1. Field of geography that is dedicated to the study of spatial organization and its changes over time influenced by the relationships between people, places and nature, that is, how the processes that shape the activity and lifestyle of the People affect and direct geographic occupation.
Etymology: Geography, by Latin geographywith respect to the Greek γεωγραφία (geography), from the prefix γεω- (geo-), which refers to earth, accompanied by the suffix -γραφία (-graphia), with respect to the verb γράφειν (graphein), for ‘record’, ‘write’, ‘record’. + Humana, from Latin hūmānafeminine of humanusrooted in the term humuswhich refers to ‘earth’ as the origin of man molded in clay, as described in the myth of Prometheus.
Grammatical category: noun fem.
in syllables: ge-o-gra-fi-a + hu-ma-na.
Human geography
Geography is one of the most relevant disciplines that humanity has developed since its object of study is none other than the planet on which human beings live. Geography deals not only with the description of the earth but also with all the phenomena that occur on the earth’s surface. Meanwhile, this universe of study is so vast that geography is divided into different branches that deal with addressing a specific theme and obviously associated with its object of study.
The Human geography is considered as the second great division that Geography possesses. To his task corresponds the study of human societies from the spatial perspectivethat is, the relationship established between societies, the physical environment in which they inhabit and also the cultural landscapes that they build in their wake.
The primary object of study of it is to analyze the social relations that develop in a situation territory that implies that the human being carries out a series of activities in a given context, that is, in a physical space, for example, it is inevitable the close relationship between the two and how they influence each other.
Human Geography starts from the consideration that the human being always integrates large social groups, which, in turn, will create a social and physical environment through transformation processes of their very social structures and also of the surface in which they inhabit. Meanwhile, the actions of men will modify both aspects, always based on the interests and needs of those who stand out as dominant social agents.
Regarding the methods used by Human geography, as it happens with the Physical geographyare diverse and we find both qualitative and quantitative procedures, such as: case studies, surveys, statistical analysis, modeling, demography, anthropology, sociology and history.
From what has been mentioned, it can be deduced that there are no exclusivities in the case of Human Geography, since the study methodology is almost the same as that used at the request of General Geography and many other related sciences.
Branches into which it is subdivided
Among the branches of Human Geography the following stand out: population geography (studies the patterns of population distribution and the temporal processes that led to them), economic geography (deals with the geographical distribution of economic factors and their consequences in regions, countries, etc.), cultural geography (studies the mutual relationships between humans and the landscape), urban geography (focuses on the human agglomerations manifested in the cities), rural geography (investigates the rural context in question: agrarian systems, spaces, their problems, among others) and medical geography (studies the effects of the environment on the health of the people who inhabit it).
Considering a population always means taking into account its distribution, growth, mobility and the structures that compose it.
On the other hand, the populations carry out various economic activities that are differentiated into sectors, depending on the area of the economy in which they are carried out, thus we will find the primary sector (agricultural, livestock, mining, hunting and fishing activities, among others), the secondary (industries), the tertiary (service provider) and the quaternary (involves intellectual services such as research).
And with regard to settlements, the populations do so in urban areas, in large cities, or in rural areas, that is, in the countryside. These propose absolutely contrasting and diverse ways of life, and of course they generate that the populations that live in one or the other differ in characteristics. Those who live in the countryside are usually considered calmer because they are not trapped or contaminated by stress and the eccentric rhythm that takes place in the big city, but of course, everything is relative and the ways people are in question…
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