Class 12 NCERT Notes of Geography Chapter 1- Human geography nature and scope

 Chapter -1
Human Geography Nature and Scope

• Geography is a field of study is integrative, empirical and practical.
• It studies each and every event on the earth over the space and time.
• Human geography studies the relationship between man and nature.
• Geography can be studied through law making or descriptive. 

There are two approaches of geography:

Systematic approach:

• It is based on geographical units.
• In this approach elements that are based on similarities are taken up for studies.
• Systematic approach takes into consideration individual, physical and cultural elements of earth.

Regional approach:

• It is based on political units.
• In this approach only a single element is taken up for studies, such as climate.
• Regional approach takes into consideration the study of regions throughout the world in order to understand or define the unique characteristics of a particular region.

-Physical and human phenomena are described in metaphors using symbols from the human anatomy.

-Human Geography: Human geography is the synthetic study of relationship between human societies and earth’s surface.

Nature of Human Geography:

• Human geography studies the inter relationship between the physical environment and socio-cultural environment created by man.
• Elements of physical are land, water, soil, climate, vegetation,fauna
• Elements of cultural are transport and communication, settlements,crops.

Naturalization of Humans:

• Man interact with nature with the help oft 
• It is not important that what he creates but with what tools he used to create
• Technology indicates the level of cultural development of society. Understanding the nature helps to create technology.
• Understanding of friction and heat helped to discover fire.
• Understanding DNA helped to eradicate diseases
• Laws of thermodynamics helped to develop fast planes
• Knowledge about nature is extremely important to develop technology and technology loosens the shackles of environment on human being.
• Naturalization of humans allows them to adapt to the dictates of nature. 
• Human considered nature to be a powerful force which was worshipped, revered and conserved.
• This  is considered as a direct dependence of human beings in nature for resources which sustain them.
• The physical environment for the primitive human societies became the 'Mother Nature'.
• Human beings began to understand the force of nature with the passage of time. 

Humanization of Nature:

• With the development of technology people understood the nature well
• They move from state of necessity to state of freedom. 
• Create possibilities with the resources obtained from the environment.
• Nature provides opportunities and human beings make use of these.
• So it is called as possibilism.
• Nature get humanised and started bearing the imprints of human endeavour.

Neo-determinism/ Stop and go Determinism:

• Developed by Griffith Taylor, introduced concept which reflects a middle path(Madhyam Marg)
• This is between the two ideas of environmental determinism and possibilism.
• He termed it as Neo - determinism or stop or go determinism,
• It means that possibilities can be created within the limits which do not damage the environment and there is no free run without accidents.

Human Geography school of thoughts:

Schools of human geography-

Welfare School:

• Concerned with the different aspects of  social well-being of the people:

1. housing
2. Health
3. Education.

Radical School: 

• Contemporary social problems were related to the development of capitalism.

Behavioural School: 

• Laid emphasis on lived experience and also on the perception of space by social categories.

Fields and sub - fields of Human geography:

Urban: 

• Deals with urban studies and planning.

Social: 

• Behavioural
• Geography of well being
• Geography of Leisure
• Cultural Geography
• Gender Geography
• Historical Geography
• Medical Geography.
• Political:
• Electoral Geography
• Military Geography.
• Population:
• Studies demography

Settlement:

• Studies urban/ rural planning.
• Economics: 
• Geography of Resources
• Geography of Agriculture
• Geography of Industries
• Geography of Marketing
• Geography of Tourism
• Geography of International trade.