Introduction to Geography

The term “environment” comes from a French word environmer, which means “surround.” Environment therefore means external conditions which surround a plant or animal. These external conditions include land, animal, plants, air, water, physical features, buildings and cultural practices. In other words, the environment is the whole set of natural and social systems in which human beings and other organisms live, and from where they get their means of survival.

The environment can be divided into two sub-divisions namely, natural environment and human environment. The natural or physical environment comprises of living and non-living things. The word biotic is used to describe living things while abiotic is used to describe non-living things. The biotic environment is comprised of plants and animals while the abiotic environment is comprised of water, rocks, soils, air and sunshine.

A place where biotic things live is called a habitat. The external conditions that surround any living organism in its habitat influence its behavior and activities.

The human or social environment is made up of social-cultural practices, customs, beliefs, political systems and institutions as shown in Fig. 1.1. The components of the environment relate to and depend on one another for survival and sustainance. Living things depend on one another as well as on non-living things.

They depend on one another for food, shelter and breathing. These interactions form a stable and self-sustaining system known as an ecosystem. Through cycling and recycling of the elements, there is a continuous support of life. Students of Geography are interested in learning about the environment so as to acquire an understanding of the nature of the environment of which we are part. They also appreciate human’s dependence on the environment and their responsibility to conserve it.