1. Chapter 1: Basic Concepts
The Cultural Landscape:
An Introduction to Human Geography

2. What is Geography?
Geography is the study of what is where and why it’s there.

3. For example:
Why are so many plant and animal species becoming extinct at the end of the twentieth century?
Why do there always seem to be been so many wars in Africa?
Why is corn such an important part of a traditional diets?
Why are French fries called chips in England?

4. Divisions of Geography
Physical Geography Human Geography
Rocks and Minerals Population
Landforms Settlements
Soils Economic Activities
Animals Transportation
Plants Recreational Activities
Water Religion
Atmosphere Political Systems
Rivers and Other Water Bodies Social Traditions
Environment Human Migration
Climate and Weather Agricultural Systems
Geography is a bridge between the natural and social sciences. Geography is a holistic or synthesizing science.

5. The Five Themes of Geography

6. Defining Geography Historians versus Geographers
Word coined by Eratosthenes
Geo = Earth
Graphia = writing
Geography thus means “earth writing”

7. Contemporary Geography
Geographers ask where and why
Location and distribution are important terms
Geographers are concerned with the tension between globalization and local diversity
A division: physical geography and human geography
More interaction culturally, politically, economically has impacted societies profoundly

8. Geography’s Vocabulary
Place: unique location or position on Earth
Region: combination of cultural/ physical features
Scale: portion of the Earth compare to the whole
Space: gap between two objects
Connections: relationship btw people/objects

9. How Do Geographers Describe Where Things Are?
Key Issue One

10. Maps Two purposes As reference tools As communications tools
To find locations, to find one’s way
As communications tools
To show the distribution of human and physical features

11. Maps Maps are a geographers most important tool. Two purposes:
As reference tools
To find locations, to find one’s way
As communications tools
To show the distribution of human and physical features
The science of mapmaking is called cartography.
Cartographers have to make two important decisions when map-making—scale and projection.

12. Maps Early map-making: Babylonians on clay tablets c.2300 BC
Polynesians using 3-D stick charts made of palm trees and sea shells
Mediterranean sailors used landforms and ocean currents c.800 BC to make maps
Aristotle 1st observed the Earth was spherical
Eratosthenes calculated the Earth’s circumference within a 0.5% accuracy!
Ptolemy wrote an 8 volume guide to geography from info gathered by merchants and soldiers in the Roman Empire
Phei Hsiu “father of Chinese cartography” created a map of China c.267 AD
Muslim cartographer al-Idrisi created a world map and geography text c.1154
Ibn-Battuta wrote a book called Travels after 3 decades of journeys through N. Africa, S. Europe, and much of Asia
Age of Exploration led to Columbus, Magellan, etc. travelling and mapping

13. Early Map Making
Figure 1-2

14. Maps: Scale Types of map scale Projection
Ratio or fraction: numerical ration btw distances on Earth’s surface 1:100
Written: written word form of ratio
Graphic: bar line to show distance
Projection
Distortion: 4 types
Shape: appears more elongated
Distance: distance, more or less
Relative size: altered size
Direction: distorted

15. Map Scale Example
1) Washington State 1:10,000,000 (1 in = 10,000,000 inches or 158 miles)
2) Western Washington 1:1,000,000
3) Seattle 1:100,000
4) Downtown Seattle 1:10,000
Explained: As the area covered gets smaller, the maps get more detailed. 1 inch represents smaller distances
Figure 1-4

16. Projection Robinson Map: shape distortion/ more ocean
Mercator Map: accurate shape/ distorted poles

17. Peters Map
one specialization of a configurable equal-area map projection known as the equal-area cylindric or cylindrical equal-area projection.

18. U.S. Land Ordinance of 1785
Township and range system to help facilitate the selling of land westward
Township = 6 sq. miles on each side
North–south lines = principal meridians
East–west lines = base lines
Township: T1 (distance north or south on a particular baseline
Range: R1 (distance east or west on a particular meridian line
Sections: each township is divided into 36 sections, each of which is 1 mile by 1 mile.

20. Contemporary Tools Geographic Information Science (GIScience)
Global Positioning Systems (GPS)
Remote sensing
Geographic information systems (GIS)
Figure 1-7

21. Contemporary Tools
GIS-computer program that can capture, store, query, analyze, and display geographic data.
GIS uses geocoding to create maps from info that has been recorded and stored online about Earth.
Each type of info is stored in layers that can be added or taken away. Layers can be compared with each other to show their relationships.
It allows for very complex maps to be created and for geographers to see if items on maps are significant or coincidental.

23. Contemporary Tools
Remote sensing-the acquisition of data about Earth’s surface from a satellite orbiting Earth.
Geographic uses are primarily environmental.

24. Contemporary Tools
GPS-system that accurately determines the precise position of something on Earth.
Most commonly used in navigation of aircraft and ships.

25. How is GIS used? Spatial patterns data Point patterns Line patterns
Area patterns

26. Figure 1-8 https://developers.google.com/maps/
A Mash-up
Figure

27. Why is Each Point on Earth Unique? pg13 - 28
Key Issue 2
Why is Each Point on Earth Unique? pg

28. Regions: Areas of Unique Characteristics
A region derives its unified character through the cultural landscape-a combination of cultural features such as language and religion, economic features such as agriculture and industry, and physical features such as climate and vegetation.
Since the mid-1800s, geographers have used the term regional studies to argue that each region has its own distinctive landscape that results from a unique combination of social relationships and physical processes.

29. Place: Unique Location of a Feature – 23, 24,
Location: 4 ways to identify
Place names
Toponym:
Site: the physical characteristics of a place
Situation: location of a place relative to other places (helps locate a location)
Mathematical location:

30. Toponyms
1896 Mt. McKinley, Alaska
2015 Denali (The Tall One)

31. SITE - 25
physical characteristics of a place: climate, water sources, topography, soil, vegetation, latitude, and elevation.
Humans have the ability to modify the characteristics of a site.

32. Palm Island Dubai

33. Situation:
Location of a place relative to other places (helps locate a location)

34. Place: Mathematical Location – 11, 12, 13, 14, 15
Location of any place can be described precisely by a numbering system
Meridians (lines of longitude) 74W
Prime meridian (Greenwich, England)
Parallels (lines of latitude) 41N
The equator

35. Find the Latitude/Longitude

36. World’s Time Zones - 16

37. What is Remote Sensing/ Ground Truth? 18, 19
The scanning of the earth by satellite or high-flying aircraft in order to obtain information about it.
Ground truth is a term used in various fields to refer to the absolute truth of something.

38. The Cultural Landscape
A unique combination of social relationships and physical processes
Each region = a distinctive landscape
People/Culture = the most important agents of change to Earth’s surface