We explain what human geography is, its branches, characteristics and examples. Also, differences with physical geography.
What is human geography?
The second major division of Geography, along with physical geography, is called human geography or anthropogeography. It deals, unlike the latter, with spatial study of human societies and their relationships with the environment. That is, it focuses on the non-natural aspects of planet Earth, as a kind of “human ecology.”
Its initiator was the German Karl Ritter (1779-1859) and his successor, the Frenchman Élisée Reclus (1830-1905). The first written work of the discipline appeared in the 19th century, under the name Anthropogeography and it was the work of the German Friedrich Raztel (1844-1904), considered in turn as one of its founders.
The methodologies used in human geography are similar to those of general geography, being in themselves extremely diverse, both qualitative and quantitative. It is common to see the use of case studies, surveys, statistical analyzes and mathematical models, always depending on the specific topic of the study and the auxiliary disciplines used.
See also: Geographic space
Branches of human geography
Human geography includes, among others, the following fields of study:
- Population geography It studies human distribution on the Earth's surface, and the historical processes that determine it.
- Economic geography Focused on economic patterns and their history, and especially the distribution on Earth of economic factors, whether raw materials, industrial centers, etc.
- Cultural geography It studies the way in which human culture is linked to its geographical location and how the latter determines its exchange patterns.
- Political geography Focused on the study of political spaces: countries, states, etc.
- Medical geography It studies the impact of geographic location on the health of populations and the particular way in which they age.
Features of human geography
human geography has three main fields of study which are:
- The distribution and interrelation of the populations and cultures on the earth's surface.
- The specific way in which they interact with your environment.
- The way they organize their political, economic and social systems as part of its geographical location.
All of this allows a spatial approach to human activities, which in turn allows addressing historical, political, cultural or social problems.
Examples of human geography
Some examples of research in human geography are:
- Global or regional investigations of the human displacement: immigration, emigration and other forms of population movement.
- Studies on the political constitution of the regions of the planet, as well as the economic, cultural and social factors that affect the creation of new States.
- Economic evaluations of a territory for the identification of natural resources exploitable.
- Evaluation of trends in expansion of the urban sprawl of the cities.
Importance of human geography
Human geography constitutes an important field of study today, especially after the emergence of global theoretical perspectives, which require the study of migratory flows, international trade dynamics and other complex human processes, which involve States, cultures and individuals.
On the other hand, the plural perspective of human geography contributes an indispensable element to the field of study of general geography because throughout the thousands of years of human presence on Earth, we have gradually made our presence felt through the modification of the environment that surrounds us.
Human geography and physical geography
Unlike human geography, focused on the population and its distribution and relationships with the environment, Physical geography focuses only on the physical, that is, natural, aspects of the planet.
Its geographical approach does not take into account, therefore, “human ecology”, but rather that of the rest of the forms of life, as well as the processes and patterns of the geosphere, atmosphere and hydrosphere. Physical and human geography constitute the two large branches into which general geography is divided.
Continue in: Physical Geography
References
- “Human geography” on Wikipedia.
- “Chair of Human Geography” at the Institute of Geography of the University of Heidelberg (Germany).
- “Human Geography” in Natural Geographic.
- “Human Geography” in ThoughtCo.
- “Human Geography” in The Encyclopaedia Britannica.
