Download Ch. 1 Guided Notes

AP HUG
Basic Concepts (Ch. 1)
SSWG 1, 2
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Defining Geography
• Geo = Earth & Graphia = writing
• Geography = Study of where things are found
and WHY.
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Contemporary Geography
• Geographers ask where and why
• Geographers focus on tension B/T
globalization and local diversity
• A division: physical geography and human
geography
• 2 Categories of Geography
– Human = Where humans are located and why.
– Physical = Where natural forces occur and why.
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Geographic Concepts
• 3 basic concepts to answer Where and
Why
– Mapping
– Why Place is Unique = Place and Region
– Why Places are Similar = Scale, Space,
Connections
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Place
Region
Scale
Space
Connections
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Maps
• Map = scale model of the real
world
• 2 purposes
– Reference Tools Find locations
– Communications Tools Show
distribution of human and physical
features
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Maps
• Types of map scale
– Ratio/fraction = Numerical ratio b/t
distance on map and earth (1:24000)
– Written = Describe relationship b/t
map and earth in words
– Graphic = Usually bar line
• Projection = transferring locations
on Earth’s surface to a map
• Distortion = more pronounced the
larger the area being projected
• Shape, Distance, Relative Size,
Direction
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U.S. Land Ordinance of 1785
• Globally Latitude and Longitude used
to determine location, locally states
determine for themselves
• USLO 1785 = Township and Range
System
– Township = 6 miles on each side
• North–south lines = principal meridians
• East–west lines = base lines
– Sections = 36/township
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Contemporary Tools
• Geographic Information Science
(GIScience) = makes map
creation easier
– How? Satellites
• Global Positioning Systems
(GPS) determines precise
location of something on Earth
• Remote sensing gathering data
about Earth’s surface
• Geographic information systems
(GIS) computer system,
Geocoding is KEY
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Figure 1-7
A Mash-up
Figure 1-8
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Place and Region
• 2 things help determine why every point
on earth is unique place (point) and
region (area)
• Geographers describe a place by
Location = 4 ways to identify
– Place names
– Site
– Situation
– Mathematical location
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Place
• Place Name toponym – How do we name
Places??
– Can Place Name change?? YES!
• Site Physical characteristics of a place –
climate, topography, vegetation, etc.
• Situation Location of a place in relations
to other places
• Mathematical Location Described
precisely by meridians and parallels
– Meridians (Longitude) = Drawn N to S
• Prime meridian
– Parallels (Latitude) = Circle glove (E to
W)
• The equator
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Region
• Regions get unity from Cultural Landscape
Combination of social/cultural features and physical
elements
– Modern term = Regional Studies
• Each region = a distinctive landscape
• People = the most important agents of change to Earth’s
surface
• Social, economic, and environmental factors used to
explain distinctive nature of a region
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Types of Regions
• Formal/uniform share 1 or
more common characteristics
– Montana (Laws),
Wheatbelt
– Beware of isolating
minorities
• Functional/nodal organized
around focus point, lessens in
importance away from center
– Circulation area of
newspaper
– Economic area
– Technology changing role
of functional region© 2011 Pearson Education, Inc.
Regions
• Vernacular/cultural based on personal
perceptions
– Mental maps
– American South
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Culture
• Why regions are unique = Culture beliefs,
materials, and social forms
– Language, religion, and ethnicity
• 2 aspects
– What people care about
• Beliefs, values, and customs
– What people take care of
• MDC vs. LDC
• Earning a living; obtaining food,
clothing, shelter
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Cultural Ecology
• Study of human–
environment relationships =
Cultural Ecology
• Two perspectives:
– Environmental
Determinism
– Possibilism = people
change environment and
shape social/culture
developments
• Adopted by modern
geographers
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Physical Processes
• Need to know physical processes to
understand distribution of humans
• Climate = long term, average we
• her – 5 major climate zones
• Vegetation = plant life; 4 biomes
• Soil = 12,000 types
• Landforms
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Modifying the Environment
• Modern technology has
changed relationship b/t
humans and the
environment.
• Examples
– The Netherlands
• Polders
– The Florida Everglades
Figure 1-21
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•
Scale
Globalization = force or process that involves the entire
world
– Makes world more uniform
• Economic globalization
– Transnational/multinational Corporations
– Influenced by technology - easier to transfer money
globally
• Cultural globalization
– Increase in uniform preferences lead to global culture
– Opposition??
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Space: Distribution of Features
• Distribution = arrangement of features in space (3
properties)
• Density = Frequency which something occurs
– Arithmetic = total population divided by total area
• Large DOES NOT necessarily = Dense
– Physiological = # of people per arable land
– Agricultural = # of farmers per unit area of farmland
• Concentration = extent of feature’s spread
• Pattern = geometric arrangement of objects
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Space –Time Compression
• S-T Compression = reduction in time it
takes for something to reach another place
• Promotes change
Figure 1-29
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Spatial Interaction
• Transportation networks
• Electronic communications and the “death”
of geography?
• Distance decay = lessening in importance
and gradual disappearance of something
with growing distance from origin
Figure 1-30
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•
Diffusion
Process by which a characteristic
spreads across space and over
time
• Hearth = origin for innovations
• Two types of diffusion
– Relocation = spread of idea
through physical movement of
people
– Expansion = spread of a
feature from 1 place to another
in a snowballing process
• 3 types hierarchical (from
authority), contagious (rapid,
widespread), stimulus
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