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Thinking GeographicallyAP Human GeographyMr. Larkins
Why is each point on Earth unique?
A. Place: Unique Location of a Feature
1. Toponym is the name given to a place on Earth
2. Site is the physical character of a place. Includes climate, water sources, topography, soil, vegetation, latitude, and elevation
Site:Lower Manhattan Island
Fig. 1-6: Site of lower Manhattan Island,
New York City. There have been many
changes to the area over the last 200 years.
Why is each point on Earth unique?
3. Situation is the location of a place relative to other places. Situation helps us find an unfamiliar place by comparing its location with a familiar one. Situation, also, helps us understand the importance of a location.
Situation: Singapore
Fig. 1-7: Singapore is situated at a key location for international trade.
Downtown Singapore
Why is each point on Earth unique?
4. Mathematical location or in other words latitude and longitude.
World Geographic Grid
Fig. 1-8: The world geographic grid consists of meridians of longitude and parallels of latitude. The prime meridian ( 0º) passes through Greenwich, England.
World Time Zones
Fig. 1-9: The world’s 24 standard time zones each represent about 15° of longitude. They are often depicted using the Mercator projection.
Why is each point on Earth unique?
B. Regions: Areas of Unique Characteristics
1. A region derives its character through the cultural landscape- a combination of cultural features such as language, and religion, economic features such as agriculture and industry, and physical features such as climate and vegetation.
Why is each point on Earth unique?
2.Types of Regionsa)Formal, also called a
uniform region or homogeneous region, is an area within which everyone shares in common one or more distinctive characteristics.
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.
Why is each point on Earth unique?
b)Functional Region- also called a nodal region, is an area organized around a node or focal point.
c)Example: Richmond City; Henrico, Chesterfield
Why is each point on Earth unique?
c) Perceptual region, or vernacular region is a place that people believe exists as part of their cultural identity.
Ex: The South, The Middle East, “Hokie Nation”
Perceptual 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.
Why are different places similar?
1.Scale: From Local to Global2.Space: Distribution of features
a)Density is the frequency with which something occurs in space
b)Concentration is the extent of a feature’s spread over space
c) Pattern is the geometric arrangement of objects in space
Distribution: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.
Why are different places similar?
3. Connections between placesa) Spatial Interaction
*distance decay-the farther away one group is from another, the less likely the two groups are to interact
Distance decay
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a) Diffusion*relocation-the spread of an idea through physical movement of people from one place to another *expansion-the spread of a feature from one place to another in a “snowballing” process*hierarchical-the spread of an idea from persons or nodes of authority or power to other persons or places*contagious-the rapid, widespread diffusion of a characteristic throughout the population
