RBSE Class 12 Geography Notes Chapter 1 Human Geography: Nature and Scope

Rajasthan Board RBSE Class 12 Geography Notes Chapter 1 Human Geography: Nature and Scope

Human Geography – Meaning and Definition :

Human geography is a fundamental branch of geography. Geography is a descriptive science in which facts are studied in regional context.
Geography in its study form is contemporary, critically empirical and practical in which the place and time of occurrence of incidents are studied in geographical context.
The study of nature and human is emphasized in geography. These two are indivisible elements and should be visualized as a whole. Two separate branches of geography have evolved from these two basic factors which are physical geography and human geography,
Human geography is the study of relationships found between physical environment and cultural environment, regional distribution of human phenomenon and socio-economic inequalities. While physical geography studies physical environment.

Definition of Human Geography :

The origin and development of human geography is regarded to begin from the 18th century. Many scholars have defined human geography according to their own views,
The German geographer, Fried rich Ratzel is known as the Father of Human Geography. According to him, “Human geography is the synthetically study of relationship between human societies and earth’s surface”.
According to famous American geographer Ellen C Sample, “Human geography is the study of the changing relationship between the uninteresting man and the unstable earth.”
According to famous French geographer 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”,
Dickens and Pitts have included “Human and their works” in human geography,
Summary of Definitions : Human geography is that science in which mutual relation of influences, effects and reactions of natural and cultural environment of human groups in different regions of the earth and local groups are studied on the regional basis taking in view the human objectives. “

Nature of Human Geography :

Human activities are at the center point of the constitution of human geography. To provide the answers to various questions such as – when, where and how did the development of human activities took place, etc. With geographical point of view exhibits the nature of human geography.
Human geography focuses on the study of ecological coordination and regional organisation of various regions.
Human geography regards the human to be in the central role and studies about the mutual relationships of all the complex facts of humans and the environment with time in a particular region.

Study Area of Human Geography :

Human geography is the study of a particular region, its population, its natural resources, cultural landscapes, and their assumptions of life and their mutual relation with the objective of advancement of mankind.
Human geography is comprehensive in nature. It involves the study of population, natural resources, natural environment, territorial organization timeline and mutual relationship among the regions.

Development of Human Geography :

The development of human geography is a result of a lengthy process. With the point of view of study, development of human geography is divided into three periods : Ancient period, Medieval period and Modem period.
In ancient time, due to the domination of natural environment, the level of technological development was low. Natural powers dominated in this period.
In ancient time, Thales, Menander, Aristotle, Herodotus and Hecataeus together increased the geographical knowledge. Hecataeus gave an organised form to the available geographical knowledge about the world. That’s why, he is known as the Father of Geography.
In the medieval period, geographical knowledge increased as colonial and business interests had discovered new regions and had encouraged research. This period was significant with the point of view of regional analysis.
The credit of starting the modern period goes to German geographers. After that, human geography developed in France, Great Britain and America.
Fredrick Ratzel is regarded to be the founder of modem human geography.
The emergence of the theories of determinism, possibility and neo-determinism took place during the modem period. The founder of neo-determinism was Griffith Taylor.
In the decade of 1930, human geography was divided into cultural geography and economic geography and later various sub-branches of human geography emerged.
The theory of human welfare emerged after the quantitative revolution in which various aspects of social welfare were included.
The revolutionary line of thoughts followed the principle of Karl Marx while the behavioral line of thoughts is based on mental map rather than the environment.
Human geography is progressing along with continuous development and its importance, study and scope is increasing along with passage of time due to which it has become an important branch of geography in the entire world.

Glossary :

Geography : The English word ‘Geography’ is formed by jointing two Greek words ‘Geo’ meaning ‘Earth’ and ‘Graphite’ meaning ‘to describe’. Therefore, the literary meaning of Geography is ‘to describe the earth’.
Earth : Earth as human home, is studied for those facts which have supported the life of human beings.
Physical geography : That branch of geography which interprets the interrelationships of the natural forms of all the three organs, i.e., the lithosphere, hydrosphere and atmosphere, and the natural variations in land forms emerging out of them.
Human geography : Human geography is that branch of geography, in which the study of mutual relationships between human activities and the environment is done.
Environment : The sum total of physical, chemical and biotic conditions experienced by a living being or beings. Climate, soil, water, light, vegetation, species and other living kingdom is included in it.
Agriculture : The art and science of farming, including cultivation of the soil for the growing of crops and the rearing of animals.
Ranching : Ranching is the activity of raising herds of animals on large tracts of land. Under this, animals are raised on pastureland surrounded by fences.
Industry : Economic activity concerned with the manufacturing, processing and allocation of goods. Under this, goods obtained from primary activities are re-used to make new goods.
Transport: To take or carry (people or goods) from one place to another place by means of a vehicle, aircraft, ship and other mode.
Communication : Transport or travel network between various places. This includes those mediums by which people exchange information and thoughts, etc. For example, radio, telegraph, newspapers, etc.
Trade : Trade refers to such an economic activity by which transfer or exchange of goods and services takes place.
Determinism : The line of thoughts which accepts the supremacy of natural forces in comparison to human forces which regards the human as the slave of nature.
Possibility : The line of thoughts of use of possibilities provided by nature to the humans according to their choice for this development and welfare.
Neo-determinism : That line of thought of human geography which emphasizes on cooperating with nature and neither winning upon the nature nor accepting the sovereignty of nature.
Cultural environment : The unique structure created by mankind through the allocation of natural resources is known as cultural environment.
Geology : The science which studies the internal structure of the earth.
Ecological Adjustment: Mutual balance between all the components of nature. The process of establishing Coordination.
Population : The number of persons residing in a region.
Resource : All those biotin and a biotin elements which are used to fulfill the human requirements.
Migration : Permanent or temporary change in the residence of a person or group of persons is called migration.
Races : The condition depicting human species. Under this, human is divided on the basis of physical composition and conditions.
Mineral : Substances found under the earth’s surface-most of them have their own unique chemical structure in contrary to rocks.
Conservation : The process of using the natural resources in a sensible manner and ensuring their availability in the future.
Environment Degradation : The process of decline in the amount and quality of environmental conditions.
Pollution : Undesirable change in the physical, chemical and ecological characteristics of air, water and soil, which provides harm to humans and other living beings.
Climate : Climate expresses the long, term seasonal conditions of a vast region and the variations found in those conditions.
Vegetation : The entire flora of a region. Under this, algae, grasses, bushes, trees, etc. the entire vegetation species are included.
Humanistic School : That line of thought of human geography, which was mainly related to various aspects of social welfare of people come to be called as humanistic or welfare school. Aspects such as residence, healthcare and education were included in this.
Radical School : Radical school was that line of thought of human geography, in which the principle of Karl Marx was used to interpret the obligation and social inequality arising due to poverty.
Behavioral School : That line of thought of human geography, under which more emphasis is laid upon the time space cognition of social sub classes based on human race, species, religion, etc. on the basis of actual experience.