geo 1
TRANSCRIPT
Human Geography
Beginnings…
Geography
“Geography is the science of place. Its vision is grand, its view panoramic. It sweeps the surface of the Earth, charting the physical, organic and cultural terrain, their areal differentiation, and their ecological dynamics with humankind. Its foremost tool is the map…”
-Leonard Krishtalka
“Geography is the science of place…”
• “…Its vision is grand, its view panoramic…”
• “It sweeps the surface of the Earth, charting the physical…”
• “…organic…”
• “…and cultural terrain, their areal differentiation
• “…their ecological dynamics with humankind…”
Geography
“Geography is a representation of the whole known world together with the phenomena which are contained therein…”
-Ptolemy, Geographia 2nd Century A.D.
• What is a map?
Answer: A two dimensional flat scale model of the Earth, or a portion of it.
Key ConceptsSpace
• Place: A specific point on Earth distinguished by a specific character.
Key ConceptsSpaces
• Region: Area on Earth distinguished by a combination of physical and cultural features.
Key ConceptsSpace
• Why do different places on Earth have the same features?
Answer: Scale, Space and Connections
Key Concepts
• Scale: Relationship between the portion of the Earth being studies and the Earth as a whole.
• Space: Physical interval between two objects.
• Connections: Relationships among people and objects across the barrier of space.
Key Concepts(Space)
• Latitude and Longitude - a reference system designed to provide “absolute” location (as opposed to relative locations). A system used to designate space.
• Parallels of Latitude • Meridians of Longitude
1o latitude = approx. 69 miles (25,000 mi. /360o).
Range: 0 - 90 degrees N or S
Latitude - angular measurement of distance north or south of the Equator.
Longitude - the angular measurement of distance east or west of the Prime Meridian.
Maximum value reached at International Date Line - 180o
Range: 0o - 180o E or W
Key ConceptsSpace
• Magnetic North v/s Geographic North
• Angle of Declination…
• Dowagiac has an angle of declination of:
4° 57' W changing by 0° 4' W/year
Key Concepts:
Tobler’s 1st Law of Geography
• All things are related. However, all other things being equal, those things that are closest together are more related.
• Related Concepts:– Distance Decay / Friction of Distance– Spatial Interaction– Movement
Key Concepts
• Spatial Distribution: The regular arraignment of phenomenon across the Earth’s surface.
Spatial Distribution
• Density: The frequency with which something exists within a given unit of area
• Concentration: The spread of something over a given area.
• Pattern: The geometric or regular arraignment of something over a given area.
Key Concepts
• REGION – an area defined by shared characteristics
– 3 Types of Culture Regions1. Formal - all members share a characteristic2. Functional - defined by a node of activity and
distance decay from center3. Vernacular - perception of cultural identity
Overlapping Formal and Functional Regions
Vernacular Regions
Diffusion The spread of people, customs, phenomenon, objects, or ideas. Four Types:
•Relocation
• Hierarchical
• Contagious
• StimulusUse these terms to explain the spread of:
•Diseases
•Popular Music
•Democratic Revolutions
•Religious Practices
Sense of Place• Every place is unique. Imagine where
you lived as a child. Where is home?• Why and how do places take on
meaning for human individuals?– Sensory– Architecture– Symbolic
• Why is each place unique?
Sense of Place
Groveland, CA Bourbon Street
What kinds of cultural values are reflected in each of these American houses?
Gated community?
Where are we? What values are reflected in each? What relation to physical environment?
Mosque in Istanbul, Turkey
Timber House, Switzerland
Yurt on Mongolian Steppe Suburban Home, Chicago
Human-Environment Interaction(Cultural Ecology)
• Successful cultures are those that adapt well to their environments. (Chaco Canyon, North Africa, Fertile Crescent, Easter Island)
Chaco Canyon, New Mexico Easter Island, Polynesia
Key Concepts:Core-Periphery
•Core– U.S., Europe, Japan,
Australia– Wealthy– Powerful– Controls Media and
Finance– Technologically
advanced
•Periphery– Less Developed– Poor– Dependent upon Core
countries for:• Education• Technology• Media• Military Equipment
Um, the end?