Maps and Regions

Why do Geographers use Maps, and What do Maps Tell Us? Where in the World is North Korea??

Cartography Remote sensing GPS GIS Thematic layers Captures images of Earth’s surface from airplanes or satellites GPS Global Positioning System- integrated network of satellites that orbit Earth constantly and broadcasts location information GIS Geographic Information Systems- software program that allows geographers to map, analyze, and model spatial data using thematic layers Thematic layers Layers of the Earth’s surface

Types of Maps: Reference Maps Show locations of places and geographic features Absolute locations What are reference maps used for? Thematic Maps Tell a story about the degree of an attribute, the pattern of its distribution, or its movement. Relative locations What are thematic maps used for?

Reference Map

Thematic Map What story about median income in the Washington, DC area is this map telling?

Cartograms Skewing a map to show a more realistic view of what happened Ex: 2012 Presidential Election

Cartogram of world population

Types of Maps: Topographic- path of each isoline (countour line) indicates a constant elevation. The closer together the lines, the higher the elevation. Choropleth- use colors or tonal shading to represent categories of data for given geographic areas. Using five colors to show five income levels

Types of Maps Cognitive- formed by people’s perceived information about their surroundings and then create a mental image Very informative for how people interpret and understand places in which they live. Aka mental maps Preference- type of cognitive map that show people’s ideas about the environmental, social, or economic quality of life in various places Both influenced by your sense of place

Why are we changing maps?! Projections Mercator- landmasses become amplified and larger closer to the poles Fuller- maintains accurate size and shape of landmasses but rearranges direction Robinson- attempts to balance projection errors and is aesthetically pleasing. Frequently used by cartographers Peters- equal-area projection centered on Africa Azimuthal- north or south pole is in the center of the map, giving the impression that you’re looking down on the Earth

Map Projections Fuller Mercator- most used but not very accurate

Map Projections Robinson Peters- more accurate

Azimuthal

Scale Ratio between the distance on a map and the actual distance on Earth’s surface Standard = 1:24,000 Small scale = 1:100,000 Large scale = 1:5,000

Regions World USA

defined by a commonality, typically a cultural linkage or a physical characteristic. e.g. Location, Climate, Religion, Language… Formal Regions

Functional Regions defined by a set of social, political, or economic activities or the interactions that occur within it. e.g. an urban area

Perceptual Regions ideas in our minds, based on accumulated knowledge of places and regions, that define an area of “sameness” or “connectedness.” e.g. the South the Mid-Atlantic the Middle East

Midwest North Northeast West South Southwest