Key Geography Concepts Chapter 1

Geography and Human Geography Three main geographic interests – Variation of Human and physical phenomena and humans interactions with the environment – Spatial systems that link human activity with the physical world – Regional analysis, or the study of human environmental relationships and spatial systems. Studies limited to certain regions Systematic Geography – The specialized study of particular classes of items Physical Geography studies the natural environment Human Geography emphasizes people

Human Geography The study of people and where they are, what they are like, how they interact over space, and what kinds of landscapes of human use they create on the natural landscapes they occupy. Provides integration of all the social sciences Helps us understand the world we occupy and to appreciate the circumstances affecting peoples and countries other than our own

Key Geographic Questions What is it? Where is it? How did it come to be what and where it is? Where is it in relation to other things that affect it or are affected by it? How is It part of a functioning whole? How does it’s location affect people’s lives and the content of the area in which it is found? The why of where?

Space and Place Space – Absolute space is the real space in the world – Relative space is perceived space. It may not be real, it is not permanent or objective, and it can change over time Commutes to work are relative. A 30 minute commute may be short for one person and long to another Spatial – Geography is the spatial science, that is study of earth’s space Place – Place refers to the attributes and values we associate with a location. This is why we like a certain place. Places are dynamic and always changing. There are many ways places are characterized, observed, and identified. (our book lists 7, I will put in a couple that go along with those)

Location Absolute Location – Mathematical location. (see next slide)Latitude and Longitude, Street address, and township and range – Universal Transverse Mercator (UTM) system is based on 60 longitude zones and is used in GIS Relative Location – Location of places in relation to other places. (location, Location, location)

Mathematical A.Every spot on Earth has a coordinate using Latitude and Longitude B.Latitude lines start with the equator which is 0 degrees. Called line of parallel, because every latitude line runs parallel with the equator C.Longitude lines run from the North pole to the South pole, these are called Meridians D.0 degrees longitude is called the Prime Meridian E.Time zones are divided roughly by meridians. Each time zone is 15 degrees of Longitude.

Site A.Site is the Physical Character of a place. It is an absolute location concept B.Characteristics include climate, water sources, topography, soil, vegetation, latitude and elevation. C.A combination of physical features gives each place a unique character D.Site is a key element in selecting a location for settlements E.Humans often change or modify the characteristics of a site

Situation A.Situation is the location of a place relative to other places B.Situation is important for two main reasons. 1.Finding an unfamiliar place 2.Understanding its importance

Place Names (not in our book) A.A Toponym is the name given to a place on Earth. B.Names are the most straightforward way to describe a particular location C.Names can come from a wide variety of sources. Some examples include 1.People 2.History 3.Religions 4.Origins of settlers 5.Features of physical environment 6.Personal meaning to the people that name them 7.Place Names CAN change for popular or political reasons

Direction Absolute Direction – Cardinal directions. North, south, east, west. Always the same everywhere on earth. Relative Direction – Culturally based and locally different from place to place. Back east, out west, the far east, etc.

Distance Absolute Distance – Measurable unit. Miles, Kilometers, meters, etc. Relative Distance – Transforms linear measurements into other units such as time or speed of travel. – We will talk more about distance measurements later in the year.

Physical and Cultural attributes of PLACE Physical Characteristics – The natural characteristics of a place such as Landforms, climate, water, natural resources. – Also called natural landscape where human activity occurs. Cultural Landscape – How human activity shapes the natural surroundings. – (Landscape is just a fancy way of saying how a place looks, and the items that make it look that way)