Geography · Ch 7 — Geography as a Discipline
Branches of Geography
Branches of Geography
The diagram is built around a large central oval labelled FIELD OF GEOGRAPHY, and everything else in the figure exists to show how that field connects outward to other disciplines. Arranged around the oval’s circumference is a circular chain of 23 overlapping pairs of shaded circles. Each pair consists of one geography sub-branch and one parent discipline, and the two circles in each pair overlap, sharing a boundary that sits along the oval’s edge. The pairing is the whole point: every geography specialisation is shown as a meeting point between geography itself and some other established subject.
The pairs, read around the loop, are: Human Ecology with Ecology, Zoo Geography with Zoology, Phyto Geography with Botany, Soil Geography with Pedology, Oceanography with Hydrology, Climatology with Meteorology, Geomorphology with Geology, Mathematical & Astronomical Geography with Maths & Astronomy, Quantitative Techniques in Geography with Statistics-Econometrics, Economic Geography with Economics, Population Geography with Demography, Political Geography with Political Science, Historical Geography with History, Social Geography with Sociology, Geographical Thoughts with Philosophy, Cultural Geography with Anthropology, and Environmental Geography with Environmental Science. That accounts for 17 named pairs; the remaining circles in the 23-pair chain are not individually described, but the pattern is consistent — each is a geography sub-branch overlapping with its corresponding parent discipline.
A curved line threads through the centre of every circle pair, running the full loop around the oval. That line is the visual glue of the figure: it ties all the pairs together into one continuous chain, suggesting that geography’s links to other disciplines are not isolated connections but form an unbroken circuit of interdependence. …
Geography is an interdisciplinary subject, and the way it is studied follows certain approaches. Two major approaches have shaped the discipline: the systematic approach and the regional approach. These two approaches form the foundation for classifying the branches of geography.
The systematic approach, also called general geography, was introduced by the German geographer Alexander von Humboldt (1769–1859). In this approach, a phenomenon is studied across the whole world first, and then typologies or spatial patterns are identified. For example, if you study natural vegetation, you begin at the world level, then identify and delimit types such as equatorial rainforests, softwood conical forests, and monsoon forests.
The regional approach was developed by Karl Ritter (1779–1859), a contemporary of Humboldt. Here, the world is divided into regions at different hierarchical levels, and all geographical phenomena within a particular region are studied together. These regions may be natural, political, or designated. The phenomena are examined holistically, searching for unity in diversity.
Dualism has been a main characteristic of geography from the very beginning, depending on which aspect was emphasised. Early scholars focused on physical geography, but since human beings are an integral part of the earth's surface and have contributed through cultural development, human geography also emerged with emphasis on human activities.
Branches Based on Systematic Approach
1. Physical Geography
- Geomorphology — the study of landforms, their evolution, and related processes.
- Climatology — the study of the structure of the atmosphere, elements of weather and climate, and climatic types and regions.
- Hydrology — the study of water over the earth's surface, including oceans, lakes, rivers, and other water bodies, and its effect on life forms including human life and activities.
- Soil Geography — the study of soil formation processes, soil types, fertility status, distribution, and use.
2. Human Geography
- Social/Cultural Geography — the study of society and its spatial dynamics, along with the cultural elements contributed by society.
- Population and Settlement Geography (Rural and Urban) — studies population growth, distribution, density, sex ratio, migration, and occupational structure. Settlement geography studies the characteristics of rural and urban settlements.
- Economic Geography — studies economic activities of people, including agriculture, industry, tourism, trade, transport, infrastructure, and services.
- Historical Geography — studies the historical processes through which space gets organised. Every region has undergone historical experiences before reaching its present status, and geographical features experience temporal changes, which form the concerns of this branch.
- Political Geography — looks at space from the angle of political events, studying boundaries, spatial relations between neighbouring political units, delimitation of constituencies, and election scenarios. It develops a theoretical framework to understand the political behaviour of the population.
3. Biogeography
The interface between physical and human geography led to the development of biogeography, which includes:
- Plant Geography — studies the spatial pattern of natural vegetation in their habitats.
- Zoo Geography — studies the spatial patterns and geographic characteristics of animals and their habitats.
- Ecology/Ecosystem — the scientific study of the habitats characteristic of species.
- Environmental Geography — a new branch introduced due to worldwide realisation of environmental problems such as land degradation, pollution, and concerns for conservation.
Branches Based on Regional Approach
- Regional Studies/Area Studies — comprising macro, meso, and micro regional studies.
- Regional Planning — comprising country/rural and town/urban planning.
- Regional Development
- Regional Analysis
Common Aspects of Every Discipline
Two aspects are common to every discipline:
(i) Philosophy
- Geographical Thought
- Land and Human Interaction / Human Ecology
(ii) Methods and Techniques
- Cartography, including computer cartography …