In the list of exercises that emerged as a result of the development of human society, economic geography takes a worthy place. The birth of natural sciences, such as physics, mathematics, geography, occurred in ancient times. The process of understanding the surrounding reality over time was divided into separate specialized branches. This specialization was due to the growing needs of people who developed intellectually and tried to explain the phenomena occurring in nature. Over time, accumulated knowledge began to take shape in specific scientific areas.
Economic geography as a science took shape not so long ago - some forty-fifty years ago. The subject of study for it are the processes of settling people by countries and continents, placing production facilities and forming state borders. As follows from this definition, the main attention of science is directed to the territory where people live who are engaged in creative work. Socio-economic geography includes in the scope of its research not only economic relations, but also their social component. Many scientists believe that they are studying oecumene.
According to the definition, which can be found in various sources, the oecumene is a man-populated and most developed part of the planet's territory. Thus, economic geography studies all the processes that take place within the boundaries of these territories. This list includes demography, culture, political structure, economic activities and much more. These objects are studied in other branches of science. But the main thing that needs to be noted in this context is the environment. It is the interaction of a person with the surrounding world that represents the main interest in this case.
Territorial-social systems, such as the Roman Empire or the Soviet Union, appear under certain conditions and, having existed for a certain period of time, cease their development and are destroyed. Historians and political scientists explain these processes within their concepts, and economic geography has its own research tools and criteria for their evaluation. As practice shows, a single territory is not a sufficient condition for the public system to be stable. To ensure this consistency, functional unity is required. So, in an industrial enterprise, different units produce parts, from which a specific product appears as a result.
The economic geography of the world as an object of study is considered by the state. At present, much attention is paid to the study of the activities of supranational companies. They conduct economic activity on the territory of different states and thereby create the basis for a new kind of social relations. It can not be said that this is a new phenomenon. However, in recent decades, this trend has become the main one in the world economy. It has to study and form new scientific concepts of the development of human society.