CH.1: THINKING GEOGRAPHICALLY

THE BASICS PEOPLE!!!

What do human geographers do?

…..they ask two main questions:

1. Where are things/people?

2. Why are they there?

We will define geography as…

-The study of where people/things are found on Earth’s surface and the reasons for their location

GEOGRAPHY

human physical

ISSUE #1

How do Geographers Describe Where Things Are?

MAPS

Storing Reference MaterialCommunicating geographic

information

SCALE….

Represented in different ways1. Ratio (1: 24,000)2. Fraction (1/24,000)3. Written statement (1” equals

24,000 miles)4. Bar scale (p.10 in text)

SCALE cont…

SMALL SCALE• Represents smaller detail of

a large area (p. 10 in text)

Ex. 1:10,000,000 is a smaller scale map (it represents a huge area but the ratio is a smaller number, not much detail)

LARGE SCALE• Represents larger detail of a

smaller area (p. 10 in text)

Ex. 1:10,000 is a larger scale map (it represents a smaller area but the ratio is a larger number, there is more detail)

Small Scale

Objects appear smaller

Large Scale

Objects appear larger

PROJECTION…

…. Scientific method of transferring locations on Earth’s surface to a flat map

PROJECTION PROBLEMS

• Maps show:

- Shape- Distance- Size- Direction

But………………

.....no map can accurately depict all 4 at once on the same map

- For ex. A map might show true directions and shapes but distorts size (Mercator, compare maps on pp.6 & 19)

West Wing Video

Types of Map Projection

Mercator Projection

Mercator Projection

Mercator Distorts:• Shape• Distance• Relative Size

Was designed for navigation purposes (for which it is VERY effective)

Has been criticized for cultural bias because the less-developed world is portrayed much smaller than it truly is

Gall-Peters Projection

Gall-Peters Projection

Gall-Peters Distorts:• Shape• Distance

Projection is “Equal Area” -countries are in correct proportion with

each otherClaimed to eliminate the “cultural bias” of the

Mercator Projection

Robinson Projection

Robinson Projection

Robinson Distorts:• Shape• Distance• Relative Size• Direction (at edges)

Distortion is minimal at the center of the map but increases at poles and edges

Seen as a compromise to create an appealing view of the entire Earth

Goode’s Projection

Goode’s Projection

Goode’s Distorts:• Distance

Often called the “Orange-Peel Map”Shows the surface of the Earth in relative

size, but distance and direction are greatly distorted

The only way to avoid distortion…

ISSUE #2

Why is Each Point on Earth Unique?

4 Ways Geographers Identify Location

TOPONYMSITE

SITUATIONMATHEMATICAL LOCATION (lat/long)

TOPONYM

• The name given to a place on Earth– Ex. Philadelphia

– Sometimes it can tell youabout the place

ex. San Francisco….?

SITE

• The physical characteristics of a place– Site characteristics

include climate, water sources, topography, soil, vegetation…

SITUATION

• Location of a place relative to other places

– Ex. John’s Pizza is located across the street from the movie theater

– Situation helps us:1. Find a location2. Understand the importance of a location

MATHEMATICAL LOCATION

• Latitude and Longitude, no explanation needed

REGION

• Areas, not specific points, that can be categorized according to various characteristics, a concept known as…

– Cultural landscape (know definition)

TYPES OF REGIONS

• Formal

• Functional

• Vernacular

*** make sure you know the definition and examples of each!!!

Formal Region

• Everybody shares in common one or more distinctive characteristics

– Exs. Pennsylvania (political), Middle East (religious), North American wheat belt (economic/agricultural), voting areas within the U.S.

Functional Region

• area organized around a node or focal point– Diminishes as you move away from the node

- Exs. Television station, newspaper circulation, shopping mall

- How is technology affecting functional regions????

Formal and Functional Regions

Fig. 1-11: The state of Iowa is an example of a formal region; the areas of influence of various television stations are examples of functional regions.

Vernacular Region

• a place that people believe exists as part of their cultural identity (more informal)

– Exs. High school campus, home state, your house, the “South” (a combination of features)

Vernacular Regions

Fig. 1-12: A number of features are often used to define the South as a vernacular region, each of which identifies somewhat different boundaries.

SPATIAL ASSOCIATION

• Geographers try to identify certain factors (cultural, economic, environmental...)

• Factors that have similar distribution have spatial association

– Ex. On a national level, regions in the east may have higher cancer rates due to the spatial association between cancer rates and the distribution/location of factories

Spatial Association at Various Scales

Fig. 1-13: Death rates from cancer in the US, Maryland, and Baltimore show different patterns that can identify associations with different factors.

Cancer Death Rates in the U.S.

Cancer Death Rates in Maryland

Cancer Death

Rates in Baltimore

CULTURE(body of customary beliefs, material traits, and social forms that together constitute the distinct tradition of a group of people)

• Major tool used by geographers to explain uniqueness of a region

Culture

Intellectual Popular

(what makes up American culture?)

TYPES OF REGIONS/COUNTRIES

MORE DEVELOPED• Know the characteristics

and examples(p. 25)

LESS DEVELOPED• Know the characteristics

and examples (p.25)

MORE DEVELOPED vs. LESS DEVELOPED REVIEW

1. 2 Regions that are MD

2. Regions that are LD

3. Possession of wealth and material goods (is this MD or LD?)

4. 3 shared characteristics of a MD region

5. Most people are engaged in agriculture (is this MD or LD?)

MORE DEVELOPED vs. LESS DEVELOPED

1. 2Regions that are MD North America, Europe, Japan

2. Regions that are LD sub-Saharan Africa, Middle East, East Asia, South Asia, Southeast Asia, Latin America

3. Possession of wealth and material goods MD

4. 3 shared characteristics of a that distinguish a region per capita income, literacy rates, televisions per capita, hospital beds per capita…

5. Most people are engaged in agriculture LD

What does this map represent?Try to list the blue countries in your notes.

You may work together.

GLOBAL PERSPECTIVE

The number of planets needed to sustain specific countries at different levels of current consumption.

How to Compare Developed vs. Developing

1. GDP (Gross Domestic Product)2. GDP per capita3. Life Expectancy/Healthcare4. Education/Literacy Rate5. Agricultural System (Subsistence or Commercial?)6. Rural vs. Urban7. Poverty8. Communications/Infrastructure9. And many more!

CULTURAL ECOLOGY

• The geographic study of human-environment relationships

- how people interact with the environment

Different cultures modify the environment in different ways, producing different regions

LIST 5 WAYS….

• Humans impact/modify the environment

• The environment impacts humans

The World - Dubai

ENVIRONMENTAL DETERMINISM

• how the physical environment causes social development

• Positives and negatives about ED????

MODERN GEOGRAPHERS & ED

• They prefer Possibilism– Environment limits, but

people can adjust to it

ED

ED Stinks!!

POSSIBILISM MEANS THAT HUMANS NOT ONLY ADAPT TO, BUT ALSO CHANGE, THE ENVIRONMENT. THIS CAN BE GOOD OR

BAD……………especially with modern technology

PHYSICAL PROCESSES

• Geographers need to be aware of these in order to understand the distribution of human activities and their impact on the environment

• Why people live where they do or how they make a living depends on these processes/forces

What are these processes?1. Climate2. Vegetation3. Soil4. Landforms

- pp.26-28

World Climate Regions

Fig. 1-14: The modified Köppen system divides the world into five main climate regions.

Environmental Modification in the Netherlands

Fig. 1-15: Polders and dikes have been used for extensive environmental modification in the Netherlands.

Environmental Modification

in Florida

Fig. 1-16: Straightening the Kissimmee River has had many unintended side effects.

C-38 CanalFlorida

The canal has carried water with agricultural runoff and pollution into Lake Okeechobee

ISSUE #3

Why are Different Places Similar?

SCALE

SPACE

CONNECTIONS

SCALE

• Local level shows unique features– Stores, housing, hospitals

• At the global level shows broad patterns– Where is rapid population growth?– Where followers of different religions live

• It helps explain globalization (important!!!!!)(the “scale” of the world is shrinking)

Globalization of the Economy

Fig. 1-17: The Denso corporation is headquartered in Japan, but it has regional headquarters and other facilities in North America and Western Europe.

Globalization of Culture

Positives? Negatives?

SPACE: DISTRIBUTION OF FEATURES

• an action at one point in space can result from something happening at another point in space, which can affect conditions in other places

DISTRIBUTION(the arrangement of a feature in space)

• Students in GVHS are distributed (arranged) in classrooms….look at the following for our room:

a. Density – frequency with which something occurs

b. Concentration – extent of a feature’s spread over space (clustered or dispersed)

c. Pattern – geometric arrangement of objects in space

Key aspects of Distribution are:

Density, Concentration, & Pattern

Fig. 1-18: The density, concentration, and pattern (of houses in this example) may vary in an area or landscape.

Density and Concentration of Baseball Teams, 1952 & 2007

Fig. 1-19: The changing distribution of North American baseball teams illustrates the differences between density and concentration.

U.S. Baseball Teams, 1952

Fig. 1-19: Baseball teams were highly concentrated in the Northeast and Midwest in 1952.

U.S. Baseball Teams, 2007

Fig. 1-19: By 2007, U.S. baseball teams were much more dispersed than in 1952, and their number and density at a national level had increased.

1. What three things do geographers use to explain why different places are similar?

2. Which scale is more helpful in identifying global patterns, small or large? Why?

1. What three things do geographers use to explain why different places are similar? (scale, space, connections)

2. Which scale is more helpful in identifying global patterns, small or large? Why? (small, see global patterns)

CONNECTIONS

• More rapid connections have reduced the distance across space between places

• Space-Time Compression describes this reduction in time to reach other places

SPACETIME

SPACE TIME

= Rapid Change

• New technologies like email, phones, planes, television….make people far away connected and aware of same cultural beliefs (geographers call this Spatial Interaction)

• These technologies affect space time compression

Space-Time Compression, 1492-1962

Fig. 1-20: The times required to cross the Atlantic, or orbit the earth, illustrate how transport improvements have shrunk the world.

- Go to p.36

Airline Route Networks

Fig. 1-21: Continental Airlines, like many others, has configured its route network in a “hub and spoke” system.

DIFFUSION

• This has all led to an increase in diffusion– The process by which a

characteristic spreads from one place to another

– Hearth?

TYPES OF DIFFUSION

RELOCATION EXPANSION (know all 3 types – Hierarchical, Contagious,

Stimulus)

Spread by people moving Spread by snowballing process

WHICH TYPE OF DIFFUSION IS IT?

1. A rumor is started on the “web” that Michael Jackson is still alive and within 1 week most people believe it and spread the idea.

2. The president begins to use a term that quickly becomes part of the every day language of the American people

3. The invention of velcro by a shoe company that goes out of business but the idea of velcro continues to spread.

WHICH TYPE OF DIFFUSION IS IT?

1. A rumor is started on the “web” that Michael Jackson is still alive and within 1 week most people believe it and spread the idea.

- Contagious

2. The president begins to use a term that quickly becomes part of the every day language of the American people

- Hierarchical

3. The invention of velcro by a shoe company that goes out of business but the idea of velcro continues to spread.

- Stimulus

AIDS Diffusion in

the US, 1981-2002

Fig. 1-22: New AIDS cases were concentrated in three nodes in 1981. They spread through the country in the 1980s, but declined in the original nodes in the late 1990s.

New AIDS Cases, 1981 (per 100,000 population)

New AIDS Cases, 1993 (per 100,000 population)

New AIDS Cases, 2002(per 100,000 population)

Cumulative AIDS Cases, 1981-2002

The AIDS Memorial

Quilt

Chapter 01: Review

01.01 Which map would have the largest scale?

1. country2. continent3. state4. city5. world

01.01 Which map would have the largest scale?

1. country2. continent3. state4. city5. world

01.02 A place’s location relative to other objects or places is called its

1. Absolute location2. Situation 3. Site4. Dimension

01.02 A place’s location relative to other objects or places is called its

1. Absolute location2. Situation 3. Site4. Dimension

01.03 An object at 90 degrees north latitude is

1. At the North Pole2. On the equator3. At the Tropic of Cancer4. At the Tropic of Capricorn5. Closer to Australia than to Europe

01.03 An object at 90 degrees north latitude is

1. At the North Pole2. On the equator3. At the Tropic of Cancer4. At the Tropic of Capricorn5. Closer to Australia than to Europe

01.04 This climate is not found in the continental United States:

1. Humid subtropical2. Humid continental3. Humid tropical4. Mediterranean 5. Marine west coast

01.04 This climate is not found in the continental United States:

1. Humid subtropical2. Humid continental3. Humid tropical4. Mediterranean 5. Marine west coast

01.05 The International Date Line is approximately ___ degrees from the Prime Meridian.

1. 02. 453. 904. 1805. 360

01.05 The International Date Line is approximately ___ degrees from the Prime Meridian.

1. 02. 453. 904. 1805. 360

01.06 An area (think larger rather than smaller) with one or more unique and distinguishing characteristics is called a:

1. Locality 2. Situation 3. Site 4. Location 5. Region

01.06 An area with one or more unique and distinguishing characteristics is called a:

1. Locality 2. Situation 3. Site 4. Location 5. Region

01.07 The movement of money from one country to another and one currency to another has primarily been facilitated by

1. The leadership of the United States2. Advances in electronic communications3. The World Trade Organization4. Transnational corporations5. Global agreements brokered by the United Nations

01.07 The movement of money from one country to another and one currency to another has primarily been facilitated by

1. The leadership of the United States2. Advances in electronic communications3. The World Trade Organization4. Transnational corporations5. Global agreements brokered by the United Nations

01.08 Globalization

1. Decreases consumer preferences2. Promotes the maintenance of traditional cultures3. Benefits some countries more than others4. Decreases communication across borders5. Is tightly controlled by the United States

01.08 Globalization

1. Decreases consumer preferences2. Promotes the maintenance of traditional cultures3. Benefits some countries more than others4. Decreases communication across borders5. Is tightly controlled by the United States

01.09 The frequency an object appears in a given area is its

1. Distribution 2. Density 3. Relative location4. Dispersion 5. Diffusion

01.09 The frequency an object appears in a given area is its

1. Distribution 2. Density 3. Relative location4. Dispersion 5. Diffusion

01.10 That the physical environment causes social development is the core concept of

1. Cultural relativism2. Possibilism 3. Cultural ecology4. Environmental determinism5. Stimulus diffusion

01.10 That the physical environment causes social development is the core concept of

1. Cultural relativism2. Possibilism 3. Cultural ecology4. Environmental determinism5. Stimulus diffusion