REGION

REGION Tuesday, August 30, 2011 Objective: Homework: Describe the different types of regions Describe aspects of culture Homework: Outline Chapter 1 – due Friday, Sept. 2nd

What is a region? An area with a concentration of features An area that shares similar characteristics

Culture All the features of a society’s way of life Music, literature, art Dress, food, religion, architecture System of government, laws, education Prevailing values and beliefs Daily living routines and habits Learned behaviors – not biologically inherited, not innate or instinctual

Culture Cultural Trait Cultural Complex A single attribute of a culture Not necessarily confined to a single culture Ex: Catholic Trait Irish Mexican Cultural Complex A culture’s unique combination of traits No 2 cultures are the same Aka: Cultural Landscape

Cultural Landscape A distinctive combination of cultural and physical features Language and religion Beliefs and traditions Economic features: industry & agriculture Political practices Physical features: climate, vegetation

Cultural Complexes Irish Catholic – St. Patrick Corned Beef & Cabbage Irish Dance Celtic Fair skin/red/dark hair Whisky

Irish Cultural Complex

Cultural Complex Mexican Catholic – Our Lady of Guadalupe Taco, burrito, peppers Tequila Dark skin/hair/eyes Spanish

Mexican Cultural Complex

Regional Cultural Landscapes Each region has its own distinctive landscape The people, their activities & environment are similar They differ in some ways to those in other regions

Human-environment interaction: :cultural ecology Environmental Determinism Hypothesized by Ancient Greeks Pioneered by German geographers (Alexander von Rumboldt & Carl Ritter – early 19th century) Natural factors control the development of human characteristics (physical, cultural, social and even emotional)

Human-environment interaction: :cultural ecology Critiques of Environmental Determinism Arose in the early 20th Century Concept is too simple (people are more than products of their environment; they are also influenced by government & laws) Similar natural settings do not produce the same cultural practices or behaviors Concept adds to ethnocentric understanding of socio-cultural differences

Cultural Ecology – rejections of Environmental Determinism Possibilism People use creativity how to respond to the conditions or constraints of a particular natural environment Some environmental features impact culture and behavior, but it is NOT the sole factor Humans as Modifiers of the Earth Carl Sauer (1889 – 1975) Human activities shape the landscape more than the environment shapes humans – cultural landscapes. The Earth as dynamic, integrated System

Types of Regions Several neighboring countries that share important features Latin America Many localities with in a country The Gulf States

Formal Region Homogeneity in one or more criteria Have a shared trait Either cultural of physical EX: Appalachia Criteria: counties with Appalachian Mountains

Formal Region An area inhabited by people who have one or more cultural traits in common Language Religion Economy

Regions of Catholics

Border Zones Areas where different regions melt together Culture changes continually throughout an area Formal Regions have “fuzzy” borders Cultures often overlap and mix Baptist South overlaps with the Catholic Southwest

Religious Border Zones

Core Periphery Pattern Center area where the defining traits of a region are purest An outer, periphery area where the traits are not as strong

Mormons – Core Periphery

Functional Regions France European Union

Functional Region Area organized to work together as a unit Has clearly defined borders - mostly Political – a state/country Social – school district Economic – the European Union

Afghanistan Ethnic Groups Functional Regions -not necessarily culturally homogenous Ethnic & cultural lines do not always coincide with political borders (turmoil) Can they work as a functional region???

Major Ethnic Groups

Nodes The central point from which a functional region is coordinated and directed. Capital city

Functional Region Some do not have clearly defined borders TV Station reception areas Newspaper circulation area Node – publishing facility Boundaries – delivery area, readership area?? What about internet access to newspapers?

Functional Region – TV Markets

Perceptual Region Intellectual construct No consensus on exact borders New England The Mid-Atlantic The Mid-West The Southwest The Middle East

Where is the Mid-Atlantic?

Where is the Mid-West?

What is the Southwest?

Where is the Middle East?

The New Middle East Pre 9/11 – stops at Iran Post 9/11 – includes Pakistan & Afghanistan

Vernacular Region Perceived to exist by its inhabitants Lack sharp borders No formal organization, like functional regions No cultural homogeneity, like formal regions No two elements of culture cover EXACTLY the same area

Perceptual v. Vernacular What other people think about the region Where other people think the region is located Vernacular What the residents think about the region Where the residents think the region is Poll people and ask, “What region do you live in?” Use phone book and look at business place-names & ads

Is Maryland in the South? YES NO

Vernacular Regions of the South