10 IMPORTANT FEATURES OF THE GEOGRAPHIC SPACE - GEOGRAPHY - 2024

Some of the most important characteristics of the geographic space are that it is locatable on maps, occupies a place or space of area, its diversity, interrelationships and that it has a distribution of components.

The 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 spatial system or its environmental system.

In it the study of the natural landscape, the urban landscape, the industrial landscape, the agrarian landscape, among others, is considered, not only by geography but also by sociology. In this sense, geographic space is a social construction.

The designated area or space is under the organization of some administrative order, such as governmental territorial entities (country, state, municipality), which is legally called territory. It can also be under private management (companies, companies).

While some cultures reaffirm the rights of an individual in terms of property, other cultures identify land ownership with a more communal or collective approach, which directly depend on historical processes of human activity in the area.

In certain countries with significant Native or Aboriginal populations, they have chosen to reverse the ownership relationship with respect to land.

Instead of reaffirming the ownership of these groups over space, they consider the native groups as property of the land.

Main characteristics of the geographic space

1.- It occupies a physical place

All geographical space is defined with an elementary spatial unit in the three-dimensional and perceptible physical plane.

In this sense, it makes each defined physical place unique and distinguishable from another; either for its particular physical, biological and human properties.

This characteristic serves as a formality to differentiate it from other concepts of space that do not exist on 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 extension of the area; airspace, which is the column of air over the area of ​​the territory; and if there is, the aquatic or maritime space is the extension of the sea from the coast to international waters.

3.- It is measurable

In a geographic context, defined places have a spatial extent. Its area must be able to be expressed in dimensions with the help of some kind of measurement system or scale.

The most commonly used are square kilometers (^km²) or square miles (mi ² or sq mi).

4.- It is separable

By applying the previous two characteristics in a geographic context, each defined space exists separately from another that is also defined.

To make the separations more distinctive, the definition of each space can be given by natural or geographical, human or legal elements.

It is understood by natural or geographical elements, for example, where a piece of land ends and the sea begins, or the shore of a river, the edge of a forest, the fall of a mountain, among others. They are also known as natural limits

If we speak of human elements, we refer to the edges of cities and towns, the same roads that act as limits 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 types of territory or private property.

They are primarily defined in documents with detailed area and length descriptions. It is not necessarily demarcated by some kind of natural or artificial boundary.

5.- It is locatable

This characteristic refers to the fact that all geographical space can be found wherever it is defined.

Thanks to various man-made mechanisms, each place on earth can be given a series of numbers, symbols or letters that correspond to geographic coordinates of location.

This allows the identification of areas in spatial representations such as maps, marking the exact location of human settlements and territorial dependencies such as cities, towns, provinces, countries, among others.

The most widely used mechanism is latitude and longitude to locate places in the horizontal plane of the earth's 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 the construction of buildings and works, government or sporting events, accidents, among others.

7.- It has components

Within each geographic 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: These are the elements related to the geography, climate and biodiversity of the defined geographic space. These components form an infinite series of natural spectacles such as landscapes around the world.
• Social components: It refers to all the demographic characteristics of the inhabitants of the geographic space. It is all that can define the population of the area and differentiate it from others.
• Cultural components: They are those related to 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 make up 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: These are the administrative mechanisms applied by the population of the area to organize themselves into 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 geographical space.

For example, its provision defines concentrations or dispersions of populations, natural resources, vegetation, among others.

9.- Diversity

The interaction between the components results in highly varied internal forms and processes that affect and define the geographic space.

10.- Interrelations

We cannot speak of geographic space without limiting that the interaction itself of all its components fully defines the conditions of the place.

Everything that happens inside with one of them will have an effect on all the others.

References

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