Regional analysis
Topic: Human Geography: Nature, Scope and Approaches · NCERT: Class 12, Ch 1 "Human Geography: Nature and Scope"
Meaning
Regional analysis was the approach of the later colonial period. Geographers described every part of a region in great detail, including its rocks, climate, soils, people, farming and towns. The idea was simple: regions are parts of the whole earth, so if you understand each part fully, you will understand the whole. It came after the exploration and description stage and before areal differentiation (1930s).
Example
A regional study of the Chota Nagpur plateau in Jharkhand would describe its old rocks, red soils, forests, tribal communities, minerals such as coal and iron ore, and its mining towns, all in one account.
Don't confuse with
- Areal differentiation: this 1930s approach (Hartshorne) asked why each region is unique and different from others. Regional analysis mainly described every aspect of a region.