A spatial concept that relates distance to interaction, and a key concept in the geography of economic development. Interaction in this case may take many forms, such as economic exchange or transfer of cultural attributes. Simply put, the greater the distance involved the greater the resistance to movement across space, resulting in a lower degree of contact. A closely related geographical notion is distance decay. The notion of friction of distance plays a role in a number of geographical theories, including the von Thunen model. Friction of distance affects an array of processes: cultural diffusion, migration, trade, and many others show the correlation between increased distance and a diminution of activity. This typically happens because both actual costs and time invested increase as the space between two points grows, and thus the incentive to interact is inversely proportional to increases in distance. The degree of “friction” may be influenced by several factors, including physical barriers (mountain ranges, deserts, bodies of water), political boundaries, and the sophistication of the communications and transportation systems involved.
In societies that enjoy highly mechanized transport opportunities, for example, the friction of distance is generally reduced in comparison to those in which transport is not technologically as advanced, because travel by automobile, train or aircraft will efficiently cover more distance than travel on foot or on the back of an animal. Many people in rural settlements in developing regions never travel more than 50 miles from their place of birth, while it is common for residents of economically advanced countries to cover this distance on a daily basis as they commute to and from their place of work. Even in regions with well-developed transport systems, however, political boundaries can greatly increase the friction of distance by increasing costs of transport, both in terms of time (time spent for customs inspections, etc.) and actual costs (tariffs on imported goods).
Friction of distance is a core principle of Geography that states that movement incurs some form of cost, in the form of physical effort, energy, time, and/or the expenditure of other resources, and that these costs are proportional to the distance traveled. Every day, students learn different skills, and they only need the best tutor or teacher to point them in the right way and explain all the topics related to their course of study. Regarding the subject of geography, you explain really well in your blog. Always choose a skilled and experienced geography tutor who can help you understand all the concepts.
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