1. Basic Geographical Concepts
1st Unit of the AP Curriculum

2. Basic Terms Geography Human Geography Physical Geography Map Place
Region
Scale
Space
Connections

3. Maps Term: Cartography Reasons for Mapmaking: Reference Tool
Communication Tool

4. Maps Ancient Western Cartographers -
Aristotle (4th cent. B.C.) – spherical world
Eratosthenes (3rd cent. B.C.) – “geography”
Ptolemy (2nd cent. A.D.) – Roman mapmaking
little European mapmaking advances until Age of Exploration (late 15th cent. A.D.)

5. Maps Eastern Map Makers:
Phei Hsiu (Fei Xiu) (3rd cent. A.D.) – “father of Chinese cartography”
Al-Idrisi (12th cent. A.D.) – Muslim geographer – drew world map
Ibn-Battutah (14th cent. A.D.) – Rihlah (Travels) book describing Muslim world (Afr., Eur., Asia)

6. Maps
Gerladus Mercator (16thc. CE) – modern world map (“the map” for centuries)
Abraham Ortelius (16thc. CE) – Flemish Cartographer, created early world map
Bernhardus Varenius (17thc.CE) –most continents and oceans displayed correctly in his Geographica Generalis

7. Scale 3 types of scale 1. ratio/fraction – 1:24,000 OR 1/24,000
2. written – “1 inch equals 1 mile”
3. graphic – bar line (ex: road maps)
If you want details – close up view (1:10,000)
If you want trends – farther view (1:10,000,000)
Google Maps - For Scale

8. Projection
All projections lead to distortions, particularly with larger scale maps
types of distortions:
1. shape
2. distance
3. relative size
4. direction

9. Projection
Equal Area Projections
[pros & cons?]

10. Projection Uninterrupted projections [pros & cons?]
Robinson Projection
[pros & cons?]

11. Projections
Mercator Projection
[pros & cons?]

12. Projections
The West Wing

13. U.S. Land Ordinance of 1785 Organized structure of land development
used to settle most of western U.S. into Townships (6 square miles)
began in “Old NW” (current Midwest)
1785 Land Ordinance Diagram

14. Ways Geographers Gather Info.
Remote Sensing
Pictures taken from above Earth’s crust (usually in satellites)
Under Surveillance, discuss the competing national interests of protecting individual rights and maintaining a safe and secure country

15. Ways Geographers Gather Info.
GPS (Global Positioning System)
Precise location
Navigation primary purpose
Surveillance?
Used in GIS

16. Ways Geographers Gather Info.
GIS (Geographic Information System)
Super-accurate maps w/ diff. layers
Used to study relationships b/t diff. data sets
Google Earth

17. Another GIS

18. ARC View GIS Food and Environment Atlas:
ArcGIS from ESRI, Featured Maps:

20. Place Location Can be identified in 4 ways: Place Name (Toponym) Site
How do places get their names?
Mianus, CT; Hooker Point, FL; Slickpoo, ID; Suckerville, ME; Hell, MI, TruthorConsequences, NM; Monkey’s Eyebrow, KY; Phuket, Thailand; Intercourse, PA
Site
What physical characteristics can a place have?

21. Place Situation Site vs. Situation of place Mathematical Location
Site (New Orleans below sea level)
Situation (New Orleans on the mouth of the Mississippi and Gulf of Mexico)
Mathematical Location
Meridians
Parallels

22. Place Location (A few more concepts): Absolute location
latitude/longitude
Benefits of GPS
NEVER changes (in your life time)
Relative location
Location determined by what is closest around you
Demonstrates focal points of the people
Constantly changing

23. Region
Terms:
Cultural Landscape
Regional Studies

24. Region Types of Regions:
Formal Region: uniform area with common characteristics
Functional Region: area organized around a focal point
Vernacular Region: area that people believe exists as part of the cultural identify
Mental maps  demonstrate “activity space”

27. Region Term: Spatial Association Culture – define?
What People Care About
What People Take Care Of

28. Culture What People Care About: Beliefs, Values, Ideas Language
Significance?
Language
Religion
Ethnicity

30. Culture What People Take Care Of:
Food, Clothing, Shelter, Political Institutions
MDC
LDC

31. Cultural Ecology Cultural Ecology – Human-Environment Interaction
Environmental Determinism:
Humbolt and Ritter (18c. Germany)
Physical Environment determines social development
Possiblism:
With some limitations, people can adjust the environment
Resources

32. Cultural Ecology
Physical Processes
Climate
Vegetation
Soil
Landforms

33. Cultural Ecology Climate: Vladimir Koppan System A: Tropical B: Dry
C: Warm-Middle Latitude
D: Cold – Middle Latitude
E: Polar

35. Cultural Ecology Vegetation (Biomes): A: Forest B:Savanna C: Grassland
D: Desert

37. Cultural Ecology Soil: Landforms: Modification – examples?
Thin interface between air and rock (dirt and nutrients)
12 orders, with subdivisions = 12,000 types of soil (US Comprehensive Soil Classification)
Landforms:
Geomorphology
Modification – examples?

38. Environmental Modification
Case Study:
The Netherlands
Florida
Before the Levees Break: A Plan to Save the Netherlands
Assignment Earth: Florida Everglades dying of thirst (June 24, 2010)

39. Environmental Modification Thinking Critically:
After viewing the two clips, construct a response to the following question that includes examples/details from each clip;
When earthquakes, hurricanes, or other environmental disasters strike, humans tend to “blame” nature and see themselves as innocent victims of a harsh and cruel nature. To what extent do environmental hazards stem from unpredictable nature, and to what extent do they originate from human actions? Should victims blame nature, other humans, or themselves for the disaster? Why?
Thinking Critically (taken from page 42 in Rubenstein’s 8th Edition):

40. From Local to Global Terms: Globalization Transnational Corporations
Of Economies- more uniform, integrated, interdependent
Transnational Corporations

41. Globalization and Glocalization Bangalore, India, March 2012

42. From Local to Global Terms: Globalization
Of Culture - more uniform, integrated, interdependent
Connection to technology
Connection to global economy
Results?
Conflict – tensions between local and global forces

43. From Local to Global
Lorde – Royals

44. Distribution of Features
Term:
Distribution
3 Main Properties:
Density
Arithmetic
Physiological
Agricultural
Concentration
Pattern

45. Distribution of Features
Gender and Ethnic Diversity in Space
Use and distribution of space by gender, ethnicity, race
Not biological, but artificial constructs
Space-Time Compression
Technology
Connection to Diffusion
Spatial Interaction
History until 1800 vs Today
Distance Decay

46. Diffusion Cultural hearth – origin of a particular cultural trait
Two Types
Expansion
Stays strong in the core
Relocation
Gets weaker in the core

47. Kinds of Expansion Diffusion
Hierarchal Diffusion – spread of an idea through an established structure usually from people or areas of power down to other people or areas
Urban areas to other urban areas and then spread to surrounding areas
Rap music
High-end fashion trends
Wealthy people to middle class to lower class
Any technological invention

48. This is a map of the diffusion of _______?

49. Expansion Diffusion
Contagious Diffusion – spread of an idea/trait/concept through a group of people or an area equally without regard to social class, economic position or position of power.
Flu epidemic
Gossip in school??
Your book says information on the web is Contagious… do you agree???

50. Diagram of Contagious Diffusion
‘A’ is a diagram of contagious diffusion. Notice virtually all ‘adopt.’
‘B’ is a diagram of hierarchical diffusion. Notice the leapfrogging over some areas.

51. Expansion Diffusion
Stimulus Diffusion – the spread of an underlying principle even though the new groups “remix” your idea OR
Stimulus Diffusion - involves the transfer of an underlying concept or idea, without the specific accompanying traits due to some cultural or other barrier to the movement of the idea

52. Stimulus Diffusion ex. (Michael Ayres)
McDonald’s in India  “Maharaja Mac”
Sesame Street  OVER 30 Countries have adopted principles of this show
Coca Cola and its different tastes around the world
                              

53. Maharajah Mac Bangalore, India, March, 2012
McDonald’s new menu in Thailand.
McDonald’s commercials from a global perspective:

54. The World According to Sesame Street

55. RELOCATION DIFFUSION
Sequential diffusion process in which the items being diffused are transmitted by their carrier agents as they evacuate the old areas and relocate to new ones. The most common form of relocation diffusion involves the spreading of innovations by a migrating population.

56. Relocation and Expansion – In Review
‘A’ is relocation diffusion as the person goes.
‘B’ is expansion diffusion as the idea/trait moves or transports.

57. AIDS and Relocation Diffusion
Some authors suggest AIDS diffuses through relocation diffusion. This is true by the fact that the diffusers “take” the disease with them. However, AIDS is not contracted by everyone in its path. More importantly, the pattern of AIDS diffusion is more classically hierarchal (and therefore expansion).

58. Migrant Diffusion (a form of Relocation Diffusion?)
Idea enjoys strong, (perhaps brief,) adoption in hearth
Idea travels elsewhere (& thrives)
Idea fades out back in the hearth
Ex. Disco in Egypt
Ex. “Baywatch” in Europe
Ex. Communism
Ex. Old cars
MR. KELLER’s HAIR!

59. One more look…Wal-Mart as both ___________ and __________diffusion – WHY?

60. Diffusion of Wal-Mart, Target and Costco What type(s) of diffusion?
Interactive maps of the evolution of retail from Flowing Data:
Wal-Mart:
Target:
Costco:

61. BARRIERS TO DIFFUSION CULTURAL BARRIERS PHYSICAL BARRIERS
Some practices, ideas, innovations are not acceptable/adoptable in a particular culture
Cultural taboos e.g. pork, alcohol, contraceptives
PHYSICAL BARRIERS
Physical barriers on the surface may prohibit/inhibit adoption
Not as relevant today b/c of technology
TIME-DISTANCE DECAY
Farther from the source & the more time it takes, the less likely innovation adopted (more likely the same trait will develop differently)
Technology makes this less important
“Friction of Distance” – Interaction and communication between 2 things declines the further away you get

62. Distance Decay Graph
Learn to think about distance decay in a “spatial” context
Think of distance decay in terms of an ‘x’ and ‘y’ axis