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Dictionary definition: space
- Article from:
- A Dictionary of Geography
- Author:
Copyright© A Dictionary of Geography 2004, originally published by Oxford University Press 2004. (Hide copyright information)
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space
The extent of an area, usually expressed in terms of the earth's surface. From this meaning derives the term
spatial
; and spatial relationships are at the heart of geography. It is important to distinguish between
absolute space
, which refers to clearly distinct, real, and objective space, and
relative space
, which is space as perceived by a person or society and concerns the relationship between events and between aspects of events. Space cannot be held in permanent, fixed, and measured intervals, or in regular geometries.
It may be that all human beings have the same perception of space at the biological level of perception, but certainly every society uses its space differently, ...