Intro To Geography and Maps AP Human Geography Overview

Historical Foundations Geography is the description of the Earth’s surface and the people and processes that shape its landscapes

Greeks Geo is a study and science Literature – Homer’s Iliad and Odyssey Explorers Anaximander – first maps Philosophers – Aristotle, Socrates, Plato Eratosthenes – used term geography (meaning Earth and to write)

Romans Ptolemy – wrote Guide to Geography Cartography became more of an art form

Medieval Period Dark Ages – Europe was caught but rest of world was exploring

China Zheng He – rumored to have discovered western coast of North America mid-1400s (before Columbus)

Renaissance – Age of Exploration Marco Polo, Christopher Columbus, Ferdinand Magellan, Ponce De Leon, etc. explorers Cartographers – mapmakers Gerardus Mercator – one of first to produce a world map that showed with relative accuracy the general outline of the continents

Modern Period 1830 – Royal Geographical Society founded in England Environmental Determinism – cultures are a direct result of where they exist. Warmer climates cause inhabitants to have more relaxed attitude toward work and progress. Philosophy led people to believe that Europeans from temperate climate were more motivated, intelligent, and culturally advanced Possiblist – humans are not a product of their environment but possess the skills necessary to modify their environment to fit human needs – people determine their outcomes

Today and Beyond Global Positioning Systems (GPS) Geographic Information Systems (GIS) Both are new technologies that have profound impact on the study of geography

Maps Scale – relationship of the size of the map to the amount of area it represents on the planet Distortion – 3D into 2D – Equal Area Projection – keep the size or amount of an area intact but distort shapes – Conformal Maps – distort area but keep shapes intact Classes and Types – Cylindrical – true direction but loses distance, Mercator – Planar - azimuthal map, polar projection – shows true direction and examines earth from one point – Conic – cone over earth, tries to keep distance intact but loses directional qualities – Oval – combo of cylindrical and conic projections, Molleweide – Thematic Maps – area class, area symbol, cartograms (chart and assign data by size), choropleth (info in spatial format determine demographic data), digital, dot maps, flow line maps (define movement), isoline maps, point symbol, proportional symbol Misuse – Toponyms – place names

5 Themes Place – Human Geo – study of human characteristics – Physical Geo – study of physical characteristics Region – Formal – everything has same characteristic – Functional – defined around certain point/mode – Vernacular/Perceptual – exist primarily as individual’s perception or feelings Location – Relative – location in reference to another feature – Absolute – latitude and longitude coordinates Latitudes/parallels and Longitude/meridians Human-Environment Interaction Movement

6 Essential Elements in Geography The Spatial World – no place is alone Places and Regions – characteristics Physical Systems – barriers Human Systems – modifications made Environment and Society – using land Uses of Geography in Today’s Society – think spatially

Diffusion Hearth – place where characteristic began Diffusion – movement of characteristic, how it’s spread Relocation – physical spread of cultures, ideas, diseases Migration – physical spread of people Expansion – spread form central node thru various means – Hierarchical – group (usually elite) spreading ideas and patterns – Contagious – spread of disease – Stimulus – an idea and spreads to create innovative product

Distribution Distribution – physical location, organized in space Density – how often object occurs within given area or space – Population Density – how many people per square mile – Physiological Density – total number of people divided by arable land – Arithmetic Density – density using all land in given area Concentration – proximity of phenomenon over area spread – Clustered/Agglomerated – close together – Dispersed/Scattered – spread out Pattern – how organized in space – Linear – singular line – Centralized – clustered together – Random – lack of pattern Demographic Transition Model – predict what will happen to population growth as well as economic structure and dependence