1.

GEOGRAPHY AS A DISCIPLINE
 GEOGRAPHY
Geography is concerned with the
description and explanation of the areal
differentiation of the earth surface

Richard Hartshorne
 ERATOSTHENESE
The term first coined Greek Scholar

The word geography derived from Greek language

GEO -- EARTH
GRAPHOS -- DESCRIPTION

Geography is the description of the earth

GEOGRAPHY AS A DISCIPLINE IS CONCERNED WITH THREE SETS OF QUESTIONS

1. WHAT ?
2. WHERE ?
3. WHY ?
WHAT are the patterns of natural and cultural features found over the surface of the
earth ?

WHERE are these features distributed

over the surface of the earth ?

WHY such relationships between

features, processes and phenomena
take place?
Geography as an integrating discipline -
spatial Synthesis

The shape of the earth is GEOID

 BRANCHES OF GEOGRAPHY
SYSTEMATIC APPROACH
Alexander von Humboldt (German)
systematic geography, concentrates on a specific
geofactor at the global level

REGIONAL APPROACH
Karl Ritter (German)
It focuses on the interaction of different cultural and
natural geofactors in a specific land or landscape
SYSTEMATIC GEOGRAPHY

1. PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY
2. HUMAN GEOGRAPHY
3. BIOGEOGRAPHY
PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY
1. GEOMORPHOLOGY
2. CLIMATOLOGY
3. HYDROLOGY
4. SOIL GEOGRAPHY
HUMAN GEOGRAPHY
1. SOCIAL/ CULTURAL GEOGRAPHY
2. POPULATION AND SETTLEMENT
GEOGRAPHY
3. ECONOMIC GEOGRAPHY
4. HISTORICAL GEOGRAPHY
5. POLITICAL GEOGRAPHY
BIOGEOGRAPHY
1. PLANT GEOGRAPHY
2. ZOO GEOGRAPHY
3. ENVIRONMENTAL GEOGRAPHY
4. ECOLOGY
REGIONAL APPROACH
1. REGIONAL STUDIES - macro, meso and micro
2. REGIONAL PLANNING – rural and urban
3. REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT
4. REGIONAL ANALYSIS
Philosophy
Methods and techniques
statistical techniques
Field survey
Remote sensing, GIS, GPS
PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY
Lithosphere
(landforms, drainage, physiography......)
Atmosphere
(composition, structure, climate, wind,
precipitation .......)
Hydrosphere
(oceans, lakes, rivers ......)
Biosphere
(life forms, food chain, ecological balance ...)