1. Jerome D. Fellmann Mark Bjelland Arthur Getis Judith Getis
Human Geography
Jerome D. Fellmann
Mark Bjelland
Arthur Getis
Judith Getis

2. Human Geography Chapter 1 Introduction Insert figure CO1
© Thinkstock/Masterfile
Site of the wind farm pictured?...
Why at that particular spot?
Image Copyright 2003 by Jon Malinowski, All rights reserved.

3. What Is Geography? “Description of the Earth” Greek: “geo graphein”
The physical and cultural landscape
Human Geography is a spatial science
We attempt to explain what, where and why?

4. What Is Geography? Study of Spatial Variation (Vocab alert!!)
How and why things differ from place to place…Solving spatial riddles…
Why do Brazilians burn the rainforest?
What are the effects?(2)
What good is such understanding?
Traditional Slash and Burn
Soy

5. One Earth, Many Scales Syria Explained
Terms Review/Discussion:
Globalization
Glocalization
Interdependent
Nationalism
Supra-nationalism
Cultural Imperialism
Cultural Homogenization
Centrifugal forces
Centripetal forces
Environmental determinism
Human Modification of the environment
The Power of Place #1
One Earth, Many Scales
Syria Explained

6. Evolution of the Discipline
Ancient Period…Summarize the contributions of each to the field of geography:
Eratosthenes
Greek, Head Librarian at Alexandria during 3rd century B.C.E., Computed the earth’s circumference with incredible accuracy, early cartographer, coined the term geography.
Strabo
Describe the physical and cultural traits of the known world…compare and contrast countries
Herodotus
Applied a study of geography to analyze the Persian wars and to predict consequences and outcomes
Idrisi
11th century Arab geographer, assembled an early world map…trade routes interconnectedness…globalization

7. Evolution of the Discipline
Other notable Geographers
Ptolemy
Developed a global grid system – the precursor to lat. & long. (also recalculated the earths circ. 500 years after Eratosthenes…and got it wrong by 9,000 miles.)
George Perkins Marsh
Wrote Man and Nature in Focused on Human modification of the environment and warned of the disastrous effects of environmental degradation on human society.
Carl Sauer
Early 20th century, “father of “Human Geography” - argued that the main focus of geography should be cultural landscapes (the products of the interactions between humans and their environments)
Human Geography 11e

8. Evolution of the Discipline
What changed geography in the “modern period?” (4)
Geography as an integrative science

9. Focus of Geography Explain each of the following three themes (4)
Areal Variation on the Earth’s Surface
Spatial Systems
Regional Geography

10. Focus of Geography Areal Variation on the Earth’s Surface
Examines relationships between human societies and the natural environments that they occupy and modify
Spatial Systems
Link physical phenomena and human activities in one area of the earth with other areas
Regional Analysis
Studies human-environmental-”ecological”- relationships and spatial systems in specific locational settings
Challenge: Provide one example of each of the above themes from the Bloomer area

11. Human Geography: “The world as it is and as it might be made to be”
Subfields:
Behavioral
Political
Economic
Cultural
Social
Urban
Medical
Population

12. Core Geographic Concepts
Geography is descriptive and analytical
Oakwood
WHAT?
WHERE?
WHY THERE?
Spatial Analysis
-Its relationship to other places in the region

13. Core Geographic Concepts
Space and Place
Absolute
Physically real with measureable extent
Relative space
Perceptual and variable over time
Sense of place
The attachment we have to specific locations
Placelessness
Uniformity; elimination of uniqueness

14. Review: Location Absolute Location Relative Location
Site vs. Situation

15. Absolute Location Relative Location Site Situation
Identification of place by some precise and accepted system of coordinates
Relative Location
The position of a place in relation to that of other places or activities
Site
Physical and cultural attributes of a place
Situation
Expression of relative location with particular reference to items of significance to the place in question

16. Location
Explain Site vs. Situation (figures 1.6, 7 on p.9)

17. Review questions What is geography?
Study of Spatial Variation
How and why things differ from place to place…Solving spatial riddles
In what two meanings and for what two purposes do we refer to location?
Absolute and Relative
Describe the site and situation of Bloomer.

18. Physical & Cultural Attributes
Natural Landscape
Climate, soil, water resources, minerals and terrain features
Provides the setting within which human actions occurs
Cultural Landscape
Visible expression of human activity
Insert figure 1.10
© Doug Sherman/Geofile

19. Places Changing Attributes of Place Interrelations between Places
Across both space and time (Fig. 1.11,12, p.12,13)
Interrelations between Places
Accessibility and Connectivity (1.13, p.14)
Spatial Diffusion and Globalization
The Rational Structure of Place (1.14,15, p.15)
Density
Dispersion
Pattern Patterns revealed in light

20. Places The Rational Structure of Place Density Dispersion Pattern
a measure of the number of anything within a defined unit area
Number of items in relation to the space in which they are found
Dispersion
The amount of spread of a phenomenon over an area
Pattern
The geometric arrangement of objects

21. For Wed. Place Similarity & Regions
1 Read pp.15,16 pay attention to figs. 1.17,1.17 as well
2. Define Region
3. Distinguish between formal/uniform regions, functional/nodal regions and perceptual regions providing two examples for each type of region.
Read pp and respond to 6, 7, 8 on p. 28
Human Geography 11e

22. Place Similarity & Regions
The Characteristics of Regions
Types of Regions:
Formal
Uniform regions; uniformity in one or a limited combination of physical or cultural features
Functional
Give an organizational basis
Perceptual
Reflect feelings and images
Human Geography 11e

23. Maps Map Scale The Globe Grid How Maps Show Data
Geographic Information Systems (GIS)
Mental Maps

24. Application Constructing a mental (perceptual) map
Your task is to draw a mental map of the “Chippewa Valley”. Your map should include the following:
Physical landscape (rivers/lakes in our case)
Cultural landscape
Cities, Hwy’s, and other important cultural features that tie this specific are together as a region (i.e., spatial interaction).
Population
Density,dispertion, pattern(1 dot = “x”people)
How will you deal with location/distance? (i.e., absolute vs.relative?)

25. Map Scale aka. How much can I confuse you
Large scale: The larger the scale the smaller the area depicted and the greater the detail shown
Map Scale aka. How much can I confuse you
Small Scale: The smaller the scale the larger the area depicted and the less detail visible.

26. What is the best map?
With a globe the four main map properties are preserved:
Area
Shape
Distance
Direction

27. The Global Grid Type of location? Key Reference points? Latitude
Natural reference points:
Poles & Equator
“constructed” reference point?
Prime Meridian
Latitude
Longitude

28. How maps show data General Purpose maps
These maps show natural or human made features with no analysis
Streets
Topography
Water bodies
Etc.

29. Sand Mines in Wisconsin
How maps show data
Thematic Maps
Show spatial distribution of some specific variable
Climate, vegitation, soil types, population characteristics, etc.
Thematic maps can be qualitative or quantitative
Qualitative maps show the distribution of some phenomenon
Sand Mines in Wisconsin
Quantitative maps show the quantity of some phenomenon
World Oil Production

30. Types of Thematic maps

31. Types of Thematic Maps
Statistical Maps
Population Cartogram

32. Contemporary Geospatial Technologies
Global Positioning Systems (GPS)
Satellite triangulation
Remote Sensing
Imaging earths surface
Arial Photog. Infrared, Radar
Geographic Information Systems
GIS Explained

33. GIS (cont.) Used to analyze geographic data tied to specific locations
GIS Aggregation of data:
Raster approach
-Describes the content of rectangular cells
Vector approach
Precise location of each object or phenomenon in a distribution

34. Mental Maps Our understanding of distributions
Our view of spatial reality
images about an area or an environment developed by an individual on the basis of information or impressions received, interpreted, and stored
Insert figure 1.25

35. Systems, Maps, and Models
Spatial System
The content of area is interrelated
Component parts are interdependent
Maps can segragate a limited amount of data…GIS takes this to a higher level
Model
Simplified abstraction
Clarifies causal relationships