1. The Basics of Geography
Unit One
The Basics of Geography

2. THE GEOGRAPHIC QUESTIONS
The Why of Where!
How are places described?
What makes each place unique?
What connects places?

3. What is Geography? “description of the earth”
a study of spatial variation
the how and why of physical & cultural differences
location, location, location
observable patterns that have evolved through time

4. The Early Geographers
Geography - Spatial Science, description of the earth or more precisely, the study of spatial variation, of how and why physical and cultural items differ from place to place.
Ancient Period:
Greek scientist Eratosthenes over 2200 year ago- “geo”, “graphein” about physical earth and activities of people.
Strabo defined geography as describing the several parts of the inhabited world and to write the assessment of the countries of ….
Herodotus – described Persian war using cultural traits such as people, lands, economies, and customs.
Ptolemy - measured and devised grids (meridian and parallel), mapped world using 360o. Errors made Columbus think he reached Asia

5. Ptolemy (2nd century AD)

6. MODERN GEOGRAPHY
In 1964, W.D. Pattison, a professor at the University of Chicago, wanted to counter the idea that geography was an undisciplined science by saying that geographers had exhibited broad enough consistency such that there were four distinctive, but affiliated traditions:
1)  An earth-science tradition - physical (natural) geography.
2)   A man-land tradition - relationships between human societies and natural environments.
3)  A spatial tradition - spatial unifying theme, similar patterns between physical & human geography.
4)  An area-studies tradition - regional geography

7. What is Human Geography?
The study of how people make places, how we organize space and society, how we interact with each other in places and across space, and how we make sense of others and ourselves in our locality, region, and world.
Many people have misconceptions about geography and think of the discipline as simply an exercise in memorizing place names.
Geography exist in the global issues receiving attention at this time things such as
Population growth
Terrorism
Cultural diffusion.
Diffusion is defined as the spread of linguistic or cultural practices or innovations within a community or from one community to another.
Geography's importance can also be established by looking at community issues, such as:
Water supply
Pollution
Growth management
Housing
Retail
Openings
Closures

8. human geography Where are people? What are they like?
What is their interaction over space?
What kinds of landscapes do they erect?
human geography

9. Five Themes of Geography
location: position; situation of people and things
human/environmental interaction: reciprocal relationship b/w humans & env.
region: area on Earth’s surface marked by a degree of homogeneity (uniformity) of some phenomenon
place: uniqueness of a location (or similarity of two or more locales); phenomena within an area
movement: mobility of people, goods and ideas; phenomena between areas

10. Place- The combination of physical and human characteristics of a specific location
Toponym- place names
Sense of place: infusing a place with meaning and emotion.
Perception of place: belief or understanding of what a place is like, often based on books, movies, stories, or pictures.

11. LOCATION Geographic Reference Points Geographic Grid Place Names
labels for locations
toponym
Relative Location
location relative to other locations
Situation-
Exact Location
geographic grid (38 °N °W)
latitude & longitude
Site-
Geographic Reference Points
Equator
North and South Poles
Geographic Grid
Latitude & Longitude

12. absolute location relative location Site Situation
Mathematical location
Latitude & Longitude
degrees, minutes, seconds
Township & Range (1785 Land Ordinance)
Subdivision: parallels & meridians
Topographic quadrangle, US Geological Survey
Metes & Bounds
“place” in relationship to surroundings
Situation
external relations of locale
relative location concept
Importance
Site
absolute location concept
physical & cultural characteristics
Topography, vegetation, water, physical characteristic

13. THE CONCEPT OF REGION Worlds within worlds
Areas with unifying characteristics
Regions may be large or small
continental or local
i.e.. World regions, countries, local regions
Sub regions
regions within regions
Regions may be
economic
environmental
historical
cultural
THE CONCEPT OF REGION
UNITS OF
GEOGRAPHIC STUDY

14. THE CONCEPT OF REGION Regions may be Formal or uniform regions
Areas of essential uniformity
Physical or cultural
Sahara Desert, “Bible Belt”
Regions may be
economic
environmental
historical
cultural
Functional or nodal regions- core/periphery
Area organized around a node or focal point. The characteristic chosen to define a functional region dominates at a central focus or node and diminishes in importance outward.
Perceptual regions
Reflect feelings and images, such as “vernacular region” shows the way people view space, assign their loyalties and interpret their world. Less structured & more culturally based

15. MOVEMENT- any migration, diffusion, or dispersal of people, goods, ideas, or information from one place to another
Diffusion: the process of dissemination, the spread of an idea or innovation from its hearth to other areas.
Expansion Diffusion – idea or innovation spreads outward from the hearth
Contagious – spreads adjacently
Hierarchical – spreads to most linked people or places first.
Stimulus – idea promotes a local experiment or change in
the way people do things
Relocation diffusion – movement of individuals who carry an idea or innovation with them to a new, perhaps distant locale.

16. MOVEMENT- Distance
Absolute distance: Absolute mathematical mileage, or measurement of distance
Relative distance: Refers to a more regional spatial relationship how distance is described
Psychological distance: Distance lengthened / shortened
first time traveled
night / day travel
safety / danger / excitement
Distance Decay: The diminishing in importance and eventual disappearance of a phenomenon with increasing distance from its origin.
MILES, MINUTES, TIME

17. Stimulus Diffusion
Because Hindus believe cows are holy, cows often roam the streets in villages and towns. The McDonalds restaurants in India feature veggie burgers.

18. HUMAN- ENVIRONMENT INTERACTION
Old Approaches to Human-Environment Questions:
Environmental Determinism (has been rejected by almost all geographers)
Possibilism (less accepted today)
New Approaches to Human-Environment Questions:
Cultural ecology- the geographic study of human-environmental relations.

19. Environmental Modification in the Netherlands
Fig. 1-15: Polders and dikes have been used for extensive environmental modification in the Netherlands.

20. Environmental Modification in Florida
View of Miami Beach
The barrier Island - Orchid Island – in the town I grew up in.
Fig. 1-16: Straightening the Kissimmee River has had many unintended side effects.

21. SPACE- The physical gap or interval between two objects.
SPATIAL- pertaining to space on the Earth's surface; sometimes used as a synonym for geographic- how things are arranged on Earth
SPATIAL ORGANIZATION- The arrangement in that of physical and human objects on Earth's surface
SPATIAL PERSPECTIVE- Viewing physical and human objects according to where they appear in IN THAT GAP or space
SPATIAL DIFFUSION- Refers to the ways in which phenomena, such as technological innovations, cultural trends, or even outbreaks of disease, travel over space.
SPATIAL ANALYSIS- how data about the objects in the gap is analyzed
SPATIAL INTERACTION: The movement of people, goods, and ideas within and among regions that create connectedness.
SPATIAL DISTRIBUTION- physical location of geographic phenomena across space.

22. spatial interaction Accessibility Connectivity Spatial diffusion
how easy/difficult to overcome time & space separation
Connectivity
how places are connected
Spatial diffusion
process of dispersion of ideas or items from a center of origin to more distant points
Globalization
Increasing interconnection of peoples and societies worldwide

23. spatial distribution PATTERN CONCENTRATION DENSITY
Arrangement of items on Earth’s surface
CONCENTRATION
Amount of spread of phenomenon over an area
-dispersion
clustered, agglomerated
dispersed, scattered, random
PATTERN
Emphasizes design rather than spacing
(a) linear– road, river, rail line
(b) centralized– city & suburbs
(c) random
Rectangular system of land survey –
U.S. rural: checkerboard, 1 mile squares
U.S. cities: grid system
DENSITY
Measure of the number/quantit y within a defined unit of areas
proportion
arithmetic
physiological
Agricultural

24. CAN YOU NAME THESE?