Physical geography
The Physical Geography (also Physical Geography ) is a branch of geography. It records, describes and explains the earth's surface as a system.
Subject
The subject of physical geography is the solid surface in the sense of the landscape sphere. As a landscape sphere of the complex consists of five spheres is to be understood:
- Earth's atmosphere ( air surrounding the Earth)
- Hydrosphere ( water shell of the earth: rivers, lakes, oceans, glaciers ),
- Pedosphere ( bottom ),
- Lithosphere ( rocks surrounding the Earth: up to about 200 km depth sufficient )
- Biosphere ( Terrestrial habitat of flora and fauna).
These five spheres are constructed by the corresponding five geofactors air, water, soil, rocks and vegetation.
Subregions of the physical geography
The Physical Geography is divided into each one of these geographical factors in more detail under consideration subregions Climate Geography and Climatology ( air ), hydrosphere Geography (water ), soil geography ( bottom ), geomorphology ( landforms ), biogeography ( vegetation and animals) and landscape ecology.
As newer small area of the Geoecology has within physical geography, but also as a discipline developed. You tried the knowledge of the traditional branches of physical geography together again and thus to contemplate the landscape sphere as a whole. So therefore, the interactive structure of Earth and biofactors, the material and energy balance of landscapes, the consequences of human intervention as well as the possibilities responsible landscaping are investigated.
Significant representatives of Physical Geography were Friedrich Simony, Alexander von Humboldt, James Hutton and William Morris Davis.