Definition of physical geography - What it is, Meaning and Concept

The science dedicated to describing the characteristics of our planet is called geography , a term derived from the Latin geographĭa which, in turn, has its root etymological in the Greek word geōgraphia.

There are several branches of geography , arising from their specific scope of action .The physical geography is one focused on the study of the configuration of land spaces and seas .

Also called physiography , physical geography specializes in the natural geographical space , considering the surface of the Earth as a whole.His knowledge is complemented by those provided by the human geography (which studies the link between human communities and the environment in which they reside).

Physical geography seeks to contribute to understanding of the processes and geographical patterns that occur in the natural environment. oceanography , orography , glaciology and hydrography are some of the fields of study of this geographical subdiscipline.To develop your studies, turn to other sciences , such as physics and geology .

Next we will see the fields of study mentioned above in greater detail. oceanography , for example, is nothing other than the study of the seas and oceans, with a focus on their physical features , hydrological, economic and biological.This science is also interested in the tides, ocean currents and waves, among others of the movements of the ocean waters.Another of the main aspects of oceanography is the way in which the seas and the oceans influence the hydrological cycle and the atmospheric dynamics , which means the fundamentals of meteorology and, indirectly, of climatology.

The orography , on the other hand, is defined as the elevations found in a given area, and also as their description from the scope of the geomorphology .Specialists in this field define the lower limit of the parts of the Earth where the ocean does not reach.The fidelity to the reality of the representation of the land depends directly on the resolution used when dividing them into cells.

With respect to glaciology , he contributes to the physical geography with his study of water in a solid state: polar ice caps, glaciers, ice shelves and Icebergs are some of the most common examples.The phenomena addressed by this discipline belong to both the present and the past, and cover both its development and its causes, its distribution and its extension.

The hydrography easily differs from glaciology in that it serves the waters in a liquid state, and this includes lakes, rivers and groundwater, as well as their characteristics and properties.

It is important to keep in mind that physical geography studies biophysical issues and the link between them and the actions of the human being .That is why it works with the natural phenomena that occur on the Earth and with the interactions that man maintains with the environment, always starting from a spatial optics.

Although you can develop historical studies (for example, analyzing how the landscape changes over thousands of years), you also have the power to focus on the present (by detecting and measuring changes in the use of soil , to cite a possibility).

The main applications of physical geography take place through the subjects that compose it and can take many forms, according to the characteristics and needs of each area.Its origins date from the third century BC , although its evolution had a great number of milestones throughout these two millennia.