethnicity, race, social status
d. Lifestyle
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 e. Territoriality – personal spaces or group territorialities

3. URBAN GEOGRAPHY – deals with study of urban areas in terms of concentration, infrastructure, economy, and
environmental impacts. The study of problem relating to spatial distribution of cities and the patterns of movement
and links that connects them across.
Related Terms
a. Megacity – area with a population of or in excess of 10 million
b. Metropolis – city
c. Megalopolis – extensive long chain of continuous metropolitan areas (Metro Manila.)

4. POPULATION GEOGRAPHY – a study that focuses on the number, composition, and distribution of human
beings in relation to variation in the condition of earth space.
Concerns of Population Geography
a. Regional circumstances of resource base
b. Type of economic development
c. Level of living
d. Food supply
e. Conditions of health and well being

5. POLITICAL GEOGRAPHY/GEOPOLITICS – is the field of human geography that is concerned with the study of
both the spatially uneven outcomes of population processes and the ways in which population processes are
themselves affected by spatial structures e.g. laws concerning the creation of colony, provinces, city, etc.

Areas of Study
a. Modern Political Geography – EU, colonies, electoral geography, demarcations and policing of boundaries
b. Critical Political Geography – criticism of traditional political geography, feminist geography, queer theory,
youth studies
c. Geopolitics – art and practice of using political power over a given territory (Rudolf Kjellen)
d. Electoral geography – representation of geographically defined areas.
e. Strategic geographic – study of spatial areas that have an impact on the security and prosperity of a nation
f. Military geography – application of geography tools, information, and technology to solve military problem in
peacetime or war.

6. HISTORICAL GEOGRAPHY – a branch of human geography that seeks to understand geographies of the past
and often how the past impinges on the present. It seeks to determine how cultural features of various societies
across the planet emerged and evolved by understanding their interaction with their local environment and
surroundings.

Important Sources of Materials for Historical Geography

a. Archaeological evidence
b. Place name – e.g. Pasig (coastline), Mulanay (madagta), Marilao (yellowish ginger)
c. Written Records – e.g birth certificates of cities

Themes:
a. The distribution of people
b. The pattern of settlement
c. Developing soil and vegetable plantations
d. Changing patterns of agriculture, industry, communications, and trade, population densities
e. Resultant changes in the evaluation of natural resources and space relations
f. Fantasy Geography

D. ECONOMIC GEOGRAPHY – concerned with man’s economic activity and the environment
1. TRADE AND COMMERCE – trade is the voluntary exchange of goods, services or both, while commerce is a
division of trade or production which deals with the exchange of goods and services from producer to final
consumer.

Factors affecting trade and commerce in the urban area (Divisoria, Quiapo, and Baclaran)

a. Locations e. Transportation
b. Spatial Relations f. Urban Economics
c. Land use g. Housing and Public Policy
d. Economic Policy h. Taxes

2. COMMUNICATION GEOGRAPHY is a branch of geography that deals with the movement of information and how
this information affects human behavior.

Concerns in Communication Geography

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 1. Where are communications activities located?
2. How does information circulate in space?
3. How does information affect human behavior?

3. TRANSPORTATION GEOGRAPHY – is the branch of geography that investigates spatial relations, let them be of
people freight, and information.
Transportation Modes

a. Air c. Rail
b. Water d. Road

Concerns in Transportation
1. Roads and rails facilities no longer meet the demands of travelers due to increasing population
2. Worsening traffic problems
3. Pollution
4. Road rage, criminality

4. AGRICULTURAL GEOGRAPHY – the study of spatial patterns in agricultural activity.

Major Themes:
a. Land Reform
b. The Green Revolution and Appropriate technology
c. Diffusion of Agricultural innovation

5. RURAL GEOGRAPHY – the study of rural landscapes of the developed world.

Major Themes:
a. Origin, development, and distribution of rural settlements
b. Rural depopulation/repopulation
c. Cause and consequences of agricultural change
d. Patterns of recreational use of the countryside.
e. Tourism, planning and the growing influence on rural areas of urban dwellers

6. TOURISM GEOGRAPHY – study of travel and tourism as an industry and as a social and cultural activity. Deals
with the study of travel and its impact on places.
Types of Tourism:
a. Agritourism
b. Cultural Tourism – art, museums, architecture, religions
c. Environmental Tourism – remote places (Amanpulo/Titanic) which are elite
d. Ecotourism – travel to pristine and fragile, protected areas
e. Geotourism – enhances the geography characteristics of places
f. Heritage Tourism
g. Medical Tourism – obtaining health care abroad
h. Space Tourism – space station
i. Poorism – travel and giving aid to depressed areas (Baseco, San Paulo, Payatas)

7. DEVELOPMENT GEOGRAPHY – is the study of the earth’s surface with reference to the standard of living and
quality of life of its human inhabitants.
Dimensions of Development

a. Economic
b. Socio-cultural
c. Political
d. Ecological
e. “Full Life” – ultimate meaning of life (Philosophy/Existential)

Concerns of Development Geography

a. Spatial pattern of development
b. Measuring development through indicators (quantitative/composite)
c. Qualitative

THE PHILIPPINES

The Philippines is an archipelago which lies 966 km off the Southern Coast of Asia. It is located between 4˚ - 23˚N latitude
and 116˚-127˚E longitude. The country is 1,150 miles (1,850 km) long and 680 miles (1,060 km) wide. This archipelago is
composed of 7,107 islands and has a total area of 300,000 km 2. Of there islands, only 2,773 are named, while more than
4,000 have not been officially named. The major island groups are Luzon, Mindanao, Samar, Negros, Palawan, Mindoro,
Leyte, Cebu, Bohol, and Masbate. As of 2009, the Philippines has 17 regions, 80 provinces, 2 autonomous regions, 135
cities, 1,498 municipalities, and 41, 993 barangays.

The country’s topography is diverse. It is generally mountainous with many single peaks and ranges. The four major
plains are the Central Plain and Cagayan Valley in Luzon and Agusan Valley and Cotabato Valley in Mindanao. Around
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50 volcanoes dot the islands, 13 of which are recorded to be active. The most famous is Mt. Mayon in Albay while Taal
Volcano in Batangas is the world’s smallest. Other active volcanoes are Mt. Bulusan in Sorsogon, Didicas volcano, Mt.
Kanlaon, Hibok-hibok and Mt. Pinatubo. Among the mountains, Mt. Apo in Mindanao, being the highest peak has an
elevation of 2,954 meters above sea level. It is followed by Mt. Pulog in Luzon (2,929 meters above sea level.)

Due to differences in elevation, latitude, exposure to the monsoons, proximity to the sea and storm tracks, the country has
many climatic variations. The Philippines has two distinct seasons: dry and wet season. March to June is the official
summer season, July to October rainy or wet season. May is the warmest month and January, the coldest. According to
Samuel Fernandez (1998), climatic classification in the country is based on the type of rainfall, maximum rain period and
the presence or absence of a dry season.

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