Thinking Geographically Chapter 1 Thinking Geographically

Key Issue 1 How Do Geographers Address Where Things Are?

Types of Basic Thematic Maps Choropleth map

Choropleth Map Advantages Disadvantages

Dot Distribution Map

Dot Distribution Map Advantages Disadvantages

Isoline Map

Isoline Map Advantages Disadvantages

Graduated Symbol Map

Graduated Symbol Map Advantages Disadvantages

Defining Geography Word coined by Eratosthenes from Greece Geo = Earth Graphia = writing Geography thus means “earth writing” Eratosthenes (c. 276 BC – c. 195 BC) was a Greek mathematician, geographer, poet, astronomer, and music theorist. He was the first person to use the word "geography" in Greek and he invented the discipline of geography as we understand it. He invented a system of latitude and longitude. He was the first person to calculate the circumference of the and the first to calculate the tilt of the Earth's axis (also with remarkable accuracy). He may also have accurately calculated the distance from the earth to the sun and invented the leap day] He also created the first map of the world incorporating parallels and meridians within his cartographic depictions based on the available geographical knowledge of the era.

Contemporary Geography Geographers ask where and why Location and distribution are important terms Geographers are concerned with the tension between globalization and local diversity A division: physical geography and human geography Physical geography studies where and why natural resources occur as they do while Human geography studies where and why human activities are located where they are.

Geography’s Vocabulary Geographers use place and region to describe why every place is unique. Place-specific point on Earth distinguished by a particular character. Region-an area of Earth distinguished by a distinctive combination of cultural and physical features.

Geography’s Vocabulary Geographers use scale, space, and connections to help explain why different places on Earth have similar features. Scale-the relationship between the portion of Earth being studied and Earth as a whole. Space-refers to the physical gap or interval between two objects. Connections-the relationships among people and objects across the barrier of space.

Maps Maps are a geographers most important tool. Two purposes: As reference tools To find locations, to find one’s way As communications tools To show the distribution of human and physical features The science of mapmaking is called cartography. Cartographers have to make two important decisions when map-making—scale and projection.

Scale Differences: Maps of Florida Fig. 1-3: The effects of scale in maps of Florida. (Scales from 1:10 million to 1:10,000)

Maps: Projection Projection-the scientific method of transferring locations on Earth’s surface to a flat map. The problem of distortion: Shape Distance Relative size Direction

Types of Projections Mercator projection

Goode’s Homolosine Projection

Robinson Projection

Contemporary Tools Geographic Information Science (GIScience) Global Positioning Systems (GPS) Remote sensing Geographic information systems (GIS) Figure 1-7

Contemporary Tools Geographic Information Science (GIScience) Global Positioning Systems (GPS) Remote sensing Geographic information systems (GIS)

Contemporary Tools Remote sensing-the acquisition of data about Earth’s surface from a satellite orbiting Earth. Geographic uses are primarily environmental.

Contemporary Tools GPS-system that accurately determines the precise position of something on Earth. Most commonly used in navigation of aircraft and ships.

Key Issue 2 Why Is Each Point on Earth Unique?

Place: Unique Location of a Feature Location-the place something occupies on Earth’s surface. Geographers use 4 things to identify location: Place names-look at ex. on p.15-16 Toponym Site-physical character of a place. Situation-location of a place relative to other places. Mathematical location

Site: Lower Manhattan Island Fig. 1-6: Site of lower Manhattan Island, New York City. There have been many changes to the area over the last 200 years. Fig. 1-6: Site of lower Manhattan Island, New York City. There have been many changes to the area over the last 200 years.

Situation: Singapore Fig. 1-7: Singapore is situated at a key location for international trade.

Place: Mathematical Location Location of any place can be described precisely by meridians and parallels Meridians (lines of longitude) Prime meridian Play an important role in calculating time; 15°= 1 hour; Earth is divided into 360°so we have 24 time zones. Parallels (lines of latitude) The equator

World Geographic Grid Fig. 1-8: The world geographic grid consists of meridians of longitude and parallels of latitude. The prime meridian (0º) passes through Greenwich, England.

World Time Zones Fig. 1-9: The world’s 24 standard time zones are often depicted using the Mercator projection.

http://www. timetemperature. com/time-zone-maps/world-time-zone-map http://www.timetemperature.com/time-zone-maps/world-time-zone-map.shtml

Regions: Areas of Unique Characteristics A region derives its unified character through the cultural landscape-a combination of cultural features such as language and religion, economic features such as agriculture and industry, and physical features such as climate and vegetation. Since the mid-1800s, geographers have used the term regional studies to argue that each region has its own distinctive landscape that results from a unique combination of social relationships and physical processes.

Election 2000: Regional Differences Fig. 1-10: Presidential election results by county and state illustrate differences in regional voting patterns.

Regions: Areas of Unique Characteristics Geographers seek to explain the relationships between these characteristics. Each region = a distinctive landscape People = the most important agents of change to Earth’s surface

Types of Regions Formal (uniform) regions (p.20-21) Area where everyone has one or more distinctive characteristic in common. Example: Montana Functional (nodal) regions (p.22) Area organized around a node or focal point. Example: the circulation area of a newspaper Vernacular (cultural) regions (p.22-23) Place that people believe exists b/c of their cultural identity. Example: the American South

Formal and Functional Regions Fig. 1-11: The state of Iowa is an example of a formal region; the areas of influence of various television stations are examples of functional regions.

Vernacular Regions Fig. 1-12: A number of factors are often used to define the South as a vernacular region, each of which identifies somewhat different boundaries.

Spatial Association A region can be constructed to encompass an area of widely varying scale, from a small portion of Earth to a large portion of Earth. Different conclusions are drawn depending on the region’s scale. Ex. Death rates from cancer (p.23-24)

Spatial Association at Various Scales Fig. 1-13: Death rates from cancer in the U.S., Maryland, and Baltimore show different patterns that can identify associations with different factors.

Culture When looking at the distinctiveness of regions, geographers look at culture. (p.24-25) Origin from the Latin cultus, meaning “to care for” Two aspects: What people care about Beliefs, values, and customs What people take care of Earning a living; obtaining food, clothing, and shelter

Cultural Ecology The geographic study of human–environment relationships (p.25-26) Two perspectives: Environmental determinism Alexander von Humboldt, Carl Ritter, Elizabeth Churchill Semple during the 1800s-1900s Study of how the physical environment causes (controls/limits) human activities. Possibilism Modern geographers generally reject environmental determinism in favor of possibilism The physical environment may limit some human actions, but people have the ability to adjust.

Physical Processes Climate-the long-term average weather condition at a particular location. 5 major climate regions (p.26) Influences most human activities Humans have limited tolerance for extreme temperature and precipitation levels. Vegetation-plant life on Earth 4 major forms of plant communities or biomes-forest, savanna, grassland, and desert

http://www.nature.com/scitable/knowledge/library/terrestrial-biomes-13236757

Physical Processes Soil-thin layer b/t air and rocks containing nutrients Concerns over soil include erosion and nutrient depletion Landforms-study of landforms is called geomorphology Explains the distribution of people and economic activities at different locations Studied through topographic maps

Modifying the Environment Examples The Netherlands Polders The Florida Everglades See p.28-30 Figure 1-21

Key Issue 3 Why Are Different Places Similar?

Scale: From Local to Global Globalization-a force or process that involves the entire world and results in making something worldwide in scope; means the scale of the world is shrinking Economic globalization (see p.31-32) Transnational corporations Has led to more specialization and has heightened economic differences among places Cultural globalization (see p.32-33) A global culture?

Globalization of the Economy Fig. 1-17: The Denso corporation is headquartered in Japan, but it has regional headquarters and other facilities in North America and Western Europe.

Space: Distribution of Features Distribution-the arrangement of a feature in space Density-frequency that something occurs in space Arithmetic-total # of objects in an area (p.34) Physiological-# of people per unit of arable land Agricultural-# of farmers per unit of farmland Concentration-extent of a feature’s spread over space If objects are close together, they are clustered If objects are far apart, they are dispersed Pattern-geometric arrangement of objects in space

Space–Time Compression Figure 1-29

Density, Concentration, and Pattern Fig. 1-18: The density, concentration, and pattern (of houses in this example) may each vary in an area or landscape.

Density and Concentration of Baseball Teams, 1952–2000 Fig. 1-19: The changing distribution of North American baseball teams illustrates the differences between density and concentration.

Spatial Interaction Transportation networks Electronic communications and the “death” of geography? Distance decay Figure 1-30

Airline Route Networks Fig. 1-21: Delta Airlines, like many others, has configured its route network in a “hub and spoke” system.

Diffusion The process by which a characteristic spreads across space and over time Hearth-source area for innovations Two types of diffusion Relocation-spread of an idea through physical movement of people from one place to another; ex. Language, religion, ethnicity Expansion-spread of a feature from one place to another Three types: hierarchical, contagious, stimulus

Diffusion Hierarchical diffusion-spread of an idea from persons or nodes of authority or power to other persons or places; ex. Hip hop, rap, and jazz music Contagious diffusion-rapid, widespread diffusion of a characteristic throughout a population; ex. Diseases or use of the Internet Stimulus diffusion-spread of an underlying principle, even though a characteristic itself apparently refuses to diffuse; ex. Apple vs. IBM, Windows

AIDS Diffusion in the U.S., 1981–2001 Fig. 1-22: New AIDS cases were concentrated in three nodes in 1981. They spread through the country in the 1980s, but declined in the original nodes in the late 1990s.

The End. Up next: Population