Geography - Definition, history and types

Geography - Definition, history and types

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  GEOGRAPHY Zoogeography & Paleontology MuhammadYousaf [email protected] Submitted to: Mam Saman Yaqoob Submitted by: Muhammad Yousaf M.Sc. 4rth, Self, Roll No: 24
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  GEOGRAPHY Definition: The word geographyliterally means “earth writing”. Geography, the study of the lands, oceans, physical features, inhabitants, and diverse environments, places, ecosystems, phenomena of the Earth and planets and as well as the interactions between the human society and their environment. The term geography was coined by the ancient Greeks who not only created detailed maps and accounts of places around them. The Islamic Golden Age witnessed astounding advancements in the geographical sciences. Islamic geographers were credited with groundbreaking discoveries. New lands were explored and the world’s first grid-based mapping system was developed. The Chinese civilization also contributed instrumentally towards the development of early geography. The compass, a traveling aid, devised by the Chinese, was used by the Chinese explorers to explore the unknown. Branches: The primary classification of geography divides the approach to the subject into the two broad categories of physical geography and human geography. Physical Geography: Physical geography (or physiography) focuses on geography as an Earth science. It aims to understand the physical problems and the issues of lithosphere, hydrosphere, atmosphere, pedosphere, and global flora and fauna patterns (biosphere). Physical geography can be divided into many broad categories like biogeography, climatology & meteorology, coastal geography, environmental management, geodesy, geomorphology, glaciology, hydrology & hydrography, landscape ecology, oceanography, pedology, paleogeography and quaternary science. Human Geography: Human geography is a branch of geography that focuses on the study of patterns and processes that shape the human society. It encompasses the human, political, cultural, social, and economic aspects. In other way, it can be defined as, human geography is the branch of geography that deals with the study of how the human society is influenced by the Earth’s surface and environment and how, in turn, anthropological activities impact the planet. Human geography is centered on the study of the planet’s most evolved creatures: the humans and their environment. This branch of geography can be further subdivided into various disciplines based on the focus of study like population geography, historical geography, cultural geography, economic geography, political geography, health geography, developmental geography, settlement geography animal geography.