Thinking Geographically Chapter 1 In order to think geographically, we must consider two essential questions: Where? And Why? PPT by Abe Goldman

Where? Why? Sample Qs. Where are the major religions of the world distributed? Why are they located there? Where are the major languages of the world distributed? Why are they located there? Where are the major industrial centers of the world distributed? Why are they located there? See introductory PowerPoint on the School website.

Evolution of the Discipline Eratosthenes created the Greek word Geography by combining “Geo” for earth and “graphy” for to write. Aristotle proposed the world to be round in the 4th century BC. Ptolemy wrote a Guide to Geography in the 2nd century AD. Ibn Battuta wrote “Travels” in the 14th century AD. Gerardus Mercator made more accurate maps in the 15th century AD.

Map Evolution… of the Marshall Islands An early 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.

Philosophies/Approaches to Geography Cultural Ecology/Environmental Determinism: Alexander von Humboldt (1769-1859) & Carl Ritter (1779-1859) Friedrich Ratzel (1844-1904) & Ellen Churchill Semple (1863-1932) & Ellsworth Huntington (1876-1947) CE/ED Philosophy suggests that the physical environment causes social development. As an example, CE/ED suggests that people are unproductive in tropical areas because of the heat.

World Climate Regions The modified Köppen system divides the world into five main climate regions. In the CE/ED approach, these climates would play a critical role in the development of human patterns across space.

Philosophies/Approaches to Geography Regional Studies Approach/Cultural Landscape/Possibilism: Paul Vidal de la Blanche (1845-1918) & Jean Brunhes (1869-1930) Carl Sauer (1889-1975) & Robert Platt (1880-1950) PS/CL/P philosophy suggests people are the most important agents of change on Earth’s surface. Human Economic, Political, Religious and Cultural systems impact the landscape more than the environment. Netherland’s Polders are an example of this.

Environmental Modification in the Netherlands Polders and dikes have been used as extensive environmental modification in the Netherlands, which reflects the RS/CL/P approach to geography.

Environmental Modification in Florida Straightening the Kissimmee River, which has had many unintended side effects, also reflects the RS/CL/P approach to geography.

Cartography & Contemporary Tools Maps: Mental Maps Space & Scale Projections & Distortion: Mercator, Robinson Equal Area, & Goode’s Interrupted Contemporary Tools: Geographic Information System (GIS) Remote Sensing Global Positioning System (GPS)

Mental Maps A Mental Map is an internal representation of a portion of Earth’s surface based on what an individual knows about a place, containing personal impressions of what is in a place and where places are located.

Maps Space is a concept in geography that accounts for the physical gap or interval between objects on Earth. Scale is the relationship between the size of an object on a map and the actual size of that object on Earth. Scale can be represented as a fraction (1/24,000) or ratio (1:24,000), a graphic bar scale or written statement (1 inch equals 1 mile).

Types of Scale In the Word Statement example, one inch (on the map) equals ten miles on Earth. The first number always refers to map distance and the second to distance on the Earth’s surface. For the Graphic Scale, determine the distance on the map using paper or a ruler, then compare that to the scale and estimate the distance. For a Fraction or Ratio, one unit of distance on the map equals the given number of the same units on Earth’s surface.

Scale Differences: Maps of Florida Fig. 1-3: Shows the effects of scale in maps of Florida. (Scales from 1:10 million to 1:10,000) Small scale maps reflect smaller distances on Earth’s surface and thus show more details.

Election 2000: Regional Differences Across Scale The information you gather and the conclusion you make may differ based on the scale of your investigation. The presidential election results by state reflect the “winner take all” system of our electoral college, which gave George W. Bush the victory. When you look at the county level data it illustrates something closer to the popular vote, which Al Gore won.

Projections & Distortion Projection in geography reflects the science of converting a round, 3-dimensional globe onto a flat map. Every projection results in some kind of distortion in shape, relative size, distance or direction.

A Mercator Projection A Mercator Projection heavily distorts shape and relative size near the poles while maintaining accurate shape, relative size, distance and direction near the middle latitudes.

An Equal Area Projection (Robinson) An Equal Area Projection (Robinson) limits polar distortion of shape and relative size while maintaining accurate distance and direction.

An Interrupted Map (Goode’s) An Interrupted Map (Goode’s) preserves size and relative shape well, but distance and direction are distorted.