You observe every day in your surroundings that there is variation in natural as well as cultural phenomena. All the trees are not of the same variety. All the birds and animals you see, are different. All these different elements are found on the earth. Can you now argue that geography is the study of "areal differentiation"?
Yes, geography can indeed be argued as the study of areal differentiation. The earth's surface is not uniform; it has variations in its physical features such as mountains, hills, valleys, plains, plateaus, oceans, lakes, deserts and wilderness. Similarly, there are variations in social and cultural features like villages, cities, roads, railways, ports and markets created by human beings.
Since there exist variations over the surface of the earth in its physical as well as cultural environment, and a number of phenomena are similar while many are dissimilar, it was logical to perceive geography as the study of areal differentiation. Thus, geography was perceived to study all those phenomena which vary over space.
However, geographers do not study only the variations in the phenomena over the earth's surface but also study the associations with other factors which cause these variations. For example, cropping patterns differ from region to region, but this variation is related to variations in soils, climates, demands in the market, capacity of the farmer to invest and technological inputs available.
Therefore, the concern of geography is to find out the causal relationship between any two phenomena or between more than one phenomenon. As Richard Hartshorne stated, geography is concerned with the description and explanation of the areal differentiation of the earth's surface.
Explanation
This answer directly addresses the question by building a logical argument using the textbook content. It begins by acknowledging the variations observed in surroundings, explains the concept of areal differentiation, provides the cropping pattern example from the text to illustrate how geographers study causal relationships, and concludes with Hartshorne's definition. The answer demonstrates understanding that geography goes beyond merely describing variations to explaining their causes.
Solution Steps
Step 1: Acknowledge the variations in natural and cultural phenomena observed in surroundings
Step 2: Explain how these variations make geography the study of areal differentiation
Step 3: Clarify that geography also studies causal relationships, not just variations
Step 4: Provide the example of cropping patterns and their causal factors
Step 5: Conclude with Hartshorne's definition of geography