Download Unit 1 An Introduction To Geography

Geography 1100
Unit 1 - An Introduction To Geography
Introductory exercise…?
The Meaning of The Word
Geo – World
Graphei – To Write
Three Recurring Themes
 Humans and Land
 Human existence is based on the relationship between people and the
world around them. Geographers examine the physical reality of
landscapes and the symbolic meaning of those landscapes.
 Regional Studies
 Geographers frequently divide the land into regions to facilitate their study
of the world. Regions are areas within which there are uniform
characteristics and help us to make sense of the world and human
patterns of existence.
 Spatial Analysis
 Geographers also look to explain why things are where they are.
Geographers use the tools of theory, models, hypothesis, testing,
qualitative method and quantitative method.
The Goal of Human Geography
The goal of human geography is to teach us about the world we live in and how
we live in the world.
Geographers often tend to be generalists who are seeking to identify and
understand the interconnectedness of things.
Human Geographic Concepts
Geographers use a variety of key concepts to interpret and analyze the world.
 Space
 Absolute Space – the objectively defined phenomena of the earth’s
surface.
 Relative Space – the subjectively (social perception) defined phenomena
of the earth’s surface.
 Location
 Absolute Location: The precise and unique position of something on the
surface of the globe according to an agreed upon system of coordinates.
e.g. latitude & longitude – Vancouver 49°N 123°W
Site – The characteristics of a location
 Relative Location: The location of something in relation to other places.
"Situation" – The location relative to other locations
 Place – Describes not just the characteristics of a space (location), but also
the human meanings and values that are attributed to that space.
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Sense of place – attachments to place
Sacred space – places with religious meaning
Placelessness – homogeneous or standardized places
Topophilia – the love of place
Topophobia – the fear or dislike of place
 Region – The subdivision of the earth into separate based on unifying
characteristics
 Formal (Uniform) Regions – Areas with one or more unifying
characteristics
 Functional (Nodal) Regions – Regions focussed around a single location,
usually characterized by a unifying set of relationships or functions
 Vernacular Regions – Regions as defined by “the people” – regions that
exist in the minds of people either inside or outside of that region
 Distance – Any measure of space will include distances as a basic
component of that space, place or location. Distances can be important
aspects of things such as distribution patterns – how near or far things are
apart from each other.
 Distance Decay (Friction of Distance) – With distance, interaction
decreases because of time and cost principally
 Accessibility – The relative ease with which a location can be reached
 Interaction – The movement, trading or other communication between
locations
 Agglomeration – the clustering of activities
 Deglomeration – the spreading or separation of activities
Types of Distance
 Absolute (Linear) Distance – Objectively measured distances between
places
 Time Distance – The time it takes to move between locations
 Economic Distance – The cost involved in moving between places e.g. the
minimum cost distance may not be the same as the minimum linear
distance
 Psychological (Cognitive & Social) Distance – The perception of distance
 Scale –
 Technical -- The ratio between the size of reality and the size of a map
 Small Scale – show large areas in little detail
 Large Scale – show small areas in great detail
 Subjective – The appropriate size of an area to be used for research
purposes
 Temporal Scale – The range of time appropriate for a study
 Social Scale – The scale of human subjects to be used in research
(groups or individuals)
 Diffusion – The spread of a phenomenon over space and growth through
time
 Relocation Diffusion
 Contagious Diffusion
 Hierarchical Diffusion
 Perception – people do not simply relate to the ‘real’ physical or social
environment, but rather to their ‘perception’ of the environment. This involves
peoples mental perceptions of places. These mental images are important
because:
 Mental images of other places are changing. We are becoming
increasingly aware of the interconnectedness of places.
 Mental maps demonstrate that we all perceive places in different ways.
 The metal maps of specific individuals can greatly impact many other
people. (Can impact industrial location)
 Serious problems are created if people in power have distorted mental
maps.
 Mental maps and people’s perceptions of places can change.
 Development – Landscapes and places change over time as people create
changes. Development is a subjective measure of economic growth, social
welfare, modernization and other aspects of change over time. Recognition
of development can be an important measure and can also distract from other
less tangible measures of welfare and well-being. Similarly, different people
will seek to measure and interpret development in markedly different ways.
 Discourse – The discussion of ideas of value to geographers using the
‘language’ of geography. This can also involve a recognition of the
relationships between power and knowledge and the variable nature of
“truth”.