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Introduction to Human Geography AP Human Geography Lacks Questions that Geography Addresses • Where are things located? • Why are they important? • How are places related? • How are places connected? • How are humans affected by their locations? Definition of Geography • The scientific and systematic study of both the physical and cultural features of the earth’s surface. It is a spatial perspective looking at patterns and distributions on the earth’s surface. • Invented by the Greek scholar Eratosthenes • Based on two Greek words: • Geo (Earth) • Graphy (to write) Physical vs Human • Physical Geography: the study of the four spheres • • • • Lithosphere Atmosphere Hydrosphere Biosphere • Human (or Cultural) Geography: the study of the spatial differentiation and organization of human activity on the earth’s surface Approaches to the study • Regional (Latin America, Sub-Saharan Africa, Southeast Asia) • Systematic (Human Geography, Physical Geography, Historical Geography) Different Disciplines in Physical Geography • Geomorphology: studies the form and structure of the surface of the earth • Climatology: involves the study of long term weather conditions on the earth • Hydrography: concerns the distribution of water (oceans, rivers, lakes, and their uses) • Biogeography: studies the flora (plant life) and the fauna (animal life) • Pedology: study of the soils • Ecology: studies the interactions between life forms and the environment • Geology: study of rocks and the earth’s interior 5 Themes of Geography • 1. Location • 2. Region • 3. Movement • 4. Human-Environment Interaction • 5. Place 1. LOCATION: Where is it? ABSOLUTE LOCATION (mathematical location) •THE EXACT POINT WHERE A PLACE OR PHYSICAL FEATURE IS LOCATED ON THE EARTH’S SURFACE •Examples: LATITUDE (parallels) & LONGITUDE (meridians), MAP POINTS, ADDRESS….. Organizing the globe • grid – made up of latitude and longitude lines Latitude & Longitude • Determines absolute location • Latitude: imaginary lines that run east and west and measure north and south • • • • • Measured from the equator N = north S = south Also called parallels Measured from 0 – 90 degrees Important Lines of Latitude • Arctic Circle – 66½º north • during the summer solstice, the area to 90 º north is in sun • during winter solstice it is in total darkness Important Lines of Latitude • Tropic of Cancer – 23½º north • sun is directly overhead on summer solstice Important Lines of Latitude • Equator – lies at 0 degrees • Longest circle of latitude • Sun is directly over it at both spring and fall equinox • The circumference of the earth is 24,901.55 miles Important Lines of Latitude • Tropic of Capricorn – 23½º south • sun is directly overhead on winter solstice Top left: Tropic of Cancer marker in Namibia Bottom left: Tropic of Capricorn marker in Australia Important Lines of Latitude • Antarctic Circle – 66½º south • during the winter solstice, the area to 90 º south is in sun • during summer solstice it is in total darkness Latitude & Longitude • Longitude: imaginary lines that run north south and measure east and west • • • • • E = east W = west Meet at north and south poles Also called meridians Measured from 0 to 180 degrees (runs through Greenwich, England) Prime Meridian Right: The Royal Observatory Greenwich, England International Dateline Organizing the globe • Hemisphere: half of the globe • Separated by the equator and the prime meridian • What hemisphere(s) we live in? do Organizing the globe • Continent: large land mass • How many continents are there? • Seven: North America, South America, Europe, Asia, Africa, Australia, and Antarctica • Largest island = Greenland • How many oceans are there? • Five: Atlantic, Pacific, Indian, Southern, Arctic • “Continent exercise” Organizing the globe • There are also bays, seas, gulfs, lakes • determined by • Size • Salt • Largest lake: Caspian Sea LOCATION: Where is it? RELATIVE LOCATION (situation) • DESCRIBES THE LOCATION OF A PLACE IN RELATIONSHIP TO ANOTHER PLACE • Examples: Cardinal/Intermediate directions, landmarks, words like “near the….”, or turn right at, left 2. Regions • Grouping of places that have something in common and can be given a name based on similar features. • Which region of the world do we live in… • Hemisphere? • Continent? • Country? • Region of country? • State? • Region of state? • County? • Town? Types of Regions • Formal (uniform) regions • Montana; German-speaking region of Europe • Functional (nodal) regions • the circulation area of a newspaper; an urban area (New York City); a radio station • Perceptual (vernacular/cultural) regions • the American South; Gulf Coast The meanings of regions are often contested. In Montgomery, Alabama, streets named after Confederate President Jefferson Davis and Civil Rights leader Rosa Parks intersect. Photo credit: Jonathan Leib Other Examples of Regions • Climate zones: Tropical countries, Arctic • Geographic Region: Gulf Coast states; Middle East • Political Regions: countries, states • Economic Regions: OPEC; Sun Belt • Cultural Regions: based on religion, ethnicity, custom i.e., Latin America, Arab world 3. Movement How and why do people, ideas, products, and events such as disease move from one place to another? Movement • 1) Culture Hearths – sources of civilization from which an idea, innovation, or ideology originates (e.g. Mesopotamia, Nile Valley), viewed in the context of time as well as space Movement • 2) Cultural diffusion – spread of an innovation, or ideology from its source area to another culture • a) Expansion diffusion – an innovation, or ideology develops in a source area and remains strong there while also spreading outward • 1) Contagious diffusion – nearly all adjacent individuals are affected (e.g. spread of Islam, disease) • 2) Hierarchical diffusion – the main channel of diffusion some segment of those who are susceptible to (or adopting) what is being diffused (e.g. spread of AIDS, use of fax machines) • 3) Stimulus diffusion – spread of an underlying principle (e.g. idea of industrialization) Movement • 2) Cultural diffusion (cont…) • b) Relocation diffusion – spread of an innovation, or ideology through physical movement of individuals • 1) Migrant diffusion – when an innovation originates somewhere and enjoys strong-but brief-adoption, loses strength at origin by the time it reaches another area (e.g. mild pandemics) • 2) Acculturation – when a culture is substantially changed through interaction with another culture • 3) Transculturation – a near equal exchange between culture complexes • c) Forces that work against diffusion: • 1) Time-distance decay – the longer and farther it has to go, the less likely it will get there • 2) Cultural barriers – prevailing attitudes or taboo Space–Time Compression Refers to any phenomenon that alters the qualities and relationship between time and space Examples: New technologies (phones, fax) Travel (cars, planes, space shuttles) Economics (need for new markets) Has occurred throughout man’s history, but most theorists specify two time periods as best examples: mid-19th century to WWI End of the 20th century Spatial Interaction • Transportation networks • Electronic communications and the “death” of geography? • Distance decay After Before 4. Human-Environment Interaction How do people adapt to and/ or change their environment? This includes the impact of physical processes like hurricanes, floods, drought… Human-Environment Interaction • 1) Cultural landscape • includes all human-induced changes that involve the surface and the biosphere. • Carl Sauer: “… the forms superimposed on the physical landscape by the activities of man.” • 2) Cultural ecology - the multiple interactions and relationships between a culture and the natural environment. • 3) Environmental Determinism – human behavior, individually and collectively, is strongly affected by, and even controlled or determined by the environment • 3) Possibilism – the natural environment merely serves to limit the range of choices available to a culture • 4) Environmental Modification – positive and negative environmental alterations Environment • We depend on our environment • We adapt to the environment • We modify the environment Examples: • Wearing cool clothing in hot weather (adapt) • Building the ship channel to connect Houston to the Gulf of Mexico (modify) • Dams and bayou flood control projects (modify) • Using adobe bricks in the dry, desert areas of Texas (adapt) • Air-conditioning (modify).... 5. PLACE: What is it like? What are the physical and human/cultural characteristics of this place? Three main ideas define place… Place • 1) Culture – people’s lifestyles, values, beliefs, and traits • a) What people care about: language, religion, ethnicity • b) What people take care of: 1) daily necessities of survival (food, clothing, shelter) and 2) leisure activities (artistic expressions, recreation) • c) Cultural institutions: political institutions (a country, its laws and rights), religions Place • 2) Components of culture: • a) Culture region – the area within which a particular culture system prevails (dress, building styles, farms and fields, material manifestations,…) • b) Culture trait – a single attribute of culture • c) Culture complex – a discrete combination of traits • d) Culture system – grouping of certain complexes, may be based on ethnicity, language, religion,… • e) Culture realm – an assemblage of culture (or geographic) regions, the most highly generalized regionalization of culture and geography (e.g. sub-Saharan Africa) Place • 3) Physical Processes – environmental processes, which explain the distribution of human activities • a) Climate – long-term average weather condition at a particular location. Vladimir Koppen’s five main climate regions (expresses humans’ limited tolerance for extreme temperature and precipitation levels) • b) Vegetation – plant life. • c) Soil – the material that forms Earth’s surface, in the thin interface between the air and the rocks. Erosion and the depletion of nutrients are two basic problems concerning the destruction of the soil. • d) Landforms – Earth’s surface features (geomorphology), limited population near poles and at high altitudes Longest Place Names: rd 3 Place • WALES boasts a village called Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch (58 letters), which in English means "Saint Mary's Church in the hollow of white hazel near a rapid whirlpool and the Church of Saint Tysilio near the red cave.” Longest Place Names: nd 2 Place • NEW ZEALAND has a hill called Taumatawhakatangihangakoauauotamateaturipukaka pikimaunga horonukupokaiwhenuakitanatahu (85 letters) by the Maori. • taumata (brow of a hill), whakatangihanga (music making), koauau (flute), o (of), tamatea (name of a famous chief), turi pukaka (bony knees), piki maunga (climbing a mountain), horo (slip), nuku (move), pokai whenua (widely travelled), ki (to), tana (his), tahu (beloved). Longest Place Names: st 1 Place • THAILAND: "Bangkok is a city of extremes and superlatives, a city you do not react to indifferently," says Thailand at a Glance. "Recently declared the world's hottest city by the World Meteorological Organization, it also boasts the world's longest name: Krung-thep-maha-nakorn-boworn-ratana-kosin-mahintar-ayudhyaamaha-dilok-pop-nopa-ratana-rajthani-burirom-udom-rajniwes-mahasat-arn-amorn-pimarn-avatar-satitsakattiya-visanukam. (163 letters) • Meaning: • krungthep mahanakorn The great city of angels, • amorn rattanakosin mahintara yutthaya mahadilok phop the supreme unconquerable land of the great immortal divinity (Indra), • noparat rajathani burirom the royal capital of nine noble gems, the pleasant city, • udomrajaniwes mahasatharn with plenty of grand royal palaces, • amorn phimarn avatarnsathit and divine paradises for the reincarnated deity (Vishnu), • sakkatattiya visanukam prasit given by Indra and created by the god of crafting (Visnukarma).