The Geographers

Aerial photography, photogrammetry and aerial photo interpretation are relatively recently developed techniques. Their development has closely been connected with the development of aeronautics, high precision aerial camera and photogrammetric and photo interpretation instruments. An aerial photograph is a photographic image of the earth’s surface, usually taken from an aircraft, while photographic interpretation is an act of examining these photographic images for the purpose of identifying objects and judging their significance. Photogrammetry is the art of making reliable measurements from the air photographs.  Air photo survey and the preparation of map with their help was first initiated by Aime Laussedat, a French military engineer in 1840. In 1858, a French photographer and balloonist, G.F. Tournachon took the first aerial photograph of Paris city from a balloon and that was the beginning of scientific photography from air. It was Lucida who had started preparation ...

In any study of population distribution, it is necessary identify factors which determine the way in which it is distribution within an area of a country, or in a country as well as in continent in which that country lies, or in a region, or in the world considered as a whole. These factors provide the necessary explanation for particular patterns of population distribution are generally grouped into three categories: (1) Geographical factor (2) Economic and social factors; and (3) Demographic factors. The categories, however, are in no way like water-tight compartment. Geographic Factors of Population Distribution Physical conditions, such as climate (temperature and rainfall), landforms in terms of altitudes, the quality of the soil and the availability of energy and mine resources are the important geographical determinants of population distribution. Another important factor is the relationship between the location of one place and other places of importance. Climate is...

There are four areas in the world where the average density of population is more than 100 persons per sq. km. These are: 1. East Asia (China, Japan, South Korea and Taiwan). 2. South Asia (India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Maldives and Nepal). 3. North-West Europe (UK, France, Germany, Netherlands, Poland, Belgium, Luxembourg, Ireland, Denmark, Spain, Portugal and Italy). 4. Eastern North America (North-East United States and South-East Canada). All these areas of dense population lie in the northern hemisphere and are so placed that more than 75 per cent of the world’s population is now concentrated between the Tropic of Cancer and 70° north. Of these, China and the subcontinent of India have been having large populations from the earliest times. Europe is less ancient, and the United States has become densely populated only during the last two hundred years. Except in Japan, Hong Kong, Macau, South Korea, Singapore and Taiwan, the population of East and S...

Some common reasons of deforestation are:                                                                                          To make more land available for housing and  urbanisation To harvest timber to create commercial items such as paper, furniture and homes  To create ingredients that are highly priced  consumer items, such as the oil from palm trees To create room for cattle ranching  Common methods of deforestation are burning trees and clear cutting. These tactics leave the land completely barren and a...

Mining is one of the oldest activities of man. In man’s early progress mining and the use of minerals were so important that they are reflected in such terms as ‘early stone age’, ’later stone age’, ‘copper age’, ‘bronze age’, and ‘iron age’. The ancient uses of minerals were largely confined to the making of tools, weapons, utensils, the construction of buildings and aqueducts, and road building. Although the early uses of minerals were relatively widespread, the real development of mining began with the Industrial Revolution, and has continued to be of ever-increasing importance. The development of mining was basic to the Industrial Revolution. Coal and direct water power early replaced the diminishing forests as sources of fuel. Stone and clays provided the materials for factories and other buildings; iron and other materials, for the industrial machinery and transportation industry. Annual mineral output in the world during the 18 th century was very low and only moderat...

Throughout the study of geography, there have been a number of different approaches to explaining the development of the world’s societies and cultures.  One of such is environmental determinism. Environmental determinism is the belief that the environment determines the pattern of human culture and societal development. It is also known as climatic determinism or geographical determinism, is the view that the physical environment, rather than social conditions, determines culture. Those who believe this view say that humans are strictly defined by stimulus-response  (environment -behavior ) and cannot deviate. The fundamental argument of the environmental determinist was that aspects of physical geography, particularly climate, influenced the psychological mind-set of individuals, which in turn defined the behavior and culture of the society that those individuals formed. For example, tropical climates were said to cause laziness,...

ETHNIC GROUPS Among the various tribal groups of the Mizos, the Luseis, somehow, became to be known as the dominating tribes, and from the culture and tradition of the Luseis, many of the present Mizo customs, cultures and traditions flourished. The Luseis, Raltes, Hmars, Pawis, Paites, from a larger tribal groups, while others like Khawlhring, Khiangte, Chawngthu etc. form a smaller tribal groups, although all have numerous sub tribes and sub clans. Apart from the Mizos, there are certain distinct tribal groups like Chakmas and Riangs localized in the south-wetern and western part of the state.             The Chakma tribe belongs to eastern group of the Tibeto-Burman group of people. They are Buddhists, speaking a Chakma dialect which is a corrupt form of the Bengali language written in corrupt Burmese script. Over the years, due to their cultural interaction with people of other races, they have lost much of their originali...