Chapter 1

1. Chapter 1 Thinking Geographically

2. Human Geography Attempts to answer the following questions: • Where are people and activities found on Earth? • Why are they found there?

3. Maps: Geography’s Most Important Tool • Maps- two-dimensional or flat-scale models of the Earth’s surface, or a portion of it • A tool for storing reference material and a tool for communication geographic information • Cartography- the science of mapmaking

4. Maps can be used to depict human activities across space A series of maps can illustrate change over time Maps

5. Mapmaking • Earliest surviving maps were made by the Babylonians around 2300 BC • Aristotle was the first to hypothesize that the Earth was round (300s B.C.) • Eratosthenes was the first to use the word geography in around 200 B.C. • In the 100s A.D., Ptolemy wrote an 8 volume Guide to Geography

6. Map Scale • Def. – the relationship of a feature’s size on a map to its actual size on earth • Can be done as a fraction or ratio (1/18,000 or 1:18,000), a written statement (one inch equals one mile), or a geographic bar scale

7. Map Scale (cont.) • The larger the scale, the closer the area of detail

8. Projection • Def. – scientific method of transferring locations on Earth’s surface to a flat map • Always produces some sort of distortion

9. 4 Types of Distortion • Shape distortion- an area appears elongated or more squat • Distance distortion- distance between points changes • Relative size distortion- one area may appear larger or smaller on a map than another- when in reality it is not • Direction distortion- direction from one place to another can be distorted

10. Projection (cont.) • Equal area projections keep the relative sizes of the landmasses on the map the same size in reality • Does cause some shape distortion close to the poles

11. The Land Ordinance of 1785 • Used to divide land for sale in the Western United States • Township- area of land 6 miles by 6 miles • Divided into 36 sections (1mile by 1 mile)

12. Contemporary Tools Geographic Information System (GIS) • A computer system that can capture, store, and analyze geographic data • The position every object on Earth can be precisely recorded • Info. can be stored in layers • Ex. Geo-data Explorer

13. Contemporary Tools (cont.) Remote Sensing • Acquisition of data from a satellite orbiting the earth • Functions much like a scanner

14. Contemporary Tools (concluded) Global Positioning System (GPS) • a system that accurately determines the precise position of something on Earth • Most commonly used for navigation purposes

15. Place: Unique Location of a Feature • Location- the position that something occupies on Earth’s surface • 4 ways to identify location: • Place name • Site • Situation • Mathematical location

16. Place Names • Toponym- the name given to a place on Earth • Might be named after a person, for its physical features, or after an event that occurred there • Ex. Greensboro- named after General Nathaniel Greene

17. Site • Site- the physical character of a place • Important characteristics include: climate, water sources, topography, soil, vegetation, latitude, and evaluation • Very important factors for establishing a settlement • Can be modified by humans • Ex. Manhattan

18. Situation • Situation- the location of a place relative to other places • Helps find unfamiliar places by comparing it to a familiar one • Clemmons is south of Lewisville • Mario’s Pizza is next to Blue Moon

19. Situation also helps explain the importance of a location Singapore has become an important trading center because of its situation near the Strait of Malacca (1/4 of maritime trade passes through each year) Situation (cont.)

20. Mathematical Location • Any location on Earth can be described in terms of meridians and parallels • Meridians- an arc drawn b/w the North and South poles • Location of meridians identified as lines of longitude • Measured in degrees East or West from the Prime Meridian which runs through Greenwich, England

21. Mathematical Location (cont.) • Every 15 degrees traveled East or West is the equivalent of one hour of time • Parallels are measured in terms of degrees latitude • Measured in degrees north or south of the equator • Equator = 0 degrees, N. Pole 90 degrees N, S. Pole 90 degrees S

22. Mathematical Location (cont.) • To get more precise each degree can be divided 60 minutes (“) and each minute into 60 seconds (‘)

23. Mathematical Location (cont.) • Latitude is scientifically derived by Earth’s shape and its rotation around the sun • The equator has the largest circumference and everyday has 12 hours of sunlight • Every meridian is the same length • Greenwich was only selected as 0 degrees b/c England was the world power at the time it was created

24. Latitude and Longitude

25. Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) • Also called Universal Time • Every 15 degrees east of Greenwich is one hour ahead of GMT, and 15 degrees west of Greenwich is 1 hour behind GMT • When it’s Noon In London, it’s 7am in Pfafftown

26. International Date Line • 180 degrees longitude • Heading East you move the clock back an entire day (24 hours) • Heading West you move the clock ahead 24 hours

27. Regions: Areas of Unique Characteristics • Region- an area defined by one or more distinct characteristics • Derive distinct character from their 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

28. Cultural Landscape • Every region has its own distinctive landscape that results from a combination of social relationships and physical processes • Within each region the people, activities, and environment will display similarities that differ from other regions

29. Types of Regions • Three Types in Geography • Formal region- an area within which everyone shares in common one or more distinctive characteristics • Functional region- an area organized around a node or focal point • Vernacular region- a place that people believe exists as part of their cultural identity

30. Formal Regions • A.k.a uniform or homogeneous regions • Shared feature could be a cultural value, and economic activity, or an environmental property • The feature is present throughout

31. Formal Regions (cont.) • Sometimes formal regions are easy to identify- such as a country or local gov. unit • Other kinds of formal regions have a predominant characteristic not a universal one – ex. Wheat belt

32. Formal Regions (concluded) • Geographers identify formal regions to help explain broad global or national patterns ex.– religious variation • Must be sure not to undervalue the diversity of the area when making these generalizations

33. Functional Regions • Characteristic used to define the region dominates at a central focus or node and diminishes in importance as you move away from it

34. Functional Regions (cont.) • Often used to display economic information • Transportation to and from the node is important in forms of traffic and information • Ex. Circulation area of a newspaper • In W-S, the Journal dominates- as you move East into Kernersville the circulation declines until you get to a point where just as many people read the Greensboro News & Record

35. Functional Regions (concluded) • Other examples would include the reception area of a TV or Radio station and the trading area of a department store

36. Vernacular Regions • Arise from a person’s sense of place rather than scientific models from geography • AKA a perceptual region • Mental maps are helpful to understanding vernacular regions • An internal representation of part of the Earth’s Surface • Mental maps contain personal impressions of what someone knows or thinks about a place

37. Vernacular Regions (concluded) • The South is a good example of a vernacular region • Most perceive the South as having a distinct environment, culture, and economic system from the rest of the country

38. Regional Integration of Culture • In thinking about why each region on Earth’s surface is distinctive geographers refer to culture • The body of customary beliefs, material traits, and social forms that together constitute the distinct tradition of a group of people • 2 ways to think about this in geography • What people care about • What people take care of

39. What People Care About • Why do distinctive cultures happen in a particular place • Geographers are particularly interested in language, religion, and ethnicity

40. Language • Language is a system of sounds, gestures, and marks that have meanings understood within a cultural group • This is how culture is transmitted from one generation to the next • The words used in a language tell us something about where the culture is located

41. Religion Religion • Important because it is the principal system of attitudes, beliefs, and practices through which people worship in a formal, organized way

42. Ethnicity • Encompasses a group’s language, religion, and other cultural values, as well as is physical traits • Produced out of common traditions and heredity • Areas that more than one ethnic group call home are often characterized by conflict and inequality

43. Ethnicity

44. What People Take Care Of • Production of material wealth is also of interest to geographers • Geographers divide the Earth into classifications based on how economically developed an area is • MDCs and LDCs (more developed and less developed countries • North America, Europe, and Japan are MDCs • Latin America, the Middle East, Southeast Asia are examples of LDCs

45. Cultural Ecology: Integrating Culture and Environment • Environmental factors are also considered when constructing regions • Cultural ecology- geographic study of human-environment relationships

46. continued • Environmental determinism- the study of how the physical environment causes social development/human activities • Idea pioneered by German geog. Humboldt and Ritter in 19th century

47. Human and Physical Factors • Modern geographers reject environmental determinism in favor of possibilism • The theory that the physical environment may set limits on human actions, but people have the ability to adjust to the physical environment and choose a course of action from many possibilities • Ex. People choose to grow wheat in colder, dry climates because they have learned it is possible

48. Physical Processes: Climate • Climate- the long-term average weather condition at a particular location • The modified Koppen system divides the world into 5 main climate regions identified by the letters A - E

49. continued • Tropical Climates • Dry Climates • Warm Mid-Latitude Climates • Cold Mid-Latitude Climates • Polar Climates • Each region is divided into subtypes based on precipitation, except for B which is divided by temperature and precipitation

50. continued • Relatively few people live in either the B or E region • The climate greatly influences the types of activities people do there, esp. food production