Some Characteristics of geographic space Most important are that it is localizable in maps, occupies a place or space of area and has a distribution of components.
Geographic space is mostly considered"land", as a property in relation to its use. It is the area where human groups coexist and interact with each other and with the environment.
The French geographer Jean Tricart defined it as"the epidermis of the earth"that can be analyzed in the bases of its space system or its environmental system.
In it is considered the study of the natural landscape, the urban landscape, the industrial landscape, the agricultural landscape, among others, not only by geography but also by the sociology . In this sense the geographic space is a social construction.
The designated area or space is under the organization of some administrative order, as governmental territorial entities (country, state, municipality), to what is denominated legally territory. It may also be under private management (companies, companies).
While some cultures reaffirm an individual's rights in terms of ownership, other cultures identify land ownership with a more communal or collective approach, which depend directly on historical processes of human activity in the area.
In some countries with significant indigenous or aboriginal populations, they have opted to reverse the ownership relationship with the land.
Instead of reaffirming the ownership of these groups over space, they consider native groups as landowners.
Main features of geographic space
1.- It occupies a physical place
All geographic space is defined with an elemental spatial unit in the three-dimensional and perceptible physical plane.
In this sense, makes each defined physical place is unique and differentiable from another; Either by their particular physical, biological and human properties.
This feature serves as a formality to differentiate it from other concepts of space that do not exist in the physical plane, such as digital space or radial space.
2.- It has parts
All geographic space is divided into: Territorial space , Which is the total area extension; air space , Which is the air column over the area of the territory; And if so, The aquatic or maritime space , Is the extension of sea from the coast to the international waters.
3.- It is measurable
In a geographical context, the defined places have a spatial extent. Your area must be able to be expressed in dimensions with the help of some type of measurement system or scale.
The most used are the square kilometers (km 2 ) Or the square miles (mi 2 Or sq mi).
4.- It is separable
By applying the above two characteristics in a geographical context, each defined space exists separate from another that is also defined.
To make separations more distinctive, the definition of each space can be given by natural or geographical elements, human or legal.
Understand natural or geographical elements, for example, where a portion of land ends and the sea begins, or the edge of a river, the edge of a forest, the fall of a mountain, among others. They are also known as natural boundaries
If we speak of human elements we refer to the edges of cities and towns the same roads that act as boundaries of a defined geographical space. These are the so-called artificial limits.
In the legal field it refers to the borders between countries, states, municipalities or other type of territory or private property.
They are mainly defined in documents with detailed descriptions of area and length. It is not necessarily demarcated by some kind of natural or artificial boundary.
5.- It is locatable
This feature refers to that any geographical space can be found wherever it is defined.
Thanks to various mechanisms created by man, each place on earth can be given a series of numbers, symbols or letters that correspond to geographical coordinates of location.
This allows the identification of areas in spatial representations as maps, marking the exact location of human settlements and territorial dependencies such as cities, towns, provinces, countries, among others.
The most used mechanism is latitude and longitude to locate places in the horizontal plane of the terrestrial surface, and in angular coordinates for location depending on the altitude of the territory.
6.- It is dynamic
There are many constant changes and processes within the geographic space. Unexpected natural transformations like earthquakes, or that take a long time like the formation of a mountain range; These modify the natural landscape.
Also at a social level such as construction of buildings and works, governmental or sports events, accidents, among others.
7.- It has components
Within each geographical space a series of elements or components interact that make each place, also, unique and different from another.
This characteristic is defined both geographically and socially.
- Natural components : They are the elements related to the geography, climate and biodiversity of the defined geographic space. These components form an infinite series of natural spectacles like landscapes around the world.
- Social components : It refers to all the demographic characteristics of the inhabitants of the geographical space. It is all that can define the population of the area and differentiate it from others.
- Cultural Components : They are those related and derived from the life of the inhabitants of the place; Such as language, languages or dialects, art, history, religion, traditions, customs, ethnic groups, etc.
- Economic components : They conform the set of human activities carried out within the geographic space necessary for life and coexistence in society. This component puts the inhabitants to interact directly with the natural resources of the area in an active symbiotic relationship.
- Political Components : They are the administrative mechanisms that apply the population of the area to organize in civic and functional societies. They define territories, boundaries, extensions, systems of government and laws.
8.- Internal distribution
These components mentioned above are distributed in the geographic space.
For example, its arrangement defines concentrations or dispersions of populations, natural resources, vegetation, among others.
9.- Diversity
The interaction between the components results in very varied internal forms and processes that affect and define the geographic space.
10.- Interrelationships
We can not speak of geographical space without defining that the interaction in itself of all its components defines in its totality the conditions of the place.
Everything that goes on inside with one of them, will have an effect on all the others.
References
- Mazúr, E. and Urbánek, J. (1983). Space in geography. Volume 7, Issue 2 - GeoJournal. Retrieved from link.springer.com.
- Shelly G. (2009). What is Geographical Space. Geogspace. Retrieved from geogspace.blogspot.com.
- What is the Meaning of: Geographical space - Definition and Definition of: Geographical space. Retrieved from edukalife.blogspot.com.
- Hubert Beguin and Jacques-Franph Thkse (1979). An Axiomatic Approach to Geographical Space (online document). Wiley Online Library. Retrieved from onlinelibrary.wiley.com.
- Characteristics of geographical space - The Five themes of Geography. Retrieved from ourgeographyclasswithangelik.jimdo.com.
- Jean-Bernard Racine and Antoine S. Bailly (1993). Geography and geographical space: towards an epistemology of geography (Online document). Persee. Espaces, modes d'emploi. Two decades of l'espace géographique, an anthology (English Issue). Volume 1, Number 1. Retrieved from persee.fr.