Introduction

You have already been introduced to geography as a part of social science in secondary school. As such you learnt about the world � its people and places; distribution of various natural and cultural features and phenomena over the earth�s surface; and the emerging patterns of human environment interactions at local, regional and global levels. Now, at this stage, you are being introduced to geography as a �discipline� for the first time.

NATURE OF GEOGRAPHY:

You must have noted that geography is concerned with the study of the earth�s surface where all life forms including human beings live and all human activities take place. The earth�s surface includes the oceans, the atmosphere, the upper part of the earth�s crust and the biosphere. The earth�s surface is ever changing, sometimes slowly and imperceptibly, while at others, rapidly and perceptibly. In general, the natural phenomena like mountains, rivers, lakes etc. change slowly while the cultural phenomena like buildings, roads, crops, etc. change fast. Geography studies the origin of these changing phenomena; the processes that change them and have brought them to the present state and arranged them in space in the way they exist. It also studies the implications of location and arrangement of these phenomena for human beings.Over 6,000 million people live on the earth in innumerable places called villages, towns and cities spread over many continents and countries. Continents, mountains, rivers, plains and many other physical features are the outcome of natural processes in action, while countries, villages, towns, cities, agriculture, industry, means of transport and communication etc. are the products of human activities. A process is a sequence of change systematically related through a chain of causes and effects. Human beings use the natural resources of the earth such as land, water, air, minerals, animals, forests and many others to make a living and to shape their culture. In doing so they change the earth surface enormously. It is no longer natural in the real sense except in remote areas that are still inaccessible, such as Antarctica. The inhabited part of the earth has a clear imprint of the human use of nature.

Geography thus, studies the surface features of the earth and their association with one another and derives meaningful spatial or regional patterns. It studies the factors and processes, which change these features; their mutual relationships; and their spatial arrangement. And finally it studies the implications of the above changes for human beings and their activities. It would be pertinent to note that all surface features of the earth that attract the attention of geographers are not visible; many of them are conceptual and, therefore, cannot be seen on the ground. For example, we cannot see education, health, per capita income as we can see rivers, mountains, roads etc. We can, however, see their social topography when we convert their intensities into patterns on maps. Thus, we have maps that show literacy, mortality, longevity of life, environment, prevalence of diseases, quality of life, etc. Nature provides the base, the resources as well as the resistances. Human beings use these natural endowments to evolve their cultures and civilisations. Culture is the cumulative product of experiences; it consists of values, norms, beliefs, thoughts, ethical standards and styles of life and living. Civilisation is the physical manifestation of culture. Houses, villages, cities, means of transport and communication, agriculture, industry, etc. forms part of civilisation. Apparently, the two are closely related and almost inseparable. In our discussion, we will use the term culture to include civilisation. Culture is cumulative and therefore, ever changing. In ancient societies human interaction with nature was rather direct: As time passed, experience accumulated to give rise to various kinds of cultures. Cultures are not only the outcome of the interaction between humans and nature but also