Alfred Hettner was a student of Richthofen and Ratzel. He wrote research papers after making extensive travels. His book 'Europe' was published in 1907. According to him geography is a chorological science or it is the study of regions. He elaborated the importance of distribution of phenomena and stressed the significance of regional geography. He was of the opinion that geography is a field in which things have to be described in their areal context on the face of the earth, much as history was the field in which things are to be considered in their time context.
Hettner claimed that geography is an idiographic (regional) rather than monesthetic (general). In his opinion the distinctive subject of geography was the knowledge of the earth areas as they differ from each other. Man was included as an integral part of nature of an area and thus 'mere description has been replaced in all branches of geography by search of causes.'
Hettner rejected the view that geography could be either general or regional. Geography like other fields of learning, must deal in both the unique things (regional geography) and with universals (general geography), but the study of regions is the main field of geography. This theory of uniqueness (regional geography) attracted the attention of German geographers for decades and is still the point of controversy in geography.
Hettner's approach invited criticism also. Those who criticized were of the opinion that Hettner tried to give more weightage to physical environment, ignoring the cultural factors. For example, there is a direct relationship between the density of population, economy, social institutions, religious beliefs, cultural traits, and political policies. Moreover, many of the interrelations observed in regional studies were in the process of change through time.
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