Characteristics of Place, Site and Situation Characteristics of Place Place Place is the description of what and how we see and experience a certain aspect of the Earths surface Place describes what a location is like Physical characteristics include climate, landforms, and vegetation Human characteristics include culture, cities, and other changes to the environment Toponym Place names on maps
Sometimes the color or the size of the writing indicates importance of the place They also indicate cultural information, such as language and religion Site and Situation Site Site refers to the internal, physical characteristics of a place that are unlikely to change, such as geological formations, soil, or structures. Refers to a physical description of a place This can involve absolute location, and physical characteristics of place Example of Site Barcelona, Spain Hill for defense
Reliable water supply for drinking and power Fertile farmland Flat land for building Sheltered by hills to the north South-facing slope Natural harbor Construction material Situation Situation is defined as the location of a place relative to its surroundings and other places Factors included in an area's situation include the accessibility of the location, the extent of a place's connections with another, and how close an area may be to raw materials if they are not located specifically on the site Example of Situation Barcelona, Spain Port Route Centre
Limestone quarries Close to wealthy NW European markets Diffusion Diffusion Diffusion is the movement of any characteristic
Diffusion relates to the movement theme of Geography A hearth is where the characteristic began Relocation Diffusion Relocation Diffusion is the physical spread of cultures, ideas, and diseases through people Usually occurs with migration Examples: Bubonic Plague, colonization of North America, religion and language in South America Migration Diffusion Migration diffusion: a particular type of relocation diffusion associated with the movement of people Expansion Diffusion Expansion Diffusion is the spread of a characteristic from a central node or hearth through various means Hierarchial Diffusion
Hierarchical Diffusion: the idea that a phenomenon spreads by the social elite, and then filters down through the masses Example: Fashion, AIDS Reverse Hierarchial Diffusion
Reverse Hierarchical Diffusion: when a phenomenon spreads first through the masses, and works up to the social elite Example: Nascar, Walmart, Rap Music Contagious Diffusion Contagious Diffusion is a type of expansion diffusion usually associated with a disease The phenomenon spreads without regard to race, social status, or family status Examples: the plague, or the Internet Stimulus Diffusion Stimulus Diffusion is a type of expansion diffusion where part of an idea spreads and creates an innovative product Example: technology, McDonalds in India Distribution, Density, and Patterns Distribution Everything on the Earths surface has a physical location and is organized in space This is called distribution Density Density is how often an object occurs within a given area or space Population Density Population Density: looks at how many people occupy a given amount of space Physiological Density
Physiological Density: refers to the number of people divided by the arable (farmable) land Arithmetic Density Arithmetic Density: calculates the density using all land in a given area Concentration Concentration refers to how common something is in a given area Pattern Pattern relates to how objects are organized in their space
Patterns are described using geometric shapes Linear Pattern Linear pattern: the objects are along a single line
Example: gas stations along a highway Centralized Centralized: the objects are clustered together
Example: Ethnic neighborhoods, flower district Random Distribution Random Distribution: lack of pattern on the landscape