Geography Reference
In-Depth Information
research questions about the Earth and its peoples without an
integrated geographical approach is illustrated.
Regional geography
Regional geography can be defi ned as place description, analysis,
and synthesis. It dominated geography in the early to mid-20th
century and as such is often viewed as a phase in the development
of the discipline. Regional geography is not, however, merely of
historical interest as it continues to play a central role in relation
to research and policy. Geographers remain committed to regional
research; to analysing and explaining regional differences; to
testing general theories in the regional context; to developing
policies for particular regions; and to solving problems in specifi c
places. Indeed, no fewer than nine Speciality Groups of the
Association of American Geographers are essentially regional in
focus, covering America, Canada, Latin America, Africa, Europe,
Asia, China, and Russia (with Central Eurasia and Eastern
Europe). In addition, most geographers, even those who would
not claim a regional focus to their work, in practice carry out
research on limited areas of the Earth's surface about which they
are best informed.
How does modern regional geography differ from traditional
regional geography? It can no longer be characterized by the 'areal
differentiation' of the American geographer, Richard Hartshorne,
or the regional descriptions of the British Naval Intelligence
Handbooks, or indeed of the later textbooks that they inspired.
The implication of all these works was that each region was
unique and relatively homogeneous with closed boundaries: the
distinction was not always clear between the regional reality,
where one region might merge imperceptibly into another, and
the regional method, which could be applied anywhere. Modern
geographical studies of regions are not studied in isolation but
take account of multi-scale relationships with connections up to
global scale. Regions are now delimited for particular purposes
