AbstractsGeography &GIS

As an earth-bound being man is confronted by two landscapes; the natural and the man-made, and both are of interest to him as an intellectual creature. While both landscapes may cause feelings of awe, or peace, or in some cases apprehension, the emotion aroused by the sight of a man-made landscape is imbued with a deeper feeling of identification which flows from the recognition of the work of fellow creatures. A sign of man in an otherwise empty landscape can change an l-It attitude to an I-Thou attitude, even though the sign may be no more than a vehicle track on the dry surface of a barren desert. Natural and man-made landscapes are of primary interest to the geographer, but while study of the first is likely to be largely objective, aimed at a deeper understanding of nature, study of the second is more subjective and aimed at a deeper understanding of man.