In 2005 January, we realised a pedagogic exercise consisting in a geographical reading of Méailles’s landscape (Alpes de Haute-Provence, France).
This experience has permitted to highlight the main elements, which explain the physiognomy of this landscape (geology, relief, vegetation, human developments and history). The relations between these elements are often spatial, causal or visible in the landscape. Some times, they are logical or epistemological relations inside a geographical analysis. The exercise has also permitted to propose some limits with the use of the landscape, which would be oriented to a geographical knowledge production.
The main objective was to analyse and explain this landscape. No end of landscapes does exist for one geographical object: infinity of landscapes from or towards this object, for example Méailles. Otherwise, no end of landscapes exists according to people, in terms of perception, psychology, and education...
So, Geography as science have to objectivate the landscape and to choose a view. The chosen view can be located, oriented, visual plans can be identified and the distances evaluated. It gives the skeleton of the landscape. In this region of middle mountains, relief is an important constituent of this visual skeleton. It allows defining the main units of the landscape as a visual environment containing geographical objects: wooded sides upon the village, agricultural salver...