When walking through the city, we can observe the buildings, houses and streets sharing space with the trees; we can see the asphalt floor in contrast to the dirt floor. When visiting a rural area, we can see fences dividing farms, plantations, cattle raising, all of this sharing space with forests, rivers and other natural elements. This is all part of the transformation of the Geographic space.
Cities are great examples of geographic space
Geographic Space is the result of the process of transformation of natural space. It is composed of cities (urban environment) and farms and rural properties (rural environment). Geography is precisely the science that studies geographic space.
Imagine the municipality where you live. Imagine that, before it was built, everything was woods and forests. There was, then, only the natural space.
Man transforms the natural landscape to meet his needs
Then imagine that the first properties emerged, with the installation of fences, the construction of a few houses, the first roads, the first plantations, rural crops. At that moment, natural space began to transform into geographic space.
Also imagine that, over time, more houses were built and large farms were replaced by lots, houses and buildings. The geographic space, at that time, was consolidated in that place.
Note that man is always transforming geographic space
Realize your current city. Look at it and see that it groups natural elements (trees, rivers, some forests) and man-made elements (houses, asphalt, buildings). Geographic space is this transformation of the natural environment, it is the product of man's action on the environment in which he lives.
It is important to note that not only our current society produces geographic space. Many prehistoric civilizations, indigenous peoples and others also transformed their space to ensure their survival and improve their quality of life. Therefore, we can say that geographic space is almost as old as the human being.
By Rodolfo Alves Pena
Graduated in Geography
