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Geography
2. THE NATURAL ENVIRONMENT
❚
Relief
refers to what the surface of the Earth is like (the continents and the seabed).
It studies its landforms (mountain ranges, mountains, valleys, plains, capes, gulfs,
beaches); its origins (orogeny, erosion, sedimentation) and the main phenomena
associated with it (earthquakes, volcanoes).
❚
Climate
refers to the general state of the atmosphere in a specific place or in a larger
region. Climate is studied by prolonged analysis (thirty years) of temperatures (monthly
and annual averages, maximums and minimums, thermal range); precipitation
(monthly and annual, or if it is rain, snow or hail); wind registers and relative humidity.
All this information determines the climates (equatorial, tropical, Mediterranean,
continental, oceanic or mountain), their characteristics, the originating factors and the
areas they cover.
❚
Hydrography
refers to marine waters (oceans and seas) and continental waters
(rivers, lakes, glaciers, ground water). It is the study of the movements of the seas
(waves, tides and currents) and their effects. The study of rivers focuses on their
location, water flow, and seasonal variations.
Hydrography is very important because of its relation with the natural environment
and because human settlements (towns and cities) and human activities (farming,
energy production, transport…) are all conditioned by water.
❚
Biogeography
refers to the vegetation, soils and fauna. The different plant
species (flora) and the area they occupy (vegetation), in addition to the original or
endemic fauna (exclusive to a specific area) characterise different areas or regions.
Biogeography is closely related to climatic conditions and human intervention, which
uses and transforms vegetation for economic activity.
Other sciences, such as geology, meteorology, botany and biology, also study facts and
phenomena related with the natural environment.
Sciences complement each other and cooperate for a better understanding of our planet.
For example, a meteorologist studies the weather in a place. They study the signs and its
prediction. A geographer studies the characteristics and location of climate.
The study of the natural environment examines four fundamental aspects:
relief
,
climate
,
hydrography
and
biogeography
.
!
Important
The natural environment, a complex system
All the components of a natural landscape are interrelated.
For example, a mountain has a type of relief and an altitude that
conditions its vegetation and its fauna. It has its own climate, and that
creates rivers sources or glaciers. At the same time, climate influences
the landforms and the biogeography. Water also shapes landforms and
allows riverside forests to grow. Plants hold the soil together and enrich
it, preventing erosion. As plants transpire, they provide water vapour to
the atmosphere. It is a complex and closely interrelated system: if one
element is modified, all the other elements are changed.
View of a glacial valley
As well as cartography, which
helps locate and represent areas,
geographical sciences have other
techniques that show the land and
its characteristics from different
angles and perspectives. Nowadays,
photography
is
essential
to
geographical studies as it can show
a panoramic view of landscape and
more detailed views. From further
distances, photography captures
general phenomena and large areas.
Thematic maps represent physical
and human aspects of land.
uninhabited areas
0 to 1 hab/km
2
1 to 10 hab/km
2
10 to 100 hab/km
2
100 to 200 hab/km
2
more than 200 hab/km
2
