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Does the environment determine how a society and culture is formed? Or is it the society and culture which
creates the environment or both?
Traditional Geography
This emphasizes physical geography and the role that the landscape plays in influencing society and
culture. For example, the settlement patterns of the Lesser Antilles show relatively dense settlement on the
drier west coast, where the main towns are also found, because the north east trades bring heavy relief
rainfall to the east coasts, which are the first places where hurricanes make landfall.
Human and cultural geography highlights that human beings impact and shape the landscape through
technology and scientific discovery, whereby people have been able to adapt to different environments for
human habitation and sustenance.
Postmodern Perspectives
This view suggests that the term people is not, a single neutral category. There are power relations in all
societies and that cultures inevitably affect how each group lays claim to the environment. For example, the
aboriginal people often create a geography that is very different from say, that of urbanized Caribbean
residents, but the latter tends to be more powerful than the other group.
Urbanized people are highly educated and wealthy and hence their view becomes dominant in shaping the
environment.
The post modern outlook emphasizes that the traditional category of the environment is not a single
Other Perspectives
The colonial experience suggests that human beings dominate and control the environment which is
different from the pre- Columbian inhabitants. For example the Native American Indians, Amerindians and
Australian Aboringines see their environment as sacred and one that is devoted to worship and left mutually
Environment Hazards
This has the potential to destroy human life and property for example, pollution, deforestation, mining,
household garbage, sewage ect. Hazards can become disasters
Environmental disaster
This cause grave destruction to human life and property for example, hurricanes, volcanoes, earthquakes
and droughts.
Environmental degradation
This describes the loss of quality of air, land, water around us.
It describes soil that has its fertility, hillsides that are severely gullied, air that is full of emissions from
factories, rivers that have a reduced flow because the water is channeled away from human use, and a
POLLUTION
DEFORESTATION
MINING
The theory of plate tectonic states that the earths crust is composed of several large slabs or rigid crustal materials
folding or earthquake ( also call seismic activity), which results in faulting of rocks, or volcanism.
The plates move relatively to each other because of the convectional currents in the mantle.
The Caribbean plate id bordered on the Atlantic Plate in the east and its western margin lies off Central
Plates move and adjoin other plates at their margins and boundaries
There are three kinds of plate margins, based on the nature of contact between the plates. These Plates are called
Divergent margins- this occurs when two plates move away from each other. Magma from the mantle
underneath the crust rise to the surface to cool and solidify at the plate boundary. This divergent boundary
is considered constructive since new crust is formed. ( found off the coast of Jamaica)
Convergent margins- along these margins plates collide and one plate rides over the other, forcing it
downwards into the seduction zone. The descending plate is crushed as it grinds together with the other
plate pushing over it. The friction generates tremendous heat; enough to melt the rock material becomes
molten. The many holes, crevices and cracks in the surface rocks allow some of the magma to flow back up
to the surface to form volcanoes. Along convergent margins the tremendous pressure generated by rocks
exerting great force against each other. ( Dominant in the Lesser Antilles)
Transform margins- this is where plates slide past each other pressure builds up in the rock in each plate
and earthquake activity results when the rock moves suddenly to relieve the stress.
Sources
1.Mohammad, Jeniffer. (2008). CAPE Caribbean Studies: An Interdisciplinary Approach. Macmillan Publishers Limited.
2. _____ ( 2011) Caribbean Examination Council CAPE Caribbean Studies: Self Study Guide. Nelson Thornes
Questions
1. Explain the theory of Plate Tectonics
2. Differentiate between the flowing plate movements:
(i) Convergent margin
( 2 marks)
( 6 marks)
3. What are the main activities which take place at each of the plate margins above? ( 3 marks)
4. Distinguish between an environmental hazard and an environmental disaster.
( 2 marks)