人 文 地 理(3轮)5概要1.pptVIP

人 文 地 理 HUMAN GEOGRAPHY 第五章 农业的起源与发展Livelihood and Economy : Primary Activities Simply stated, economic geography is the study of how people earn their living, how livelihood systems vary by area, and how economic activities are spatially interrelated and linked. It applies geography’s general concern with spatial variation to the special circumstances of the production, exchange, and consumption of goods and services. 1. The classification of economic activity and economies Many production patterns are rooted in the spatially variable circumstances of the physical environment. (why) 1) Climate—including growing season temperatures and length and the amount and timing of rainfall—soil fertility, drainage conditions, and the like all affect the types of crops that people can profitably grow and the animals they are likely to keep for work or food. 2) The unequal distribution of useful mineral deposits gives some regions and countries economic prospects and employment opportunities that are denied to others. 3) Forestry and fishing depend on still other natural resources unequal in occurrence type, and value. Within the bounds of the environmentally possible, cultural considerations may condition economic or production decisions. (why) 1)Level of technological development of a culture will affect its recognition of resources or its ability to exploit them. Technology refers to the totality of tools and methods available to and used by a culture group in producing items essential to its subsistence and comfort. 2) Political decisions may encourage or discourage– through subsidies, protective tariffs, or production restrictions– patterns of economic activity. 3)And, ultimately, production is controlled by economic factors of demand, whether that demand is expressed through a free market mechanism, government instruction or the consumption requirements of a single family producing for its own needs. Categories of activity One approach to that categorizat