The 18 branches of Geography (and what each one studies)

According to the Royal Spanish Academy of the Language (RAE), Geography is the branch of science that studies, describes and graphically represents the conformation of the Earth. Human beings tend to name and categorize everything we find to feel safe and fulfilled, and the environment that surrounds us could not go unnoticed in any case. Therefore, from the year 200 a. C (roughly) geography has been part of our identity.

In any case, this scientific discipline is not satisfied with describing what surrounds us, but also tries to explain all the biogeochemical and social phenomena that have taken place in a specific environment so that a terrain, landform or population is what it is in the Present. In other words, geography translates into the dating of the current, but also in the inference of the past and the projections of the future.

In addition, beyond what is usually believed, geography is not limited only to the physical world that surrounds us. There are an infinity of branches included in this science that explain the how and why of social dynamics

, from the rural world to the regional economy. With all these ideas in mind, today we tell you everything you need to know about geography and its aspects.

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In what disciplines is Geography divided?

The geography is divided into 2 different branches, the general and the regional. We are going to focus on the different categories within general geography, that is, one that encompasses a set of diverse types of subdisciplines configured around their own object, but at the same time highly interrelated between they. At the same time, general geography includes physical, human and biogeography. We explore each of these aspects in the following lines.

1. Physical geography

It is the branch of geography that studies the earth's surface in a systemic and spatial way, in addition to the natural geographic space on a small scale. This category, in turn, is divided into multiple disciplines.

1.1 Climatology

This is the branch of the physical geography in charge of studying the climate, their varieties, changes over time and the cause of climatic dynamics at different points in space and time. Climatology uses the same parameters as meteorology (humidity, temperature, wind, etc.), but its objective is very different. It is not intended to describe the storm in the immediacy of the moment, but its long-term trends and fluctuations.

1.2 Geomorphology

Geomorphology descriptively studies the land relief, in addition to the constructive and destructive processes that have taken place in time for a geographical accident to be as it is today. This sub-discipline is divided into many other branches, such as slope geomorphology, fluvial, aeolian, glacier, dynamic and climatic.

1.3 Hydrography

Its object of study is all the bodies of water on Earth. Within this category, hydromorphometry is responsible for collecting spatial dimensions and traces of water bodies, while marine hydrography studies the oceans, their strata and their bottoms.

1.4 Hydrology

Although it may seem the same as hydrography, both disciplines differ in their conceptual basis. Hydrology does not place so much emphasis on the shapes and measurements of lakes and oceans, but rather describes the fluvial dynamics of water present in the earth's crust as a whole. Precipitation, soil moisture, water balance and many other things are the subject of study by hydrologists.

1.5 Glaciology

As its name suggests, this discipline of physical geography is in charge of the study of glaciers, bodies of water in solid state. Special emphasis is placed on the past dynamics and future forecasts of the state of these formations, as they are a clear indication of climate change (at this point undeniable).

1.6 Geocriology

Geocriology study the effects and causes of frost, as well as the dynamics of permanently frozen environments. Although it seems more specific, this discipline can help the planning and creation of engineering devices that allow the exploitation of these inclement lands.

1.7 Landscape ecology

Going into the biological terrain, this branch of physical geography studies natural and anthropic landscapes, with special emphasis on human society as a short- and long-term transformer of ecosystems.

From the landscape impact that a building on the beachfront can generate to the harmful effects of a nuclear power plant in a protected environment, the ecology of the landscape ensures the coexistence between human beings and the environment natural.

1.8 Paleogeography

This branch of geography is responsible for study the surface and strata of the Earth in past times and its evolution. For example, the dating of continental movements is the object of paleogeography.

2. Human geography

Human geography changes the paradigm completely, as it is responsible for the study of societies, their territories and even the bases cultural that have derived from the geographic conformation of a specific place Below, we present some of the branches of geography human.

2.1 Population geography

This branch of human geography studies the patterns and processes that have to do with the population in different spaces. From the natural distribution of human groups on Earth to migratory processes, the population geography is responsible for describing where we come from and where we are going as entities politicians.

2.2 Rural geography

As its name suggests, it studies the dynamics and particularities of population settlements located in rural surroundings.

2.3 Urban geography

The other side of the coin from the previous slope. Urban geography is responsible for studying the morphology, socioeconomic conditions, particularities and trends of population centers in the surroundings of the cities.

2.4 Medical geography

Medical geography is in charge of describing (and preventing) the actions you have the environment on health population.

2.5 Geography of aging

In a world where the population is getting older, the geography of aging is responsible for studying the possible effects and socio-spatial implications of the prevalence of older people in a changing environment.

2.6 Political geography

Takes care of study the political relations between the different governmental associations of the world, from pacts and treaties to wars and minor armed conflicts. It is a very broad field of research, as it encompasses political institutions of all kinds.

3. Biogeography

Finally, we explore the variants of biogeography, the science that is responsible for describing the distribution patterns of living things on Earth.

3.1 Phytogeography

Also known as geobotany, phytogeography has as its main role study the relationship between plant life and the terrestrial environment. It should not be confused with classical botany or ecology, as its field of action is much broader.

3.2 Zoogeography

A concept similar to the previous one, but in this case, focused on the study and description of the different animal populations on the earth's surface.

3.3 Biogeography of islands

Again, an extremely specific branch of geography, but no less interesting. Island biogeography studies the reasons for the population fluctuations of species and the maintenance of ecological dynamics in island environments. It is an essential support for the biological sciences, since morphological and physiological adaptations occur on the islands in living beings that cannot be observed in any other ecosystem.

3.4 Phylogeography

Human beings are also animals and, therefore, phylogeography is included in this block of more biological dyes. This discipline investigates the distribution patterns of humans and their ancestors in time based on the genetic distribution of the different populations.

Resume

As you may have seen, geography goes far beyond the description of a river or a mountain. The earth's crust encompasses the entirety of life (which is said soon) and, therefore, general geography must deal with the study of the physical and the living in equal proportions.