physical geography

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The Physical Geography (also Physiogeographie ) is the scientific approach to geography and is thus in addition to the human geography is one of the two sub-areas within the geography. It collects, describes and explains the earth's surface as a total system , composed of different subsystems.

object

The subject of physical geography is the earth's surface in the sense of the geosphere . The geosphere is the complex of five spheres:

These five spheres are built up by the corresponding five geofactors climate, water, soil, rocks and vegetation.

Sub-areas of physical geography

Physical geography is divided into the sub-areas of climatic geography or climatology (climate), hydrogeography (water), soil geography (soil), geomorphology (surface forms), biogeography (vegetation and animals) and landscape ecology, each of which takes a closer look at one of these geofactors .

Geoecology has developed as a newer sub-area within physical geography, but also as an independent discipline . She tries to bring together the knowledge from the traditional sub-areas of physical geography and thus to consider the geosphere holistically. This means that the structure of geo- and biofactors, the material and energy balance of landscapes, the consequences of human intervention and the possibilities of responsible landscape design are examined.

Representatives of physical geography included Friedrich Simony , Alexander von Humboldt , James Hutton and William Morris Davis .

literature

  • Roland Baumhauer: Physical Geography 1. Geomorphology . 3. Edition. WGB, Darmstadt 2013, ISBN 978-3-534-25634-1 .
  • Roland Baumhauer et al .: Physical geography 2. Climate, hydro, soil, vegetation geography . 2nd Edition. WGB, Darmstadt 2011, ISBN 978-3-534-24260-3 .
  • Rüdiger Glaser et al .: Physical geography compact . Spectrum, Heidelberg 2010, ISBN 978-3-8274-2059-6 .
  • Rainer Glawion et al .: Physical geography . 2nd Edition. Westermann, Braunschweig 2012, ISBN 978-3-14-160354-5 .
  • Andrew Goudie: Physical Geography. An introduction . 4th edition. Elsevier / Spektrum, Munich / Heidelberg 2007, ISBN 978-3-8274-1872-2 (English: The nature of the environment . Translated by Peter Wittmann, Jürg Rohner).
  • Christiane Martin, Manfred Eiblmaier: Lexicon of Geosciences. Spectrum Akademischer Verlag, Heidelberg et al. 2001, ISBN 3-8274-0420-7 .
  • Alan H. Strahler, Arthur N. Strahler : Physical geography . 4th edition. UTB / Ulmer, Stuttgart 2009, ISBN 978-3-8252-8159-5 (English: Introducing Physical Geography . Translated by Einar Eberhardt).
  • Stephen J. Reynolds et al .: Exploring Physical Geography. [Strongly visually oriented textbook with more than 2500 photographs & illustrations]. McGraw-Hill Education, 2015. ISBN 978-0-07-809516-0

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