NCERT Solutions for Class 12 Geography Fundamentals of Human Geography Chapter 1: Human Geography: Nature and Scope

Chapter at a glance

Exercise Questions

Question 1 (i)

Which one of the following statements does not describe geography?
(a) an integrative discipline (b) study of the inter-relationship between humans and environment (c) subjected to dualism (d) not relevant in the present time due to the development of technology.

Answer

Geography is an integrative discipline that studies the relationship between humans and the environment, and it has faced dualism (physical vs human). It remains highly relevant today; technology (GIS, remote sensing) has in fact increased its relevance.

4. not relevant in the present time due to the development of technology

Question 1 (ii)

Which one of the following is not a source of geographical information?
(a) traveller’s accounts (b) old maps (c) samples of rock materials from the moon (d) ancient epics

Answer

Geography studies the earth’s surface. Travellers’ accounts, old maps and ancient epics give information about places and people on earth, but rock samples from the moon relate to the moon, not the earth.

3. samples of rock materials from the moon

Question 1 (iii)

Which one of the following is the most important factor in the interaction between people and environment?
(a) human intelligence (b) people’s perception (c) technology (d) human brotherhood

Answer

Technology indicates the level of cultural development of a society; with better technology, humans are able to understand and use nature better and move from the “realm of necessity” to the “realm of freedom”. It is the most important factor in human–environment interaction.

3. technology

Question 1 (iv)

Which one of the following is not an approach in human geography?
(a) Areal differentiation (b) Spatial organisation (c) Quantitative revolution (d) Exploration and description

Answer

Areal differentiation, spatial organisation and exploration and description are approaches (broad themes) in human geography. The quantitative revolution was a period (1950s–60s) during which the spatial organisation approach used statistical techniques; it is a phase, not an approach in itself.

3. Quantitative revolution

Question 2 (i)

Define human geography.

Answer

Human geography studies the inter-relationship between the physical environment and the socio-cultural environment created by human beings through mutual interaction with each other. Ratzel defined it as “the synthetic study of relationship between human societies and earth’s surface”; Ellen C. Semple called it “the study of the changing relationship between the unresting man and the unstable earth”.

Human geography is the synthetic study of the relationship between human societies and the earth’s surface — the inter-relationship between the physical environment and the socio-cultural environment created by humans (Ratzel; Semple).

Question 2 (ii)

Name some sub-fields of human geography.

Answer

Sub-fields include: behavioural geography, cultural geography, gender geography, historical geography, medical geography, social welfare geography, urban geography, political geography (electoral, military), population geography, settlement geography (rural, urban), economic geography (geography of resources, agriculture, industries, marketing, tourism, international trade).

Sub-fields include social geography (behavioural, cultural, gender, historical, medical, social welfare), urban geography, political geography (electoral, military), population geography, settlement geography, and economic geography (resources, agriculture, industries, marketing, tourism, international trade).

Question 2 (iii)

How is human geography related to other social sciences?

Answer

Human geography is interdisciplinary: it explains the relationship between all elements of human life and the space they occur over, so it has close links with other social sciences. Each sub-field interfaces with a sister discipline — e.g. social geography with sociology, political geography with political science, population geography with demography, economic geography with economics, historical geography with history, urban geography with urban studies and planning.

Human geography is interdisciplinary and closely linked with other social sciences: social geography with sociology, political geography with political science, population geography with demography, economic geography with economics, historical geography with history, and urban geography with urban planning.

Question 3 (i)

Explain naturalisation of humans.

Answer

Naturalisation of humans refers to environmental determinism — the stage when human beings were greatly influenced and controlled by nature.

1. In the early stages of their interaction with the natural environment, humans were greatly influenced by it. They adapted to the dictates of nature because the level of technology was very low and the stage of human social development was primitive.
2. Primitive human societies directly depended on nature for food, shelter and clothing; they feared and worshipped nature (sun, rivers, forests) as powerful forces.
3. Such interaction between primitive human society and strong forces of nature was termed environmental determinism. At that stage there was little human contribution to the environment; humans were “naturalised” — their life was determined by nature.
4. Example – Benda in the Abujh Marh area of central India (Chhattisgarh): Benda’s village consists of three huts deep in the forest. He hunts animals and gathers forest produce, and his tribe practises shifting cultivation; he lives in harmony with the forest, taking only what is needed for survival, and prays to the forest spirits. For Benda, the forest is life; he is closely dependent on nature.
5. Even today, some tribal communities living in forests live in this way.

Naturalisation of humans (environmental determinism) is the stage when primitive humans, with very low technology, were controlled by nature and adapted to its dictates — depending directly on it for food, shelter and clothing, and fearing and worshipping it. Example: Benda of the Abujh Marh forest, who lives by hunting, gathering and shifting cultivation in harmony with the forest.

Question 3 (ii)

Write a note on the scope of human geography.

Answer

Human geography attempts to explain the relationship between all elements of human life and the space over which they occur. It is highly interdisciplinary and has a wide scope:

1. Social geography – studies social phenomena in space; sub-fields: behavioural geography, geography of social well-being, geography of leisure, cultural geography, gender geography, historical geography, medical geography (linked with psychology, sociology, anthropology, women’s studies, history, epidemiology).
2. Urban geography – urban areas, their growth and problems (urban studies and planning).
3. Political geography – political units, boundaries, elections, military aspects; electoral geography, military geography (political science).
4. Population geography – distribution, density, growth, migration, composition of population (demography).
5. Settlement geography – rural and urban settlements (rural/town planning).
6. Economic geography – resources, agriculture, industries, marketing, tourism, international trade (economics, agricultural sciences, business studies, tourism management).

Changing scope with approaches – the scope has expanded over time from exploration and description, regional analysis, areal differentiation, to spatial organisation, behavioural, welfare (radical) and post-modernist approaches, dealing with issues of poverty, deprivation, inequality and well-being.

Human geography’s scope covers all aspects of human life in space and links with sister disciplines: social geography (behavioural, cultural, gender, historical, medical), urban, political (electoral, military), population, settlement and economic geography (resources, agriculture, industries, marketing, tourism, trade). Its scope has widened with approaches from description and regional analysis to spatial, behavioural, welfare and post-modern approaches addressing inequality and well-being.

Topic checklist

• ☒ Nature and definition of human geography (Q 1, 2 (i))
• ☒ Determinism, possibilism, technology (Q 1 (iii), 3 (i))
• ☒ Approaches, fields and scope (Q 1 (iv), 2 (ii), 2 (iii), 3 (ii))

Total questions answered: 9 of 9