Geografie 1975, 80, 34-36
Population and Environment
In the formation of geographical milieu man is a determinative factor but he is in interaction with the other components. In the formation of environment the participates on the one hand as a biological agent, on the other hand, as a social factor intervening intentionally in the quality or environment. The various components affecting the quality of environment are characterized by the extent of the reproduction of population, the interrelation of the individual elements of the reproduction (natality, mortality) and their magnitude. Mortality is for instance affected on the one side by the age structure of population but on the other side also by the quality of environment (quality of housing fund, atmospheric pollution, water pollution etc.). Urbanization is also one of the components affecting unfavourably the quality of environment by accumulation of population and unfavourable phenomena accompanying tne accumulation but bringing on the other side an increase of the standard of living and sometimes an improvement of environment - in the case of modern planning of towns. Owing to urbanization, reduction of working hours, raise of the living standard the need of the so-called second residence and of recreation of population appears. But recently, it is not always a positive feature - the frequently unplanned accumulation of recreation houses insufficiently equiped in several respects is more unfavourable than the well equipped modern housing-estate proper. More attention should be therefore paid to all components of the population both as to its biological and social respects and the task of geography should be a systematic study of these relationships.
