THEMES of Geography (7) (LOCATION) – the absolute and relative position of a geographic phenomenon Location – (SITUATION – Relative location) Direction Distance (PLACE) Physical and Cultural Attributes natural landscape (physical characteristics - SITE) cultural landscape (human imprint on nature – manmade environment) (REGION) – an area of Earth with distinctive cultural and physical characteristics (Era : History::Region : Geography) Formal / Administrative – North Carolina, Corn Belt Functional / Nodal – Charlotte Perceptual / Vernacular

Absolute – “Map Scale” – ratio of map distance to real earth distance 4. (SCALE) – relationship between the portion of earth being studied and earth as a whole Absolute – “Map Scale” – ratio of map distance to real earth distance Relative – “Local” / “regional” / “global” 5. (DISTRIBUTION) Structured Content of a Place a. Density – frequency something occurs in space Arithmetic density Physiological density Agricultural density b. Concentration – spread of something over space Clustered Dispersed c. Pattern – arrangement of objects on earth’s surface Geometric Irregular CONNECTIONS between Places / Spatial Interaction a a. Accessibility b. Connectivity Map Questions

(Human / Environmental Interaction)– ways in which human society and natural environment affect each other “Arctic Blues” ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Why was the city of New Orleans even built where it is in the first place? Why were most of the historic landmarks and tourist attractions in New Orleans not flooded? Why were the population of the areas flooded two-thirds African American, while the areas not flooded less than one-forth African American?

Absolute and Relative Location

Absolute and Relative Direction

Absolute and Relative Distance

Key Issue #2 Why Is Each Point on Earth Unique? Geographers describe a feature’s place on earth by identifying its LOCATION: 4 Ways to identify Location 1. Mathematical location 2. Place name 3. Site 4. Situation

1. Mathematical Location (Absolute Location) Globe grid (Graticule) – Equator, Prime Meridian, International Date Line, latitude (parallels) and longitude (meridians) Longitude and Time Greenwich Mean Time (Universal Time) 24 Time Zones (every 15 degrees) Street Address is also a way to describe Absolute Location

2. Place Names (Toponymy) Toponym – name given to a place on earth Places are named for: Person Religion Origin of settlers Physical landscape Cultural landscape Indigenous language words Name changes – historical, political, economic

EXTRA CREDIT: Toponymy – Give two examples of places named using each of the factors listed above. Places must not be examples used in the book, or places in Mecklenburg County Funny Place names Long Place names Place name pronunciations – Appalachian, Nevada, Concord, Lancaster, New Orleans Give two examples (not in the book) of places that have changed their name, and explain why.

3. Site – physical character of a place Climate, water sources, topography, soil, vegetation, latitude, and elevation Site determines what places are good for settlement or not Human alterations of sites reflects the conversion of physical landscape to cultural landscape Landfills and cofferdams Dikes and levies Dams back

4. Situation – location of a place relative to other places (Relative Location) Helps find unfamiliar place by comparing its location to a familiar one – giving directions using landmarks Helps understand the importance of a location – place utility back

B. Regions: Areas of Unique Characteristics Regions Tutorial REGION – Region : geography : : era : history Area of Earth defined by one or more distinctive characteristics is a region “Cultural landscape” (geographer Carl Sauer) Cultural – language and/or religion Economic – agriculture and/or industry Physical – climate and/or vegetation Regional Studies approach – regions have unique, distinctive landscape that combines social relationships and physical processes people are the most important agents of change on the Earth’s surface (not physical or natural processes) Regions exist on different scales - any area larger than a specific point, and smaller than the entire planet: neighboring countries that share important features, or many localities within a country who share common characteristics

Geographic area with common Characteristics human lifestyles social arrangements use of land and resources language spiritual and/or political beliefs Regions defined / distinguished in different ways geographic proximity – North America dominant crop – Corn Belt, Wheat Belt dominant livelihood – manufacturing belt, “Blue Banana”, “megalopolis” common history – “Dixie” common trading partners – European Union, NAFTA

Types of Regions – 1. Formal / Uniform – area defined by unifying characteristic(s); common traits include: language, religion, economic activity, political structure, physical attributes North Carolina, Washington State (Administrative) Megalopolis – continuous area of urban development Blue or Red (Democrat or Republican states or regions) Dairy Belt – milk, cheese, butter Dixie / Confederacy – southern states that seceded Latin America – Western Hemisphere, common Spanish or Portuguese heritage *** broad generalizations often fail to recognize cultural, economic, or environmental diversity within regions; creates appearance of homogeneity and perpetuates stereotypes and discrimination

2. Functional / Nodal – metropolitan area organized around a node or focal point (central business district – CBD); the defining characteristic dominates in an area of central focus (node) and diminishes in importance outward; region is tied together by transportation and communication systems MSA (Metropolitan Statistical Area) transportation networks / mass transit information exchange (media market), i.e. newspaper circulation, reception areas of local radio & television stations / WBTV); becoming less relevant with new technology (mass media, i.e. Sirius Radio, USA Today, CNN, FOXNews) movement of people (commuters); becoming less relevant with possibility of tele-commuting retail centers / shopping malls / supermarkets; becoming less relevant due to mail order and internet shopping Area served by sports franchises (Charlotte or Carolina?)

Functional Regions: TV markets

Perceptual Region – emotional associations with places; defined by peoples feelings and attitudes about an area; place can be part of a person’s cultural identity, their “turf”! Perceptual region – regional identity as perceived by those outside a region Mental maps, “Bible Belt”, “the South”, “the Middle East”, “hoods” / ”turfs” Vernacular region – regional identity as perceived by those within a region core – area of highest concentration of defining culture traits domain – area where defining culture traits are still dominant but with less frequency sphere – area where defining traits are present but not dominant; they begin to blend and overlap with surrounding regions realm – groups of distinct regions which share common traits back

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3. Which of the following statements about latitude is NOT true? Latitude is a measure of distance north or south of the equator Latitude lines are always parallel to each other On a globe, lines of latitude intersect meridians of longitude at right angles Latitude lines run east and west Latitude is always written as some number between 0 degrees and 180 degrees 13. The visible imprint of human activity on the earth’s surface is known as: spatial interaction the attributes of the setting the cultural landscape the natural landscape human geography 14. The acquisition of data about Earth’s surface from a satellite orbiting the planet or from another long-distance method is: GIS GPS Remote sensing USGS Topographic analysis 25. New York City’s ____________________ is approximately 100 miles northeast of Philadelphia and 100 miles southwest of Boston. location site situation toponym jurisdiction

The Act that created a grid system that divided the United States into townships, ranges, sections, and quarter sections Geographic Information System Global Positioning System The Louisiana Purchase U.S. Land Ordinance of 1785 U.S. Geographic System