Regional geography
The regional geography or specific geography is that part of geography, which with certain branches of solid surface ( Landscape sphere busy). The focus is therefore on a region , e.g. B. a country or a landscape .
Basics and development
A separation of geography into a "general", theoretical part and a "special" part of geography related to individual objects of investigation, as found in many areas of science, was already carried out by Bernhardus Varenius in the 17th century ( Geographia generalis 1650), and also create a comprehensive hierarchical-typological classification . Johann Gottfried Gregorii wrote a Geographia Novissima Generalis, Specialis, Et Specialissima in 1708 . The Meyers from 1885 to 1892 (4th edition) then clearly describes:
"If it is a question of the systematic ordering of the material that has accumulated in this way, two methods are available:
- 1) Order according to the earth spaces: special geography;
- 2) Order of objects and phenomena independent of the earth spaces into categories: general geography "
and explains, “General geography certainly has to do with the same objects, indeed it actually receives them from the hands of special geography; but it divides the material according to its elements and summarizes them according to categories of objects and appearances without regard to the individual earth spaces. The special geography knows only individual mountains or mountain systems, z. B. the Alps, the Pyrenees, the Himalayas, the Andes. The general geography examines the common characteristics of these individual objects together into a geographical term high mountains, which come both certain similar features in the internal structure and express relief and in the dimensions as well as some climatic and biological characteristics. "The investigation objects of special geography called Ritter a sharply circumscribed "geographical individual".
Regional geography works idiographically or typologically with regard to the regions, whose spatial elements, structures, processes and modes of operation (interactions between the geofactors) are recorded, classified and explained.
The subject profile includes:
- Knowledge of and understanding of landscapes and (partial) landscape systems as well as their dynamic, spatio-temporal changes with or without human influence
- Analysis of selected landscapes on different scale levels
- Knowledge of social, demographic and economic structures and their change in a spatio-temporal perspective on various scales
The regional geography can be divided into:
- Regional geography (special geography of political areas, in the broader sense human geographic areas, special human geography )
- Landscape science ( special landscape geography, geography of natural spaces, in the broader sense of physical-geographical spaces, special physical geography )
The focus of modern geography is no longer on differentiation, but on a synthesis of the two, that is, understanding the interactions between man-made and “natural” spaces.
The geographic meso level (ie states and correspondingly large landscape areas) is considered the classic specialty of the specific geography, but also increasingly requires a change in perspective one, down to a small-scale in an understanding of structures such as community or individual small landscapes , as well as towards a globalization to towards the consideration of the entire world as a single geographical individual in the Ritterian sense.
Like all geographic subject areas, it has a comparative and an applied branch, and today works with geoinformatics , i.e. closely with cartography .
Conversely, for each subject area of geography there is also a special branch in addition to the general one (e.g. special biogeography, special population geography of a region, etc.).
There are also a number of other specializations and interdisciplinary approaches, such as dynamic country / landscape studies as a subject on historical and future spatial development , or problem-oriented country / landscape studies in the direction of applied geography. In addition, regional geography creates the scientific basis for (politically and sociologically oriented) regional planning .
Individual evidence
- ^ Bernhardus Varenius: Geographia Generalis. In qua affectiones generales Telluris explicantur Autore Berh. Varenio, Med. D., Elzevir. Amsterdam 1650 ff.
- ↑ Johann Gottfried Gregorii: Geographia Novissima Generalis, Specialis, Et Specialissima, That is: A very useful, and well-established world, country and city description with accurate questions: In it the choicest, newest and most memorable things of Europe, Asia, Africa and America ... In addition to a lesson from Globo, Universal and Particular Charten, their best Autoribus and Sculptoribus. Stössel Publishing House, 1708.
- ↑ a b c Geography (special, general, comparative E.) . In: Meyers Konversations-Lexikon . 4th edition. Volume 5, Verlag des Bibliographisches Institut, Leipzig / Vienna 1885–1892, p. 752.
- ↑ a b c see module name: Special Geography ( Memento of the original from December 20, 2012 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , Curriculum Christian-Albrechts-Universität zu Kiel - Institute of Geography, accessed January 18, 2013
- ↑ Regional geography is widely used as a synonym for regional / special geography as well as political geography. Both are only a limited view of the methodology.
- ↑ a b see regional geography ( page no longer available , search in web archives ) Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , University of Passau - Philosophical Faculty, accessed January 18, 2013
