Download Basic Tools and Methods of Human Geographers

Basic Tools and Methods
of Human Geographers
Geography studies anything
related to place, turning…
Space
•
•
•
•
Abstract
Geometric
Empty
“Just there”
into
Place
•
•
•
•
Real
Has Identity
Significant
“It matters”
UW-Eau Claire as a place
• SITE: students, faculty, buildings, “The Hill,” dorms, etc.
534
• SITUATION: near downtown , along Chippewa River, 90
miles north of LaCrosse, in Eau Claire county, 715 area
code and…?
• SENSE OF PLACE: free to live on your own, the Viennese
Ball, place of great diversity, floating down the river, the
great mystery of what’s a “Blugold?”
And by categorizing a bunch of
places, we create….
Regions!
…but What is a Region?
Regions come in
an endless
variety of shapes,
sizes, and types
Moral of
the Story:
Regions are:
…in the eye
of the
beholder.
Mapping these Regions
Maps.
Why do we care
about maps?
MAPS = LIFE
Not only do maps = life.
“Maps” spelled backward is…
• Elements of a Map
• The Geographic Grid:
Maps
o Latitude
o Longitude
•
•
•
•
•
Map Projections
Scale
Types of Maps
GIS (Geographic Information Systems)
Mental Maps
Elements
of a map
• POINTS
– cities, sites, etc.
• LINES
– boundaries, routes, etc.
• FILLS
– political colors, thematic patterns, etc.
• TYPE / SYMBOLS
– Labels, statistical charts, etc.
Map of the Euro
€
Type and Symbols
Bangkok
Luxembourg Metro
The Geographic Grid
Degrees ˚
Minutes ’
Seconds ”
Lagos, Nigeria
6˚ 26’ 56” N
3˚ 23’ 31” E
Longitude lines
(meridians)
run North-South,
measure E or W.
(pg. xii in your atlas)
(90˚ N)
“GMT”
Latitude lines
(parallels)
run East-West,
measure N or S
International
Date Line
180˚
Santiago, Chile
33˚ 28’ 46” S
70˚ 39’ 41” W
South Pole (90˚ S)
Prime
London
Meridian
•
(Greenwich)
0° E / W
You can actually stand on it!
A great day for geography…
Even right here in Wisconsin…
45N
Eau Claire
•
Poniatowski,
Wisconsin
45˚ 00’ 00” N
90˚ 00’ 00” W
Wrong!
“Geological”
Marker
True
45˚ 90˚
Site
Using Your Atlas
World Maps
(pp. 1-92)
CLIMATE
World Religions
Languages of the World
Regional Maps
(pp. 93-314)
Other Information
(pp. 315 - 326)
• Pages 315 – 319: Political Information Table
– Country, Area, Pop, Type of Government, Capital, etc.
• Page 320: World Comparisons
– Areas, lengths, heights
– Continents, Islands, Oceans, Mountains, Rivers, etc.
• Page 321: Principal Cities of the World
• Page 322: Foreign Geographical Terms
– “fjord,” “rio,” “eau”
• Page 323: Abbreviations and Pronunciation Guide
• Page 326: Subject Index
Index!
(pp. 327-426)
• Can’t find a place? Use the index!
– Name of a place / feature:
• country, city, ocean, desert, river, etc.
– Page Number
– Latitude and Longitude
• OK, Let’s find…
Ouagadougou.
Sample Questions:
1. What is the latitude and longitude
of the capital of Paraguay?
2. What is biggest city in the country
that exports the most bananas?
3. What is the population of the
metropolitan area around the
capital of the country on the
southern border of Mt. Lenin?
Exercise 1: Using Your Atlas
Projections: Turning a globe into a map
(pgs. xv-xvii in your atlas)
Map Projections
ALL Map Projections Distort…
• Distance, or
• Direction, or
• Shape, or
• A combination of the above.
Map Projections
of a Human
Head
Mercator Projection
• One of the first
projections
• Parallel lines
(better for
navigation)
• Distortion toward
poles
(Greenland),
therefore
Northern
hemisphere
appears “larger”
• (Eurocentric?)
Goode’s Homolosine Projection
•
•
•
•
•
Non-Contiguous
Equal Area Projection
Shows true area
Less distortion
Harder to navigate with
•
•
•
•
•
Combination of Mercator and Goode’s Homolosine projections
Also equal area
1974 (new)
Political Controversy
Focuses on “South”
Peters Projection
Robinson Projection
• Good between 45°N and 45°S
• Focuses on equator
• Does not show equal area
• Poles appear as “lines;” not points
• Good “visual” (not navigational) representation
Scale
(pg. xiv in your atlas)
Definition #1:
Definition #2:
• The size/scope of
places being
studied
• Local issues versus
regional, national,
or global issues
• Indicates the ratio of distance
and area on Earth to the
distance and area on a map
• Examples:
– 1 cm on map equals 1 km
– 1 inch equals 1 mile
– 1 mile equals 1 mile (?)
• Representations:
Scale
–
–
–
–
proportional fraction (1/100,000)
ratio (1:100,000)
bar scale
verbal statement
RATIO
BAR SCALE
“Opposite” meaning of scale
Large-scale map:
• Shows a small area
• Much detail Small-scale map:
• Shows a large area
• Less detail
• A scale of 1/5,000 is a large-scale map
compared to a scale of 1/1,000,000.
• Fractions: 1/5,000 > 1/1,000,000
Types of Maps
• Choroplethic
(pgs. xviii-xix in your atlas)
– Uses choropleths, or existing (political) units
– State map, county map, country map, etc.
• Isometric
– Uses isolines, or data lines (such as contours)
– Climate, elevation, diffusion
• Symbolic
– Proportional representation
– “pie” charts, bar graphs, etc.
• Cartograms
– Visual proportionality
• Or any combination of the above
Choroplethic Map:
Access to Clean Water
Isometric map:
Climate and Weather
Topographic map:
(using elevation contour isolines)
Proportional Symbolic Map:
AIDS victims
Symbolic Map
N
̂
Restaurants,
Gas
Stations,
and Stores
in an area of
Fort
Lauderdale
Cartogram:
Population growth rates
Geographic
Information
Systems (GIS)
(pg. xiii in your atlas)
• Data-driven digital
systems
• Allows merging
(comparison) of data
using layers of information on a map.
• Fastest growing area of geographic jobs
• Highly technical, centered in government
and business
Mental Maps (cognitive maps):
OUR geographical perceptions!
New
Yorker’s
View of
the
World
The World as seen from Ukraine
So remember…
NO MAP IS “NEUTRAL”
or “CORRECT.”
• Omissions / Inclusions
• Representations: color, type, size,
scale, shape
• Relative placement of features
• Influence of culture, politics, and
personal experience
• Influence of media and world events