Fields and Branches of Human Geography

The decision does not depend only on distance; it may also reflect the farmer's information, expected prices, experience, perceived risk, and personal judgment. Behavioural geography studies such spatial choices and mental evaluations. Agricultural geography can explain the economic context of market selection, but the question emphasizes individual decision-making. Therefore, behavioural geography is more appropriate. In examinations, words such as choice, perception, expectation, risk, preference, and decision-making strongly indicate behavioural geography.

Per capita income, employment, and industrial development indicate the economic structure and level of development of a region. Economic geography studies their spatial distribution and economic inequalities between regions. Welfare geography can also consider broader differences in living conditions, but all three indicators mentioned here are primarily economic. Therefore, economic geography is the most appropriate field. In examinations, income, employment, industrialization, regional disparity, and economic development together strongly indicate economic geography.

Language, food, festivals, and traditions are major elements of culture. Migrant communities may preserve their cultural identity in a new place while also interacting with local culture. Cultural geography studies such cultural retention, diffusion, identity, and cultural landscapes. Population geography would examine the scale and direction of migration, but the main focus here is the preservation of culture after migration. In examinations, migrant culture, language retention, festivals, identity, and cultural continuity indicate cultural geography.

A bridge adds a new link to a transport network and can change travel distance, time, and accessibility. Differences in market access before and after construction are therefore direct consequences of transport connectivity. Transport geography is the most appropriate field. Agricultural geography could examine effects on farmers, but the primary change comes from transport infrastructure. In examinations, bridges, travel time, accessibility, connectivity, route change, and market access are strong indicators of transport geography.

The main outcome in this question is regional variation in voter turnout. Electoral geography studies why turnout, voting behavior, and election results differ across social and spatial settings. Literacy and rural-urban status can serve as explanatory variables. Social geography may provide useful context, but the electoral pattern is the central subject. In examinations, voter turnout combined with social indicators, constituency differences, or regional voting patterns strongly indicates electoral geography.

Tourism growth can increase demand for accommodation, hotels, services, and commercial land, causing rents and land values to rise. Tourism geography studies tourist flows together with their local economic and spatial effects. Urban geography can analyze land values, but the main driving process here is tourism development. In examinations, tourism-induced changes in land values, housing pressure, destination development, and local economic restructuring strongly indicate tourism geography.

Resource geography studies the spatial dimensions of resource availability, demand, use, and management. Limited water may be required for agriculture, industry, domestic consumption, and energy generation. When demand exceeds supply, competing uses emerge. Therefore, the problem concerns resource allocation and management. Political geography could examine political conflict over water, but the underlying issue of scarcity and competing uses is fundamentally a resource-geography problem. In examinations, scarcity, allocation, multiple uses, and resource management indicate resource geography.

This situation links migration with age composition. When young people leave rural areas, destination cities gain population while the proportion of elderly residents may rise in the places of origin. Population geography studies migration, age structure, and population redistribution across space. Urban geography can explain effects on cities, but population geography is better suited to analyze demographic change in both origin and destination areas together. In examinations, migration, ageing, source areas, destination areas, and population redistribution strongly indicate population geography.

Mental maps are based on human perception and may differ from actual physical distance. Behavioural geography studies how people perceive places and how such perceptions influence travel, route choice, and decisions. Transport geography examines actual networks and distances, but perceived distance is specifically a behavioural-geography concept. In examinations, mental maps, perceived distance, spatial cognition, personal preferences, and individual decision-making strongly indicate behavioural geography.

Industrialization can transform production, employment, land use, and regional development. The conversion of agricultural land into industrial and residential uses reflects both economic restructuring and spatial transformation. Economic geography broadly studies these activities and their regional consequences. Urban or industrial geography may focus on specific parts of the process, but the question concerns a wider economic transformation. In examinations, industrialization, land-use conversion, regional restructuring, and changing economic activities strongly indicate economic geography.

A university can function as an urban service and activity node that transforms surrounding land use. Demand from students and staff may encourage rental housing, shops, and transport services. Urban geography studies functional structure, service nodes, and land-use changes within cities and their fringes. Social geography could examine the student community, but the main issue here is urban spatial development. In examinations, institutional growth, surrounding services, rental housing, and changing land use strongly indicate urban geography.

Religious identity can be studied in cultural geography, but when it is related to voting behavior and the electoral perspective is primary, electoral geography is the most appropriate field. It examines how social and cultural characteristics are associated with voting patterns and constituency outcomes. The perspective of the question is therefore crucial. In examinations, an identity variable combined with an electoral outcome indicates electoral geography, whereas a question focused only on religious distribution would be better placed in cultural geography.

The main problem here is not geographical distance but economic and social access. Social geography studies how class, income, and inequality affect people's actual access to services. Medical geography can examine the spatial distribution of health facilities, but if hospitals are nearby and affordability remains the major barrier, social inequality becomes the central issue. Therefore, social geography is the better answer. In examinations, distinguishing physical accessibility from social accessibility is important. Income barriers, exclusion, and inequality strongly indicate social geography.

When a single water resource has several uses, questions of allocation and competing demands arise. Resource geography studies the spatial dimensions of resource availability, use, management, and conservation. Hydropower, irrigation, and drinking water represent different uses that may require balancing. Political geography can examine power conflicts over the resource, but the fundamental issue of allocation belongs to resource geography. In examinations, multi-purpose resource use, scarcity, allocation, conservation, and competing demands strongly indicate resource geography.

The transformation of old religious quarters into commercial areas represents change in urban land use and function through time. Historical geography examines the process linking past spatial organization with present landscapes. Cultural geography can explain the cultural meaning of religious districts, but the question specifically asks for a temporal explanation. Therefore, historical geography is correct. In examinations, gradual change, past land use, historical quarters, changing functions, and present-day landscapes strongly indicate historical geography.

IT companies can create employment nodes that increase nearby housing demand and accelerate suburban growth. Urban geography studies relationships among spatial growth, suburbanization, land use, and employment centers within metropolitan areas. Economic geography can explain the location of the IT industry, but the main outcome here is residential suburban expansion. Therefore, urban geography is the most appropriate field. In examinations, metropolitan fringe, employment nodes, suburban growth, urban sprawl, and land-use expansion strongly indicate urban geography.

Closing a cross-border trade route can affect the supply of goods, market prices, employment, and local commerce. Economic geography broadly studies trade flows, market connections, and regional economic impacts. Political geography may explain the political reasons for closing the route, but the question focuses on economic consequences. Therefore, economic geography is the correct branch. In examinations, route closure, trade disruption, market effects, supply changes, and regional economic consequences strongly indicate economic geography.

Language and cultural identity are central themes of cultural geography. If such identity influences political demands, the political dimension may also be studied in political geography, but the question specifically asks about the cultural aspect. Therefore, cultural geography is correct. It examines language regions, cultural identity, and regional consciousness spatially. In examinations, it is important to distinguish perspectives within the same event: a cultural cause points toward cultural geography, while a political consequence may require political geography.

Spatial spread of disease, population mobility, and health risk are important topics in medical geography. Movement of migrant workers can influence geographical diffusion of infection, while crowded or poor workplace conditions may increase exposure. Population geography explains migration, but the principal outcome in this question is the disease pattern. Therefore, medical geography is the most appropriate field. In examinations, disease diffusion, mobility, workplace exposure, health risk, and spatial patterns of illness strongly indicate medical geography.

Distance from a road affects accessibility, which in turn can influence the availability of services and markets. Transport geography studies relationships between network accessibility and spatial distribution of economic activities. Rural geography could also examine village services, but the main independent factor in the question is road distance. Therefore, transport geography is the most direct answer. In examinations, distance from roads, accessibility, connectivity, service availability, and transport influence strongly indicate transport geography.

Different residential choices despite similar economic conditions show that income alone cannot explain location decisions. Personal experience, perceived safety, familiarity, preferences, and mental images of places can influence choice. Behavioural geography studies such subjective spatial decisions. Social geography can explain group-level patterns, but the emphasis here is on individual choice. In examinations, similar objective conditions combined with different personal decisions are a strong clue for behavioural geography.

Primary, secondary, and tertiary activities together describe the economic structure of a region. Economic geography studies their spatial distribution, regional specialization, and interrelationships. A region dominated by agriculture will have a different economic character from one dominated by manufacturing or services. Therefore, this is a central concern of economic geography. In examinations, sectors of the economy, occupational structure, regional specialization, production activities, and spatial economic patterns strongly indicate economic geography.

Child sex ratio is a demographic indicator, but when its spatial variation is related to social norms and behavior, social geography becomes especially important. It studies the spatial effects of social structure, values, and inequality. Population geography can measure and map sex-ratio patterns, but the main explanatory factor in this question is social norms. Therefore, social geography is more appropriate. In examinations, a demographic outcome combined with a social cause requires interdisciplinary reasoning and often points toward social geography.

The conversion of an old industrial district into a cultural arts area is an example of urban redevelopment and functional change. Urban geography studies the spatial effects of changing land use, functional zones, and redevelopment within cities. Historical geography could explain the temporal process, while cultural geography could examine the new cultural landscape. However, because the question focuses on present spatial effects, urban geography is most appropriate. In exams, redevelopment, functional change, changing urban districts, and land-use transformation indicate urban geography.

Road development and tourism may act as channels of change, but the main outcome in the question is outside influence on traditional culture. Cultural geography studies cultural diffusion, interaction, and transformation. Transport geography explains road connectivity, and tourism geography explains visitor flows, but cultural change itself is primarily a cultural-geography topic. In examinations, it is essential to distinguish the cause from the outcome. Here, road construction and tourism are causes, while cultural transformation is the result, making cultural geography the correct answer.