What is Human Geography and the History of Geography

Geo-Graphy Eratosthenes Greek Scientist 2200 years ago Coined the word geography from two words Geo = earth Graphein = to write

Eratosthenes Invented a system of Longitude and Latitude The first Greek to calculate the circumference of the Earth (with remarkable ½% accuracy) The first Greek to calculate the tilt of the earth's axis (also with remarkable accuracy) he may also have accurately calculated the distance from the earth to the sun and invented the leap day Figured earth was divided into 5 climatic regions

Eratosthenes He also created a map of the world based on the available geographical knowledge of the era.

Geography in ancient times Thales of Miletus – Applied geometry to measuring land Anaximander – Made a world map based on sailors information. Thought earth may be a cylinder Hecateus – Produced first geography book Aristotle – Proved Eratosthenes belief earth was spherical Strabo – in a 17 volume work called Geography described the known world

Ptolemy 150 AD wrote an 8 volume called Guide to Geography suggested precise methods for using a coordinate system with parallels of latitude and meridians of longitude Included the following standard on all maps scale, conventional signs with legends, and the practice of orienting maps so that north is at the top and east to the right of the map

Ptolemy’s Map Admits he only knew about ¼ of the earth. His standards have been used for the next 1600 years and many are still in use today

Dark Ages Europeans made very little advances were made from 330 AD to 1450 AD Muslim Scholars continued the study Al Idrisi prepared a world map with new knowledge in about 1150 Ibn-Battuata wrote Rihlah (Journeys) describing the Muslim world China also a center of discovery while Europe was in the dark ages Zheng He, an explorer, wrote of his journies in the mid 1400’s . As far as Kenya today and west coast of USA

End of the Dark Ages Europeans became interested in the world Thanks to the exaggerations of Marco Polo Europeans started to support voyages to explore the world in search of great wealths Age Of Explorations Gerardus Mercator (1512 – 1594) was one of the first to draw a world map that is relatively accurate Voyages + Technology + improved cartography = More Interest in Geography

Pioneers In Scientific Geography

Alexander Von Humboldt Urged geographers to adopt methods of scientific inquiry Study of nature and social process are fundamentally same Humboldt Park in Chicago is named for Alexander Von Humboldt

Carl Ritter Worked with Von Humboldt Argued that geographers should apply natural science laws to humans to understand the relationship between people and environments ENVIRONMENTAL DETERMINISM

ENVIRONMENTAL DETERMINISM That cultures are a direct result of where they exist Where you live dictates how you live Warmer climates tend to cause inhabitants to have a more relaxed attitude toward work and progress Temperate climates were more motivated, intelligent, and culturally advanced

Ellen Churchill Semple Ellsworth Huntington Friedrich Ratzel Ellen Churchill Semple Ellsworth Huntington All continued the Environmental determinism approach to understanding how people interact with their environment or human geography

Possibilism Approach that has grown to be more favorable in modern geography as opposed to environmental determinism A culture’s way of life depends on the choices people make among the possibilities that are offered by the environment Humans can change the environment Environment can effect how we live but it just creates possibilities of how people will deal with that environment

In What ways have humans alter their environment as opposed to allowing environment to dictate how they live?

Polder A polder is a low-lying tract of land enclosed by embankments known as dikes, that forms an artificial hydrological entity, meaning it has no connection with outside water other than through manually-operated devices. There are three types of polder: Land reclaimed from a body of water, such as a lake or the sea bed. Flood plains separated from the sea or river by a dike. Marshes separated from the surrounding water by a dike and consequently drained.

Human Geography was born early As early as Strabo it was no longer enough to know where things were but geographers wanted to know more: Why cultures and environments differ from place to place NOT WHERE BUT WHY THERE

Two Sides of Geography Physical Geography Human Geography Concerned with actual locations of places Concerned with landforms and their distribution Climatic patterns Cartography Map Making Human Geography Examines the relationships between people and places Population, cultural, economic, urban, agriculture, and political geographies Emphasis on people and culture