Explain why some physical environments attract more human activity than others

Authors Avatar

Ryan Moore

Geography essay

Explain why some physical environments attract more human activity than others. (25 marks)

Human activity can be defined as the actions of people, and can be categorised into settlement, agriculture, industry, communication and tourism. Human activity can be dependant on the development of a location, and this can be directly linked to the physical environment. Each physical environment can provide opportunities and risks to humans and human activity, and dictates the level and type of activity present. To explain why this is, I intend to discuss three different physical environments, including tectonics, coastal and fluvial; the way in which they affect human activity in all categories.

Tectonic locations have a large influence over in which human activity is situated. One main feature of tectonics is volcanic activity. Volcanoes occur in various areas all over the world, but the nature of the volcanic activity dictates the way it can be utilised or to the extent to which it is a hazard. If the volcano is on a small scale, hardly if ever erupting then it is likely there will be a lot of human activity present. Most human activity around volcanoes drops into the agricultural category. The fertile soils are very useful, mainly in LEDCs were agriculture is the main way of life. This provides the most important source of income in less developed countries therefore the people tolerate the risks involved. In fact they hardly have a choice, compared to people in MEDCs who can move away from the risks involved. A fine example is Java, which has a high density population purely based on the rice cultivation. Minerals and nutrients from volcanoes can provide trading goods, a necessity for industry. Diamonds, copper and gold can all be found and can create a good economy. Geothermal energy is a prime way to utilise a potential hazard. This is mainly done in MEDCs as it is large scale, and uses expensive technology. Iceland is a great example, where there is a high concentration of volcanoes. Apart from hydropower, Iceland’s major source of energy is created from geothermal heat, acquired in the 5 geothermal power plants. Dormant volcanoes can be an attractive landscape, many people visit volcanoes from around the world. The tourism can be highly beneficial to LEDCs as it can provide many jobs for the unemployed, especially where skilled workers are scarce and people need basic labour to survive. All of these factors influence people to move into the area. Settlements build up but tend to be situated close to the agricultural areas.

Join now!

However much tectonic areas provide beneficial factors, there are always negative factors involved. With the volcanic activity, MEDCs can suffer greatly, and considering they don’t benefit that much, the expenses are great. The infrastructure can be damaged; tourism is lost as a lot of the land around the volcano can be destroyed, and many lives and jobs can be lost. This is obviously when the volcanic eruption is on a large scale, many MEDCs tend to situate themselves away form the danger, they have precautions so therefore they can prepare. LEDCs do suffer from more damage; however the rate ...

This is a preview of the whole essay