What is the definition of geography? Geography definitions "geographical concepts"

Geography is one of the oldest sciences in the world. Even primitive people studied their terrain, drawing the first primitive maps on the walls of their caves. Of course modern science Geography poses completely different tasks. Which ones exactly? What is she studying? And what definition can be given to this science?

Defining Geography: Main Issues and Difficulties

If physics teaches “how”, history explains “when” and “why”, then geography tells “where”. Of course, this is a very simplified view of this subject.

Geography is a very old science. The term itself has ancient Greek roots and is literally translated as “land description”. And its foundation was laid precisely in antiquity. The first geographer is called Claudius Ptolemy, who in the second century published a book with an ambiguous title: “Geography”. The work consisted of eight volumes.

Among other scientists who made a significant contribution to the development of geography as a science, it is worth highlighting Gerhard Mercator, Alexander Humboldt, Karl Ritter, Walter Christaller, Vladimir Vernadsky,

An accurate and uniform definition of geography still remains a rather difficult task. According to one of several interpretations, sciences that study various aspects of the functioning and structure of geography. There is another definition of geography, according to which this science studies the patterns of distribution of any phenomenon across the earth's surface. But Professor V.P. Budanov wrote that although the content of geography is very difficult to determine, its object, without any doubt, is the surface of the entire globe.

Geography as the science of the geographical envelope of the Earth

Nevertheless, the main object of study is the geographical shell of the Earth. Domestic science gives the following definition of this term. is a holistic and continuous shell of planet Earth, which consists of five structural parts:

lithosphere;
hydrosphere;
atmosphere;
biosphere;
anthroposphere.

Moreover, they are all in close and constant interaction, exchanging matter, energy and information.

The geographic envelope has its own parameters (thickness is approximately 25-27 kilometers), and also has certain patterns. Among these are integrity (unity of components and structures), rhythm (periodic repetition of natural phenomena), latitudinal zonality, altitudinal zonation.

Structure of geographical science

The distinction between natural and bold lines passed along the “body” of the once uniform geographical science, scattering its individual disciplines into completely different planes scientific research. Thus, some physiographic branches are more closely related to physics or chemistry than to population or economics.

Geography of the Earth is divided into two large disciplines.

Physical.
Social and economic.

The first group includes hydrography, climatology, geomorphology, glaciology, soil geography and others. It is not difficult to guess that they are studying natural objects. The second group includes population, urban studies (the science of cities), regional studies and others.

Connections with other sciences

How closely is geography related to other sciences? What place does it occupy in the system of scientific disciplines?

Geography has the closest connections with such sciences as mathematics, history, physics and chemistry, economics, biology and psychology. Like any other discipline, it is also genetically related to philosophy and logic.

It is worth noting that some of these interscientific connections were so strong that they gave rise to entirely new so-called cross-cutting disciplines. These include the following:

cartography (geography + geometry);
toponymy (geography + linguistics);
historical geography (geography + history);
soil science (geography + chemistry).

The main geographical problems at the present stage of scientific development

Strange as it may sound, one of the most important geographical problems is the definition of geography as a science. Moreover, methodologists and theorists are so keen on solving this problem that the question has already arisen: does such a science exist at all?

In the 21st century, the role of the predictive function of geographical science has increased. By using huge amount Using analytical and factual data, various geomodels are built (climatic, geopolitical, environmental, etc.).

The main task of geography in modern stage- not only to recognize the deep connections between natural phenomena and social processes, but also learn to predict them. One of the most important branches of science today is geourbanism. The world's urban population is growing every year. Largest cities planets are facing new problems and challenges that require immediate and constructive solutions.

A fascinating and very interesting activity is to find out the meanings of words, especially polysemantic and foreign ones. For example, what is geography? What does this word, familiar from school, mean? Let's try to figure this out.

Meanings of the word "geography"

Geography is a science. To understand what she is studying, let's look at the etymology of the word. WITH Greek language, “geo” - earth, “graphics” - writing, that is, this is a description of the earth. Geography studies and describes the distribution of something on the earth's surface, namely: natural conditions, climate, various minerals, terrain features, world population, economic, geopolitical development various countries and continents. Thus, the subject of studying geography as a science is very broad. Geography can be economic, physical, mathematical. For example: "Geography shows how diverse and beautiful our planet Earth is."
Geography is also a school subject in which students receive basic, general knowledge of this science, study the geographical location of Russia and other countries, and see how diverse our planet is. For example: “In geography lessons, the teacher talked interestingly about the continents of the Earth, their location, showing it on a geographical map.”
Geography is also the distribution of something. For example: “The geography of the habitat of Amur tigers has been studied quite well.”

If you are interested in this material, you can read additional articles about geography on our website.

Geographical concepts

Absolute altitude - vertical distance from sea level togivenpoints.A.v. points located above sea level are considered positive,below - negative.

Azimuth - the angle between the direction north anddirection toany itemon the ground; calculated in degrees from 0 to 360° in directionclockwork movementsarrows.

Iceberg - a large block of ice floating in the sea, lake or stranded

Antarctic belt - descends from South Pole up to 70° SAnticyclone - area of increased air pressure inatmosphere.Area - area of distribution of any phenomenon or group of living thingsorganisms.

Arctic belt - descends from North Pole up to 70° NArchipelago - group of islands.

Atmosphere - the air shell of the Earth.

Atoll - coral island in the shape of a ring.

Beam - dry valley in steppe and forest-steppe regions in the Russian Plain.

Barkhan - an accumulation of loose sand blown by the wind and not secured by vegetation.

Pool - an area of depression that has no drainage on the surface.Shore - a strip of land adjacent to a river, lake, sea; slope descending towards a water basin.

Biosphere - one of the shells of the Earth, includes all living organisms.Breeze - local wind on the shores of seas, lakes and large rivers.Daytime B. (or sea) blows from the sea (lake) to land.Night B. (or coastal) -Withsushionsea.

"Brocken Ghost" (along the Brocken mountain in the Harz massif, Germany)- a special type of mirage observed on clouds or fog whensunrise or sunset.

Wind - air movement relative to the ground, usually horizontal, directed away from high pressure to low.Direction B. determined by the side of the horizon from wherehe blows.Speed V. determined in m/s, km/h, knots or approximately on the Beaufort scale.

Air humidity - content of water vapor.

Watershed - boundary between drainage basins.Elevation - an area elevated above the surrounding area.

Waves - oscillatory movements aquatic environment seasAndoceanscaused bytidal forces of the Moon and the Sun(tidal V.), by the wind(wind V.), atmospheric pressure fluctuations(anemobaric V.), underwater earthquakes and volcanic eruptions (tsunamis).

Highlands - a set of mountain structures with steep slopes, pointed peaks and deep valleys; absolute altitudes over 3000m. The highest mountain systems on the planet:Himalayas, vertexEverest (8848 m) is located in Asia; V Central Asia, in India and China -Karakoram, vertexChogori (8611 m).

Altitudinal zone - a change in natural zones in the mountains from the base to the top, associated with climate and soil changes depending on the height above sea level.

Geographical coordinates - angular values that determine the position of any point on the globe relative to the equator and the prime meridian.

Geospheres - shells of the Earth, differing in density and composition.Hydrosphere - water shell Earth.

Mountain: 1) an isolated sharp elevation among relatively flat terrain; 2) a peak in a mountainous country.

Mountains - vast territories with absolute heights of up to several thousand meters and sharp fluctuations in heights within their borders.

Mountain system - a collection of mountain ranges and mountain ranges that extend in the same direction and have a common appearance.

Ridge - elongated, relatively low relief shape; formed by hills lined upVrow and merging with their bases.

Delta - the area where river sediment is deposited at the mouth of a river as it flows into the sea or lake.

Longitude geographical - the angle between the plane of the meridian passing through a given point and the plane of the prime meridian; measured in degrees and counted from the prime meridian to the east and west.

Valley - negative linearly elongated relief shape.

Dunes - accumulation of sand on the shores of seas, lakes and rivers, formed by the wind.

Bay - part of the ocean (sea)orlakes), protruding quite deeply into the land, but having free water exchange with the main part of the reservoir.

Earth's crust - the upper shell of the Earth.

Swell - a small, calm, uniform wave, disturbance of the sea, river or lake.

Ionosphere - high layers of the atmosphere, starting at an altitude of 50-60 km.

Source - the place where the river begins.

Canyon - a deep river valley with steep slopes and a narrow bottom.K. underwater -a deep valley within the underwater edge of the continent.

Karst - rock dissolution natural waters and the phenomena associated with it.

Climate - long-term weather regime in a particular area.Local K., distributed over a relatively small area.Climate zone (or belt) is a vast region distinguished by climatic indicators.

Scythe - a sandy or pebble shaft stretching along the coast or protruding in the form of a cape far into the sea.

Crater - a depression created after a volcano explosion.

A ridge is a sharply rising large rise, one of the types of hills.

Avalanche - a mass of snow or ice falling down a steep slope.Lagoon - a shallow bay or bay separated from the sea by a spit or coral reef.

Geographical landscape - a relatively homogeneous area of the geographical envelope.

Glacier - a mass of ice moving slowly under the influence of gravity along a mountainside or valley. The Antarctic glacier is the largest on the planet, its area is 13 million 650 thousand km 2 , the maximum thickness exceeds 4.7 km, and the total volume of ice is about 25-27 million km 3 - almost 90% of the volume of all ice on the planet.

glacial period - a period of time in the geological history of the Earth, characterized by a strong cooling of the climate.Forest-steppe - a landscape in which forests and steppes alternate.Forest-tundra - a landscape in which forests and tundra alternate.

Liman - shallow bay at the mouth of the river; usually separated from the sea by a spit or bar.

Lithosphere - one of the shells of the Earth.

Mantle - the shell of the Earth between the earth's crust and core.

Mainland - a large part of land surrounded on all sides by oceans and seas.Australia - in South hemisphere, between Indian and Pacific Oceans(smallest of the continents);North and Yuzh. America - in the West hemispheres, between the Pacific and Atlantic oceans;Antarctica - in the central part of the South. polar region (the southernmost and highest continent on the planet);Africa - in South hemisphere (second largest continent);Eurasia - all in. hemisphere (the largest continent on Earth).

Meridians geographical - imaginary circles passing through the poles and crossing the equator at right angles; all their points lie at the same geographical longitude.

World Ocean - the entire body of water on Earth.

Monsoons - winds that periodically change their direction depending on the time of year: in winter they blow from land to sea, and in summer from sea to land.

Highlands - a mountainous country characterized by a combination of mountain ranges and massifs and located high above sea level. Tibet is in Central Asia, the highest and greatest highland on Earth. Its base rests at absolute altitudes of 3500-5000 m or more. Some peaks rise up to 7000 m.

Lowlands - the lower tier of mountainous countries or independent mountain structures with absolute heights from 500 m to 1500 m. The most famous of them are the Ural Mountains, which stretch for 2000 km from north to south - from the Kara Sea to the steppes of Kazakhstan, the vast majority of the peaks of the Urals are below 1500 m .

Lowland - a plain that does not rise above 200 m above sea level. The most famous and significant among them is the Amazonian lowland with an area of more than 5 million km 2 in South America.

Lake - a natural body of water on the surface of the land. The largest lake in the world is the Caspian Sea-lake and the deepest is Lake Baikal.

Oceans - parts of the World Ocean separated from each other by continents and islands.Atlantic; Indian - an ocean of heated waters;Arctic - the smallest and shallowest ocean;Pacific Ocean (Great), the largest and deepest ocean on Earth.

Landslide - downslope displacement of a mass of loose rock under the influence of gravity.

Island - a piece of land surrounded on all sides by the waters of the ocean, sea, lake or river. The world's largest island -Greenland area 2 million 176 thousand km 2 .

Relative height - vertical distance between the top of the mountain and its foot,

Geographical parallels - imaginary circles parallel to the equator, all points of which have the same latitude.

Greenhouse effect (atmospheric greenhouse effect) - protective actions of the atmosphere associated with the absorption of reflected long-wave radiation.

Trade winds - constant winds in tropical areas, blowing towards the equator.

Plateau: 1) high plain, limited by steep ledges; 2) a vast flat area on a mountain top.P. underwater - an elevation of the seabed with a flat top and steep slopes.

Plyos - a deep section of the river bed between the rifts.

Plateau - a vast area of land with an altitude from 300-500 m to 1000-2000 m or more above sea level with flat peaks and deeply incised valleys. For example:East African, Central Siberian, Vitim plateau.

Floodplain - part of a river valley that is flooded during high water.Semi-desert - a transitional landscape that combines the features of a steppe or desert.

Earth's hemisphere - half of the earth’s sphere, allocated either along the equator or along the meridians of 160° east. and 20°W (Eastern and Western hemispheres), or according to other characteristics.

Geographic poles - points of intersection of the Earth’s rotation axis with the earth’s surface.

Magnetic items of the Earth - points on the earth’s surface where the magnetic needle is located vertically, i.e. where a magnetic compass is not applicable for orientation by cardinal directions.

Arctic Circles (Northern AndSouthern) - parallels located 66° 33" north and south of the equator.

Threshold - a shallow area in a river bed with a large slope and fast current.

Foothills - hills and low mountains surrounding the highlands.

Prairies - vast grassy steppes in the North. America.

Ebbs and flows - periodic fluctuations in the water level of seas and oceans, which are caused by the attraction of the Moon and the Sun.

Deserts - vast spaces with almost no vegetation due to the dry and hot climate. The largest desert on the globe -Sahara all in. Africa,

Plains - vast flat or slightly hilly expanses of land. The largest on EarthEastern European, orRussian, with an area of more than 6 million km 2 AndZapodno-Sibirskaya in northern Eurasia, with an area of about 3 million km 2 .

River - a constant stream of water flowing in a riverbed.Amazon - river in South America, the largest in the world in length (more than 7000 km from the source of the Ucayali River), in terms of basin area (7180 μm G) and water content;Mississippi - the largest river Sev. America, one of the greatest on Earth (length from the source of the Missouri River 6420 km);Nile - river in Africa (length 6671 km).

Relief - a set of various irregularities of the earth’s surface (forms of R.) of various origins; are formed through a combination of impacts on the earth's surface by endogenous and exogenous processes.

Bed - the deepened part of the valley bottom occupied by the river.

Savannah - a tropical and subtropical landscape in which herbaceous vegetation is combined with individual trees or groups of trees.

North Pole - the point of intersection of the earth's axis with the surface of the Earth in the North. hemispheres.

Sel - a mud or mud-stone stream that suddenly passes through the valley of a mountain river.

Tornado (American name for tornado) - vortex movement of air in the form of a funnel or column.

Srednegorye - mountain structures with absolute heights from 1500 to 3000 m. There are the most mountain structures of medium height on Earth. They are spread over vast areas of the south and northeast of Siberia. Almost all of them are occupied Far East, East End China and the Indochina Peninsula; in northern Africa and the East African Plateau; Carpathians, mountains of the Balkan, Apennine, Iberian and Scandinavian peninsulas in Europe, etc.

Slope - sloping section on land or at the bottom of the sea.Windward S. - facing the direction from which the prevailing winds blow.Leeward S. - facing the direction opposite to the direction of the prevailing winds.

Steppe - treeless spaces with an arid climate, characterized by herbaceous vegetation. In Eurasia, steppes stretch in an almost continuous strip from the Black Sea to Northeast China, and in North America occupy vast expanses of the Great Plains, joining in the south with the savannas of the tropical belt.

Stratosphere - layer of the atmosphere.

Subtropical zones (subtropics) - located between tropical and temperate zones.

Subequatorial belts - located between the equatorial belt and tropical zones.

Taiga - zone of temperate coniferous forests. The taiga covers the northern part of Eurasia and North America in an almost continuous belt.

Typhoon - the name of tropical cyclones of storm and hurricane force in Southeast Asia and the Far East.

Takyr - a flat depression in the desert, covered with a hardened clay crust.

Tectonic movements - movements of the earth's crust that change its structure and shape.

Tropics: 1) imaginary parallel circles on the globe, located 23°30° north and south of the equator:tropics of Capricorn (Northern t.) - tropics of the North. hemispheres andTropics of Cancer (South. t.) - South tropics hemispheres; 2) natural zones.

Tropical zones - located between subtropical and subequatorial zones.

Troposphere - lower layer of the atmosphere.

Tundra - treeless landscape in the Arctic and Antarctic.

Temperate zones - located in temperate latitudes.

Temperate latitudes - located between 40° and 65° N. and between 42° and 58° S.Hurricane - storm with wind speed of 30-50 m/s.

Estuary - the place where a river flows into a sea, lake or other river.

Atmospheric front - a zone separating warm and cold air masses.

Fiord (fjord) - a narrow, deep sea bay with rocky shores, which is a glacial valley flooded by the sea.

Hill - small in height and gently sloping hill.Cyclones - area of low atmospheric pressure.

Tsunami - Japanese name huge waves resulting from underwater earthquakes and volcanic eruptions.

Parts of the world - regions of the Earth, including continents (or parts thereof) with nearby islands. Australia, Asia, America, Antarctica, Africa, Europe.

Shelf - continental shallows with prevailing depths of up to 200 m (in some cases more).

Latitude geographical - the angle between the plumb line at a given point and the plane of the equator, measured in degrees and counted from the equator to the north and south.

Squall - a sharp short-term increase in wind before a storm.

Calm - calm, calm.

Storm - very strong wind, accompanied by strong rough seas.

Equator - an imaginary line connecting points on the globe equidistant from the poles.

Exosphere - layer of the atmosphere.

Ecosphere - region outer space, suitable for the existence of living organisms.

Erosion, destruction of soils and rocks by flowing waters.

South Pole, the point of intersection of the earth's axis with the surface of the earth in the South. hemispheres.

Earth's core, the central part of the planet with a radius of approx. 3470 km.

Standard plans for describing geographical objects

Geographical position mainland

1. The location of the continent relative to the equator, the tropics (arctic circles) and the prime meridian.

2. Extreme points continents, their coordinates and the length of the continent in degrees and kilometers from north to south and from west to east.

3. In what climatic zones is the continent located?

4. Oceans and seas washing the continent.

5. The location of the continent relative to other continents.

Terrain relief

1. What is the general nature of the surface? How can this be explained?

2. How are landforms located in the study area?

3. What are the highest and most dominant altitudes?

Climate

1. In what climatic zone and in what area is the territory located?

2. Average temperatures in July and January. Direction and reasons for their change.

3. Prevailing winds (by season).

4. Annual precipitation and its regime. Reasons for differences in precipitation.

River

1. In what part of the continent does it flow?

2. Where does it start? Where does it flow?

3. In what direction does it flow?

4. Explain the dependence of the nature of the flow on the relief.

5. Identify the river's food sources.

6. What is the river regime and how does it depend on climate?

Natural area

1. Geographical location of the zone.

2. Geology, tectonics, relief.

3. Climate.

4. Inland waters.

5. Soils.

6. Vegetation.

7. Animal world.

Population of the country

1. Number, type of population reproduction, demographic policy.

2. Age and sex composition of the population, availability of labor resources.

3. National (ethnic) composition of the population.

4. Social class composition of the population.

5. The main features of population distribution, the influence of migration on its distribution.

6. Levels, rates and forms of urbanization, main cities and urban agglomerations.

7. Rural settlement.

8. General conclusion. Prospects for population growth and labor supply.

EGP of the country (region)

1. Position in relation to neighboring countries.

2. Position in relation to the main land and sea transport routes.

3. Position in relation to the main fuel and raw material bases, industrial and agricultural areas.

4. Position in relation to the main distribution areas of products.

5. Change in EGP over time.

6. General conclusion about the influence of EGP on the development and location of the country’s economy.

Industry

1. The importance of the industry and the size of its products.

2. Natural prerequisites for the development of the industry.

3. Industry structure.

4. The main factors influencing the location of the industry and the main features of its geography; sectoral industrial districts.

5. Industry dependence on exports and imports.

6. General conclusion. Industry development prospects.

Agriculture of the country

1. Industry importance and product size.

2. Natural conditions for the development of the industry.

3. Features of agricultural relations.

4. Industry structure, ratio of crop production and livestock production.

5. Geography of crop and livestock production, agricultural areas.

6. The country's dependence on the export and import of agricultural products.

7. General conclusion. Prospects for population growth and labor supply.

Territory of the economic region

1. EGP of the district.

2. Natural conditions, resources of the area and their economic assessment.

3. Labor resources and the possibilities of their use.

4. Historical background for development National economy economic region.

5. Specialization of the economy (industry and agriculture).

6. Relationships between industries and territories within the region, forms of production location (TPK, nodes, centers).

7. Cities.

8. Prospects for the development of the region.

Lesson topic: Geography is the science of earth.

Main goals and objectives: to form in 5th grade students an understanding of what geography does, to form an initial interest in this science and a desire to study it.

Lesson Plan:

Definition of Geography
Subsections of Geography
Where do geographers get their information from?

During the classes

1. Definition of geography

As already mentioned, geography is the science of the Earth. She studies our planet comprehensively. Translated from Greek, the word “geography” means “description of the earth.” And this word consists of two simple Greek words: “ge” (which means Earth) and “grapho” (which translates as writing).

The development of geography paralleled the development of humanity. Remember, from the very beginning, people believed that the Earth stood on three elephants, which, in turn, were placed on a huge turtle? Then the description of the Earth was different. Ancient man, without sufficient tools, described what he could see with the naked eye - forests and fields, rivers and lakes, people and their customs. Since it was proven that the Earth is round planet, the methods of its research have changed dramatically. Modern geographers cannot live without various artificial assistants, which allow them, first of all, to cover significant distances (for example, off-road vehicles). In addition, they will need binoculars, rangefinders, but also microscopes.

Where will the study of geography begin for you, 5th grade students? Of course, this will be general geography. You will learn about the peculiarities of the nature of your native land, study what features of the relief are present here, what plants grow and what animals live. Co next year you will go further - and now you will find out what the geographical envelope is, what it consists of, how it was formed. Surely you will be interested to know what the lithosphere or atmosphere is. Maybe you can guess for yourself what the hydrosphere is needed for and what the biosphere includes. And you will also learn that humanity lives precisely in the geographical shell, and its influence on it is enormous.

So when we talk about geography, we will mean a complex of sciences that studies geographical envelope, within which the interaction between nature and man living in society occurs.

2. Subsections of geography

Like any other science that studies phenomena as a complex and system, geography has several subsections, each of which deals with its own separate issues. In total, more than 80 interrelated sciences that relate to geography are known. The most famous and popular among them:

Oceanology is a science that studies the processes that take place in the World Ocean.
Demography - studies the population of the globe, its qualitative and quantitative composition. It is this science that says that there are currently 7.5 billion people living on Earth. Unfortunately, demography cannot answer the question of how much population our planet can support.
Engineering geography - within the framework of this science, the soils on which various structures are erected are subject to study. Experts in these matters ensure that a constructed building, for example, does not slide into the sea due to unstable soils.
Climatology is, as the name suggests, and very simply, the science of the planet's climate. Main question- does it exist Greenhouse effect or it was invented by evil scientists.
Geology - studies the earth's crust, its structure and composition. What if the place where the construction of a skyscraper is planned is located in a seismically dangerous zone and there is a high probability of earthquakes?
Geomorphology - deals with the study of the relief of the earth's surface.
Medical geography - issues of influence are important for it various features territories on the health status of the people who live there.
Cartography is the science of creating maps and reading them.

Like biology, the efforts of geography and scientists working in this field are aimed at preserving nature in its original form, as well as economically and carefully using the wealth that it provides us.

All sciences working under the auspices of geography belong to one of two classes:

Physical geography - they are devoted to the study of the surface of our planet.
Socio-economic - the focus of its attention is the diversity of manifestations of the world in which people live, as well as that economic activity which they lead.

Practical task:

Divide the above subsections of geography between these two classes.

3. Where do geographers get information from?

Study geography on initial stage not very difficult - geographical maps, dictionaries, textbooks and encyclopedias that tell a lot about geographical achievements of various ages. First of all, you need to learn to read geographical map- this skill can have practical application, for example, will help you on a hike or travel.

In addition, watching TV and a computer with an Internet connection in this case is more than welcome - at the moment, many TV channels in the world (for example, BBC) have own programs devoted to issues of geography. Well, you shouldn’t forget about books (primarily textbooks) - they contain the quintessence of the knowledge that is now available to you.

Assessment: Since there were few practical tasks within the lesson, students must be assessed based on a final test of their level of mastery of the material. You should ask several of the questions listed in the Lesson Summary section to help you understand how the lesson was learned.

4. Lesson summary:

During the lesson, students became acquainted with:

What is geography? What differences can you note in the study of our planet in the past and in the present?
What are the divisions of geography and what does each of them do? What is physical and socio-economic geography?
What is the source of information for studying geography?

Homework:

Within creative assignment You can advise students:

Add to the list of divisions of geography - given in paragraph 3 is not final.
Figure out how theoretical research in the field of geography, they influence practical human activities - for example, they help in construction or medicine.
Find one video on the Internet dedicated to geographic issues, watch it and retell in writing what was discussed there in your own words.

Geography is a way of understanding the world around us. Primitive In order to survive, he had to be well oriented in the world around him: first of all, he had to know it well (for example, where the hunting grounds are, where the edible plants are, etc.) and be able to use this knowledge. Already in the Stone Age, the predecessors of modern maps were created - drawings on the walls of cave dwellings (see article ““), schematically showing the territory surrounding a human dwelling.

Geography as a science

Actually, geography as a science begins with “travel literature”: getting to other, unfamiliar places, an intelligent observer recorded everything unusual for himself: what the people of this country look like, what they dress in, what kind of political system they have, what plants and animals are in this country and much more. These were the beginnings of regional studies, when the country as a whole is described, “from geology to ideology,” and exactly what distinguishes this country from everyone else.

The famous Russian geographer Nikolai Baransky formulated this feature of science as follows: “What is everywhere (like) should not be anywhere in geography.” In other words, there is no need to write that in a given country there is air, soil, vegetation - this is everywhere; you need to pay attention to how the air of this country (for example, its climate) is unique, how it differs from neighboring countries.

Beginning with regional studies, geography developed further along the line of in-depth study of individual components of nature, more precisely, the earth's shells: (it began to be studied by such sciences as climatology and meteorology), hydrosphere (terrestrial hydrology and oceanology), (geomorphology - the science of relief), biosphere ( biogeography), pedosphere (soil geography). In general, the interaction of various components of nature in each specific area is studied by landscape science. It went the same way in-depth study individual aspects of the life of society: the economy as a whole was studied by economic geography, its individual branches - the corresponding sciences: industrial geography, Agriculture, trade and so on; people's lives - population geography; political life- political geography.

But this study of the territory “by sections” did not give a consolidated picture of each country or region. Regarding the situation when the territory is described only “by industry,” Baransky said: imagine that the writer decided to depict the characters in his novel as follows: first he described what each of them was wearing, then what they were all wearing, then what their build was, what hair color each person has, then character traits, and so on. As a result, everything seems to be described, but there is no holistic picture of each person. Therefore, after the “component-by-component” characteristics of the territory, it is necessary to give “district-by-district” characteristics.

“Geography” - literally translated - “land description”, which still remains its main task. But the natural course of development of each science is as follows: description - explanation - prediction - control. The sciences that study inanimate nature went through these stages the fastest. Open laws of mechanics, for example, make it possible to successfully control movement; knowledge of the laws of physics allows you to create new materials and so on. In dealing with more complex objects, the problems of controlling biological processes have only recently begun to be solved.

Geography study object

Object of study of geography - earth's surface with all its natural and social content, it is even more complex and, most importantly, heterogeneous: physical processes take place here (for example, the cycle in nature), chemical processes (migration of various earth's crust), biological (development of plant communities), economic (functioning of the national economy), demographic (), social (interaction of various social groups and others), political (struggle for power between various parties and movements), socio-psychological (formation of public opinion, different attitudes of people towards the processes taking place in society) and many others (including those that we do not yet know).

On any part of the territory - in every village, city, district - all these processes intertwine, interact (often in the most unexpected way) and together create their own unique picture of the “life of the territory” - more precisely, the life of society in the specific conditions of a given territory.

Geography problem

The task of geography is to identify the specifics of the interaction of all these heterogeneous processes in each territory, summarize the available materials and create a vivid, memorable image of the place - that is, first solve the problem of describing the territory (and partly - explaining the processes occurring on it).

Much more difficult task geographical forecast: what future (or what future options) is possible for this territory. Often you have to limit yourself to identifying restrictions for development: for example, in such and such an area it is impossible to build enterprises even with small emissions harmful substances, since their dispersion in the atmosphere occurs extremely slowly; or: it is not worth creating a recreation zone here (from the Latin “recreatio” - literally “restoration” of human strength and health), since it is far from the place of residence of potential vacationers.

The management task is even more difficult geographical objects. Is it possible, for example, to curb the growth major cities? Or - to populate empty rural areas? Society (including Russian) very often exaggerated its ability to influence such processes. As it turned out later (after a lot of effort and money had already been spent), there are internal patterns in the development of processes (though still poorly understood), and it is not always possible to change anything with external efforts (and sometimes these efforts give the opposite result expected). Some of these patterns will be discussed in this book.

So, geography should ideally help society solve certain specific problems - that is, perform applied tasks. But there are also tasks of a different kind - related to the formation of an “image of the country” among all members of society, among the entire population.

Geography of Russia

Any person should have a correct idea in his head about which country, region, city, village he lives in. Without this, true patriotism - love for one's Fatherland - is impossible.

“I love and know. I know and love. And the more I love you, the better I know” - geographer Yuri Konstantinovich Efremov used these words as an epigraph to his wonderful book “The Nature of My Country”.

Knowledge of geography is special meaning for Russia - a country whose history is inseparable from its geography. According to historian Vasily Klyuchevsky, "the history of Russia is the history of a country that is being colonized." Another aspect of the importance of geography in Russia was well demonstrated by Pushkin in his play “Boris Godunov.” There is a scene in which Tsar Boris visits his son Fyodor and finds him drawing a geographical map:

King: And you, my son, what are you doing? What's this?

Fedor: Moscow drawing; our kingdom

From edge to edge. You see: here is Moscow,

Here is Novgorod, here is Astrakhan. Here is the sea

Here are the Permian dense forests,

And here is Siberia.

King: What is this?

Is it a pattern here?

Fedor: This is the Volga.

King: How good! Here is the sweet fruit of learning!

How can you see from the clouds

The whole kingdom suddenly: borders, cities, rivers.

Learn, my son: science reduces

We experience fast-flowing life -

Someday, and soon maybe

All areas that you are now

He depicted it so cleverly on paper,

Everything will be at your fingertips.

Learn, my son, both easier and clearer

You will comprehend the work of a sovereign.

Pushkin, through the mouth of Tsar Boris, here very accurately expressed how geography can help a statesman: “to survey the entire kingdom suddenly” (that is, simultaneously) in order to better understand it.

Mikhail Vasilyevich Lomonosov (who, among other things, headed the Geographical Department of the Russian Academy of Sciences) seems to have said about geography that it “brings the entire vastness of the universe to a single view.”

Traditionally served the needs Russian state, which, since at least the 14th century, has been continuously “colonized”, expanding its territory. At the end of the 19th - beginning of the 20th century, some geographers even criticized the Russian Geographical Society for being carried away by the study of foreign territories (to the detriment of the study of Russia itself - primarily those that Russia could “have designs on”, if not for the purpose of annexation, then to strengthen their influence in them). Now that the six-century era of Russian territory expansion is behind us, the tasks of geography are also changing: we must know better and better the internal, “deep” Russia, on which the main efforts of the state will be directed and on which our future will ultimately depend.