地理学是自然科学与社会科学的汇合,是一门独立科学,有特定的功能和演变规律。地理学的基本规律包括有地域分异规律、地域综合规律和地域发展规律等。研究地理学的基本规律有助于认识许多复杂的历史事件和社会活动,对构建社会建设的总体思想和区域发展战略有重要指导意义。

    Geography is a science that investigates mutual relationships and interactions between natural and human elements on the earthy s surface, is a science of the covergence between natural science and social science. There are total three basic rules in geography:
    Firstly, rule of regional differentiation, including latitudinal zonality, meridional zonality, altitudinal zonality and none zonality.
    Secondly, rule of regional complex, including rule of distance decay, rule of regional systems.
    Thirdly, rule of regional development, including the periodic law of geographical environment and rule of the period of man-land relationship.