Thinking Geographically Chapter 1 Thinking Geographically

An in-depth Social Science Many people have misconceptions about geography and think of the discipline as simply an exercise in memorizing place names.

Where we find Geography? Geography exist in the global issues receiving attention at this time things such as Population growth Terrorism Cultural diffusion. Diffusion is defined as the spread of linguistic or cultural practices or innovations within a community or from one community to another.

Location, Location, Location Geography's importance can also be established by looking at community issues, such as: Water supply Pollution Growth management Housing Retail Openings Closures

Thinking Geographically In addition to political rule, boundaries can be drawn based on various components of culture including language, religion, values.

Questions to Ponder Where would the most desirable places to live be located? What impacts would this population increase cause?

Every Story Can be approached from a Geographers Perspective Consider natural events and natural disasters. Do humans choose to live in harm’s way?

Spatial analysis Geography by its nature is a spatial science. Geographers therefore study space in order to locate the distribution of people and objects. Geographers ask two main questions, “where” and “why.” Spatial analysis is concerned with analyzing regularities achieved through interaction. Regularities result in a distinctive distribution of a feature. Distribution has three properties: Density Concentration Pattern

World Political Boundaries (2004) Fig. 1-1: National political boundaries are among the most significant elements of the cultural landscape

How Geographers Address Location Maps Early mapmaking Map scale Projection Land Ordinance of 1785 Contemporary Tools GIS Remote sensing GPS

Ptolemy’s view of the world c150AD

Old Islamic Maps Fulfilling the duties of formal prayers and the pilgrimage, Muslims need to find the direction and routes leading to al Ka'ba from virtually any spot on the globe. The Ka'ba is the house of Abraham in Mecca. And it is the point at which Muslims must face when they perform prayers. Left - map of the world in 1154 by Idrissi Right - map of the world made by the Muslim geographer Jihani in the 10th century of the Christian era.

Maps of the Marshall Islands Fig. 1-2: A Polynesian “stick chart” depicts patterns of waves on the sea route between two South Pacific islands. Modern maps show the locations of these Marshall Islands.

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)

Examples of Map Projections Mollweid - Equal Area Map http://www.nationalatlas.gov/articles/mapping/a_projections.html

Township and Range System in the U.S. Fig. 1-4: Principal meridians and east-west baselines of the township system. Townships in northwest Mississippi and topographic map of the area.

Layers of a GIS Fig. 1-5: A geographic information system (GIS) stores information about a location in several layers. Each layer represents a different category of information.

GPS