Geography consists of four academic traditions: spatial studies, area studies, human-land interaction, and an earth science perspective. It has a long history dating back to Greek geographers like Herodotus. There are six elements studied in geography: spatial terms, places and regions, physical and human systems, environment/society interactions, and applications. Geography branches into human geography (including cultural, political, urban, economic, and social studies), physical geography (landforms, soils, climate, oceans, etc.), environmental geography, and regional geography. Environmental planning considers sustainable resource use and management to balance human and natural systems.

1. GEOGRAPHY
Just the basics
Dr. Sivabala Naidu

2. Academic Traditions
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Consists of four academic traditions:
Spatial Tradition – study of distribution.
Area Studies Tradition –study of an area on Earth
Human-Land Tradition – study of human interactions with
the environment.
Earth Science Tradition –study of natural phenomena from
a spatial perspective.

3. History of Geography
 Stretches over many centuries
 Main purpose was to map locations and describe places and
regions to explorers
 According to historical records, the Greeks were the first to
practice geography; one of the first Greek geographers was
Herodotus

4. Elements of Geography
There are six elements in the study of geography:
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The World in Spatial Terms
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Places and Regions.
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Physical Systems.
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Human Systems
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Environment and Society
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The uses (of Geography)

5. Branches of Geography
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Human and Physical Geography
Environmental Geography
Geomatics
Regional Geography

6. Components of Human Geography
 Cultural geography
 Political geography
 Population geography
 Urban geography
 Economic geography
 Behavioral geography
 Social geography

7. Components of Physical Geography
 Geomorphology: the study of the surface of the Earth and
the process by which it is shaped
 Pedology: the study of soils in its natural environment
 Biogeography: the science that investigates the spatial
relationships of plants and animals

8. Components of Physical Geography
(continued)
 Hydrology: the study of fresh water in all its forms
 Climatology: the study of the climate
 Oceanography: the study of the Earth’s seas and
oceans
 Glaciology: the study of glaciers and ice sheets
 Palaeogeography: the study of the distribution of the
continents through geologic time

9. Environmental Planning
 Environment - refers to the physical and biological systems
which provide our basic life support
 The scientific study of the environment began around the
seventeenth century
 Came about from our awareness of the negative impact on
the environment

10. Environmental Issues
 Climate change
 Overpopulation
 Pollution
 Environmental degradation
 Resource depletion

11. Environmental Planning
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Environmental planning is concerned with a society’s
responsibility over resources
Elements of Environmental Planning:
sustainable development, equity, environmental justice,
green building technologies, and preservation of
environmentally sensitive areas

12. Environmental Planning Process
 Legislative planning framework
 Administrative planning framework
 Environmental resource management planning
 Landscape ecological planning
 Ecological urban planning
 Information dissemination
 Decision making

13. Natural Resource Management
 Activities that focus on improving human interaction with
the natural environment
 Congruent with the concept of sustainable development
 Sustainable development: resource use which aims to meet
human needs while preserving the environment

14. Elements of Sustainable Development

15. Natural Resource Management
Implementation Strategies
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Environmental governance:institutional frameworks, laws,
policies and incentive mechanisms that form a system of
governance over natural resources
Knowledge sharing and learning networks: a tool for
disseminating best practices in resource management