Introduction to Human Geography

This course introduces the students to the links between the physical and human world. At the end of the course, the students should be able to: 1. compare world population; 2. identify effects of world populations on physical/environmental resources; and 3. analyze ways to sustainably manage the population and resources.

Scope of human geography and its relation to physical geography. World population: its distribution and patterns of growth/demographic characteristics of selected populations. Human settlements: evolution patterns and functions. Inter-relationships between urban and rural settlements. Environmental resources; the concept of resources: types of resources and their global distribution; relationship between resources and tertiary activities; impact of human activities on the environment at varying levels of technology and population densities; sustainable management of the resources; The roles of movement and flows of people, goods, energy and ideas.