The geographic environment is ... Geographic environment: definition

Long ago geography was considered as a science about the relationship between man and the environment. Greek, Roman, Indian, Chinese and Arab geographers tried to establish a connection between man and the natural environment. Kant at the end of the 18th century came up with the idea that the geographical environment is something that can quite influence the way of life and the physical constitution of people. According to Kant, residents of the hot belt were characterized exclusively as a lazy and timid people, while the Mediterranean population living in mild temperature conditions was hardworking and progressive.

Geographic environment and people

Throughout the 19th century, there was a search for an environmental causal relationship between humanity and its environment. Humboldt argued that the way of life of the inhabitants of the Andes is different from that of the population of the Amazon, coastal plains and such islands as Cuba. Ritter tried to establish the reason for the difference in physical parameters, physique and health of people living in different physical environments.

The idea of defining geography from the point of view of man and his environment was developed on a scientific basis in the late 19th century, after the publication of Charles Darwin's Origin of Species (1859). In this fundamental work, a new direction in the discipline "geography" was indicated. According to the theory of evolution, all living species now came from pre-existing forms. In his geological observations and theories there was one general idea that the natural-geographical environment, like everything in nature, changes with time. Types evolve from more primitive to developed, adapted to certain environmental conditions through natural selection.

The concept of Darwin on man and the environment

1. Organisms differ, and these differences are inherited in whole or in part by the following generations.

2. Organisms produce more offspring than is necessary for the survival of the species.

3. On average, offspring, which is the most adapted and capable of rapid adaptation in changing environmental conditions, has more chances for successful survival and reproduction.

Interrelation of the geographical environment and the way of life of a person

Having studied the history of peoples in different regions of the world, one can say that there is a close relationship between the environment and the way of life of people. Undoubtedly, landscapes, relief, temperature, precipitation, natural vegetation and soils have a direct impact on culture, the economy and human society as a whole. Nevertheless, the role of man as a transformer of his physical environment can not be ignored. In fact, it is also able to influence such seemingly unmanageable things as nature and the geographical environment. At the same time, there are obviously two interrelated problems: the first is connected with rational use of natural resources, the second global problem concerns pollution of the environment.

Man is the product of the earth's surface

A person is not just one of the biological products of the planet, it is the child of the Earth that gave birth to him, fed him, guided his thoughts, faced with difficulties that strengthened his body and honed his mind. Simultaneously with the difficulties of navigation or irrigation, clues to solve them came. The earth entered his bones and tissues, into his mind and soul. A person can not be scientifically studied separately from the earth, in isolation from his habitat. The geographic environment and man are connected with each other at a more complex level than the most highly organized plants or animals. Is it possible to say with certainty that people managed to tame and conquer nature? Perhaps, despite the enormous influence of the so-called hosts of the Earth, one should not omit the powerful geographical factor in the equation of human development.

Characteristics

Geographic environment is a natural environment that has its own characteristics, which can be both natural and artificial, created by the hands of a person. Natural and geographical features include various forms of terrain and ecosystems, such as terrain types and physical environmental factors. Human settlements or other engineering results are considered as artificial geographical features.

Ecosystem

Unlike biomes, ecosystems occupy large areas of the earth's surface, including a variety of diverse geographic features, including water bodies and mountain ranges. An ecosystem is any space that contains all organisms in a given area that are in close interaction with the environment. The trophic structure is defined as the way in which microorganisms use food resources and, consequently, where energy transfer takes place in the ecosystem, where the geographical environment is mastered by a huge planet inhabiting the biodiversity.

Forms of relief

The concept of "geographical environment" includes the features of relief forms and landscapes. These include elevation, slope, orientation, stratification, rockiness, as well as soil types. This includes mounds, mounds, hills, rocks, valleys, rivers and many other elements. Oceans and continents are the forms of relief of the highest order. A pond is any significant accumulation of standing water or with a reduced runoff of water in natural or artificial depressions covering the earth (lake, reservoir, pond, etc.). In a broad sense - the designation of the seas and oceans.

Rivers, streams, canals, where water moves from one place to another, are not always considered to be water bodies; nevertheless, they are still included in water geographical objects. Geographic environment is an active zone, which focuses on the processes that form the physical characteristics of the landscape. Climate, geology and biology interact with each other, building a complex geographic relationship. The surface of the Earth, as we see it today, is the result of a gradual change for many millions of years.

Geography and environment

The term "geographical environment" includes the following ways of interaction between man and the environment: environmental changes, economic development, globalization, population growth, migration, land use changes and geopolitics. Geographers also develop sophisticated technological tools to study the diverse landscapes and environments of the Earth.

Scientists are looking for concrete answers and practical solutions to help reduce pollution, improve energy efficiency, introduce alternative forms of energy and raise awareness of the environment and sustainable development. This is an extremely practical science, which in the global sense of the word is called upon to save the Earth. Focusing primarily on understanding natural and man-made environments, environmental science requires serious knowledge in more traditional disciplines: biology, physics, chemistry, geography, ecology and sociology.

Geographical environment is an environment that is able to influence all who are in it, besides it is a necessary condition for public life and activity. In simple words, this is the world in which we live. The term "ecosystem" can also affect anthropogenic ecosystems, as well as the relationship between living organisms and their environment.

At present, there are very few places on the surface of the Earth that are inaccessible to humans, although such zones of truly wildlife continue to exist without any form of human intervention. The geographical environment undergoes a lot of changes every year, naturally, not without the participation of people, thus, the modern world exists not only in the natural environment. There was such a thing as "technogenic environment", which is created not by the forces of nature, but by one of its perfect creations - by man.