Describing places

Introduction

Since geographers often need to describe the environment which they are studying, the ability to describe things accurately is a useful skill in geography. These descriptions can serve as useful sources of information for reports and essays, if they are a precise and comprehensive reflection of the feature. This chapter will teach students what to look for when they are studying landscapes and how to describe them.

Starting point: what to look for

Geographers commonly have to describe what they see in the field. In most cases, field-observations involve landscapes. When looking at a landscape, it is often easier to assess the image in terms of the foreground, middle ground and background. By dividing the whole image into smaller parts, it makes the landscape easier to examine and, therefore, easier to describe. See image 1. It is often easier to assess a landscape when it is divided into the foreground, middle ground and background.

Another technique which makes it easier to describe places, is to group the observable features. One of the most common divisions of features is between those which are physical (made by nature) and those which are cultural (made by humans). Physical features include climate, natural vegetation and landforms. Cultural features include settlements, transport and man-made features such as dams. (Refer Topic 3, Chapter 3: Identifying physical and cultural features on a map)

When describing an actual landscape (as opposed to a photograph), it is important to utilise all of the senses. Listening to the sounds made by certain wildlife, feeling the texture of the soil, or smelling the scent of particular flowers, can provide an insight into the place which is being described.

Describing features

When describing a landscape, there are a number of features which can be observed. Listed below are some examples.

Animals

Since many animals are only native to a certain country and generally need to be close to a suitable supply of food and water, descriptions of animals can provide vital clues about the landscape. While it should be identified whether the animal is a native or introduced species, further detail is also required. If we take the canine species of dog, for example, there is such a wide variety of breeds that it would not be descriptive enough to simply describe it as being a dog.

Climate

When describing climate, most people immediately refer to temperature. Climate, however, also includes features such as rainfall, air pressure and wind (speed and direction). Equipment such as thermometers and weather vanes is required to accurately measure and describe these features. If the landscape is pictured in a photograph, however, then information to describe the climate must be obtained by observing and analysing the landscape. In the case of a picture featuring crops of rice, it could be assumed that the climate must be warm and wet, since rice requires these conditions to grow in.

Landforms

Landforms are a broad range of physical features which include mountains, valleys, glaciers, basins and peninsulas. Generally comprising a large proportion of any landscape, landforms vary in appearance and structure. Since landforms can vary to such a great extent, they need to be described in detail. Even two hills can contrast in elevation (height), slope and orientation (position).See image 2. Landforms can vary in appearance and structure.

It is also important to be able to describe aqueous (relating to water) landforms. They include rivers, waterfalls, creeks, lakes and dams. Easily observable characteristics including size, shape and condition are often a good way to begin describing these landforms. It is also important to mention whether the feature is artificial (man-made) or altered, since advances in recent technology have enabled an increasing number of aqueous landforms to be constructed by humans.

Landuse

Landuse is a cultural feature, since it refers to the ways in which humans use their surrounding environment. Humans use the land for agricultural (growing crops), pastoral (grazing livestock) and industrial purposes. They also use natural resources, such as forest crops, to built houses, shops and parks. Aside from food and shelter, humans use their environment for transportation (including road, rails, sea and air). See image 3. Land is used in different ways by humans.

Settlements

Settlements are cultural features which include cities and towns. Settlements can be described in a number of ways. Describing where a settlement is located and what it is near or next to is often a good place to start. It is also important to describe the inhabitants of the settlement, including the number, density, age and gender of the population.

Vegetation

Vegetation generally refers to the plant life which covers an area of land. It includes forests, meadows and woodlands. When describing vegetation, detail is important. There is much variation even within forests. Tropical rainforests, for example, markedly contrast with boreal conifer forests. Since not everyone can describe the specific types of forests and plant species, it is often best to describe obvious features. This may include such things as how extensive, sparse or scattered the vegetation is.