What is Physical Geography:
Physical geography is branch of geography that is dedicated to the study, analysis and understanding of the Earth’s surfaceof its patterns, processes and natural elements.
In this sense, physical geography focuses above all on space and the elements of natural geographic space, such as the relief, the soils, the climate, the vegetation and the terrestrial waters, in other aspects.
Different auxiliary disciplines emerge from physical geography:
The climatologywhich is dedicated to the study of climate and weather.
The geomorphologywhich focuses on the relief of the Earth’s surface.
hydrologywhich aims to study continental waters.
glaciologyoriented to the analysis of bodies of water in a solid state, such as glaciers, caps, icebergs and the large ice shelves, etc.
biogeographywhich is dedicated to the study of the distribution of living beings (animals and plants), and the processes involved in it.
pedologywhich aims to study the composition and nature of the soil.
Coastal geographywhich studies the dynamics and processes of coastal regions.
The orographywhich deals with mountain formations.
paleogeographywhich is dedicated to researching the geography of previous times and its evolution over time.
The ecology of the landscapewhich is responsible for the study of landscapes and their relationship with human beings as transformative agents.
See also Relief.
Physical geography is a very important study discipline, as it helps us know our geographical space and determine the environmental planning of our territories, as well as prevent natural risks and reduce the impact of human activities on the environment.
Physical geography is, along with human geography and regional geography, one of the three great fields of geographical knowledge.
See also Geography.
Physical geography and human geography
Physical geography and human geography are branches of geography that influence each other, since natural factors, studied by physics, directly influence human beings and their relationship with their physical environment. And, in the same way, human beings can greatly affect the physical space in which they live or with which they interact.
See also Human Geography.