Question

Describe the broad features of spatial organisation approach in the development of human geography

Answer 1

Spatial organization is the way a group or phenomenon is arranged on the surface of the Earth. Perhaps people are concentrated into cities or perhaps they're more spread out. Perhaps there are more rivers north of the Equator than south, or perhaps the truth is completely different.

Whatever the spatial organization may be, in geography, we're interested in how things are arranged on the Earth. In particular, geographers like to split things into functional regions, or areas defined by business and economic activities around a focal point or node. A functional region can be thought of as an area where the focal point has influence. The focal point, be that a business or central government, has links to the surrounding area, and these links can be analyzed. This is a really useful way of looking at how the world works and how it is interconnected.


Environments

Looking at a world map, it's also noticeable that human settlements vary by climate. Temperate climates have a lot of settlements, and warm and wet climates have a fair few settlements as well. But anywhere dry is a problem because humans need water. And colder places tend not to be very popular either. So that begs the question: 'How are the environments of the Earth distributed?'

The Equator of the Earth is an imaginary line moving east to west around the Earth that is halfway between the North Pole and South Pole. Since the Sun is overhead at the Equator more than anywhere else on the Earth, it is the hottest part of the Earth; the Sun's rays are highly concentrated. The North Pole and South Pole on the other hand are the coldest. In between are so-called temperate areas, where there are no extremes of temperature and precipitation.