What is "physical geography"

geography \ge*og"ra*phy\, n.; pl. Geographies. [F. g['e]ographie, l. geographia, fr. Gr. ?; ge`a, gh^, the earth + ? description, fr. ? to write, describe.

1. The science which treats of the world and its inhabitants; a description of the earth, or a portion of the earth, including its structure, features, products, political divisions, and the people by whom it is inhabited. It also includes the responses and adaptations of people to topography, climate, soil and vegetation

2. A treatise on this science.

   Astronomical geography, or Mathematical geography, treats of the earth as a planet, of its shape, its size, its lines of latitude and longitude, its zones, and the phenomena due to to the earth's diurnal and annual motions.

   Physical geography treats of the conformation of the earth's surface, of the distribution of land and water, of minerals, plants, animals, etc., and applies the principles of physics to the explanation of the diversities of climate, productions, etc.

   Political geography treats of the different countries into which earth is divided with regard to political and social and institutions and conditions.

Physical \Phys"ic*al\, a.

1. Of or pertaining to nature (as including all created existences); in accordance with the laws of nature; also, of or relating to natural or material things, or to the bodily structure, as opposed to things mental, moral, spiritual, or imaginary; material; natural; as, armies and navies are the physical force of a nation; the body is the physical part of man.

   Labor, in the physical world, is . . . employed in putting objects in motion.
   --J. S. Mill.

   A society sunk in ignorance, and ruled by mere physical force.
   --Macaulay.

2. Of or pertaining to physics, or natural philosophy; treating of, or relating to, the causes and connections of natural phenomena; as, physical science; physical laws. ``Physical philosophy.''
   --Pope.

3. Perceptible through a bodily or material organization; cognizable by the senses; external; as, the physical, opposed to chemical, characters of a mineral.

4. Of or pertaining to physic, or the art of medicine; medicinal; curative; healing; also, cathartic; purgative. [Obs.] ``Physical herbs.''
   --Sir T. North.

   Is Brutus sick? and is it physical To walk unbraced, and suck up the humors Of the dank morning?
   --Shak.

   Physical astronomy, that part of astronomy which treats of the causes of the celestial motions; specifically, that which treats of the motions resulting from universal gravitation.

   Physical education, training of the bodily organs and powers with a view to the promotion of health and vigor.

   Physical examination (Med.), an examination of the bodily condition of a person.

   Physical geography. See under Geography.

   Physical point, an indefinitely small portion of matter; a point conceived as being without extension, yet having physical properties, as weight, inertia, momentum, etc.; a material point.

   Physical signs (Med.), the objective signs of the bodily state afforded by a physical examination.

n. (context geography English) The subfield of geography that studies physical patterns and processes of the Earth. It aims to understand the forces that produce and change rocks, oceans, weather, and global flora and fauna patterns.

n. the study of physical features of the earth's surface [syn: physiography]

Physical geography (also known as geosystems or physiography) is one of the two major sub-fields of geography. Physical geography is that branch of natural science which deals with the study of processes and patterns in the natural environment like the atmosphere, hydrosphere, biosphere, and geosphere, as opposed to the cultural or built environment, the domain of human geography.

Within the body of physical geography, the Earth is often split into several spheres or environments, the main spheres being the atmosphere, biosphere, cryosphere, geosphere, hydrosphere, lithosphere and pedosphere. Research in physical geography is often interdisciplinary and uses the systems approach.