Introduction%20to%20Human%20Geography

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Introduction to Human Geography

• Rubenstein Ch. 1

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• Key Issue 1
• Thinking About Space

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Thinking About Space

• Spatial thinking is the most important skill we
  have to understand the arrangement of people and
  places.
• Spatial thinking is defined as the knowledge,
  skills, and habits of mind to use concepts of
  space, tools of representation, and processes of
  reasoning to structure problems, find answers and
  express solutions to these problems.

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History vs. Geography

• Historys concern for time is comparable to
  geographys concern for space.
• Historians ask when and why
• Geographers ask where and why.

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Distribution

• Geographers study space in order to locate the
  distribution of people and objects.
• Distribution has 3 main characteristics
• Density
• Concentration
• Pattern

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• Density the frequency with which something
  occurs in space.
• The easiest measurement of density is arithmetic
  density total objects / area
• Great Britain
• 59 million people / 93,278 miles²
• 633 people per mile²
• Warning
• A high population does not mean high density.
  Ex China 327 people per mile²
• A high population does not mean high poverty
  either. Ex Netherlands 432 people per mile²,
  while Mali 8 people per mile².

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• Concentration The extent of a features spread
  over space.
• If close together, they are clustered.
• If far apart, they are dispersed.
• Concentration is not the same as density.
• Geographers use concentration to describe changes
  in distribution.
• Baseball example
• 1953, all 16 teams were located in the NE
  (clustered).
• 1998, 30 teams are spread from coast to coast
  (dispersed). (six of the original 16 moved and
  14 were added)

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• Pattern the geometric arrangement of objects in
  space.
• Sometimes we see geometric patterns, sometimes
  things are irregular.
• Patterns can be linear like along a street or
  river.
• Streets can be in a grid pattern, cities can be
  square shaped.
• Baseball Example
• The thirty baseball teams are located in
  Americas 27 largest cities. (3 cities have two
  teams).

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Maps

• Maps are our most important tool for thinking
  spatially about the distribution of features
  across earth.
• Locating where particular features and activities
  occur across the Earths surface is fundamental
  to geography.

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• Three main projections are used in chapter 1 and
  throughout Rubenstein.

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• The Robinson Uninterrupted map (Figure 1-15,
  3-7) shows the oceans uninterrupted.
• Robinson is good for showing global interaction.
• It does not preserve direction or shape and lat.
  and long. do not always intersect at right angles.

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Robinson Uninterrupted
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• Goodes Homolosine Equal Area Projection (figure
  3-3) interrupts the oceans and projects Australia
  and New Zealand. Land mass appears larger than
  in reality, but it minimizes distortion.

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Goodes Homolosine Equal Area Projection
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• The Mercator projection was created for
  navigational purposes. It was designed so that
  direction between any two points on Earth could
  be plotted using a straight line.
• It has extreme distortion near the poles.

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Time
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Map Distortion

• It is impossible to represent a sphere perfectly
  on paper. Every map has flaws. Among them
• Shape
• Distance
• Relative Size
• Direction

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Early Mapmaking

• The Babylonians (2300 BC) created the earliest
  surviving maps. The main purpose was navigation.
• Ptolemy (AD 127-145, Alexandria) wrote Guide to
  Geography, which recorded the basic principles of
  mapmaking and prepared many maps, the techniques
  of which were not improved upon for more than
  1,000 years.
• The Age of Discovery presented a need for new,
  accurate maps. Explorers needed a reliable way
  to get back home.
• Mercator best cartographer of the period.

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Babylonian World Map
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Ptolemy's World Map 15th century copy of
original
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Contemporary Map Making

• Earth is well mapped already, but new technology
  is used to learn more.
• Three important technologies developed during the
  past 30 years.
• 1. Geographic Information Systems (GIS)
  Computer mapping programs.
• 2. Remote sensing from satellites, used to
  collect data.
• 3. Global positioning systems (GPS)

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GIS add layers to see detail
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GPS Satellites orbiting Earth help you find
your exact position.
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Using the reflection of the sun, satellites are
able to scan the Earths surface for details as
directed by scientists.
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• Key Issue 2
• Thinking About Place

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• Location the position that something occupies
  on Earths surface.
• There are 4 ways to identify location
• Place names
• Site
• Situation
• Mathematical location

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• Place names aka toponyms.
• - can be named for a person, religion, history,
  etc.
• -can tell us a lot about places
• Can you name some toponyms that are unusual or
  very telling about the history of that area?
• Link

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• Site physical character of a place
• Climate, water sources, soil, vegetation,
  latitude, elevation
• Note that humans can modify a place, so site can
  change.

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• Situation the location of a place relative to
  another place.
• Valuable for (1) finding an unfamiliar place
  (comparing location to a familiar place) and (2)
  understanding its importance (accessibility to
  other place)

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• Mathematical Location geographic grid
• Meridian line drawn from N pole to S pole.
  Numbered according to the system of longitude.
  0-180 East or West
• Parallel circles drawn around the globe
  parallel to the equator

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Time

• The Earth is divided into 360 of longitude (180
  E or W).
• 15 E or W is equivelant to 1 hour
• 360/24 hours15
• Earth is divided into 24 time zones. Created in
  1883.
• The time at the prime meridian (GMT) is Earths
  master reference time for all points on Earth.
• We are in EST and are 5 hours behind GMT.
• 75/15 5 hours

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International Date Line

• When crossing the International Date Line going
  west, you go forward 24 hours.
• When going east, you subtract 24 hours

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Sunlight
Last place to end old day
First place to start new day
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• Longitude is a human creation. Any point on
  Earth could have been 0 Longitude.
• 0 Latitude had to be the equator. Even the
  ancients could calculate latitude based on the
  sun.

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• Key Issue 3
• Thinking About Region

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• Region is an area of Earth defined by one or more
  unique characteristics.
• Can be cultural (language, religion), economic
  (agriculture, industry), etc.
• We can distinguish parts of a whole like
  northern SC or southern SC
• Geographers divide the world into regions.
• Regional Studies is how modern geography is
  taught one region at a time.

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7th Period

• Name some regions.

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4th Period

• Name some regions.
• The New World
• Middle East
• Far East
• downtown
• Midwest
• Southwest
• New England
• The Outback
• The Orient
• The North
• Bible Belt

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World Regions as might be taught in World
Regional Geography
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• A region can be larger than a point and smaller
  than the planet.
• Usually consists of several countries or
  localities.

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TYPES OF REGIONS (3)

• Formal Region (aka uniform region) an area
  within which everyone shares in common one or
  more characteristics.
• Can be a crop, climate, language, etc.
• Characteristic is common throughout the region.
• South Carolina is a formal region why?
• Wheat Belt or Corn Belt

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• Functional Region an area organized around a
  focal point.
• Reception of a tv station, circulation of a
  newspaper, or a school attendance zone.
• Technology is interfering internet stores,
  satellite tv, etc.

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Functional Regions of the EPA
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DVD Regions
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• Vernacular Region (aka perceptual region) a
  place people believe as part of their cultural
  identity.
• The South, The Middle East, The North Country

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CULTURE

• Culture the body of customary beliefs that tie
  people together through tradition.
• Comes from Latin word, cultus meaning to care
  for.
• This is very complex b/c to care for has two
  very different meanings
• 2 versions of cultus
• To care about cult (ideas, values, beliefs)
• To take care of cultivate (earning a living,
  obtaining food, clothing, and shelter).
• Geography looks at both of these concepts.

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How Geographers Study Culture

• Geographers study what makes a culture distinct.
• The three most important are religion, language,
  and ethnicity.
• Geographers are also interested in production of
  material wealth.
• Geographers divide the world into More Developed
  Countries (MDCs) and Less Developed Countries
  (LDCs)

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Cultural Ecology

• Cultural Ecology human-environment
  relationships.
• Ex The climate and/or resources of any area
  influences humans.
• The Netherlands probably the most modified
  place on Earth.
• ½ of land area is below sea level.
• Created with polders (16 of land area drained
  areas) and earthen dams.

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• Key Issue 4
• Thinking About Scale

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SCALE

• Scale relation of a features size on a map and
  its actual size on Earth.
• Scale can be from local to global.
• Local unique, Global broad
• It can be written as a fraction (1/24,000), a
  ratio (124,000) or written (one inch equals one
  mile)
• Without appropriate scale, accurate map reading
  would be impossible.

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Small/Large Scale

• We often refer to maps as small scale or large
  scale.
• Large scale maps are called so b/c objects appear
  large on the maps.
• Small scale maps are the opposite.
• For example, an island displayed on a 110,000
  map will appear larger than if displayed on a
  1100,000 map. Thus, the former is large scale.

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• Large Scale Map of Edinburgh, Scotland

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Still pretty large scale
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Small Scale Map
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Homework

• Look at the Made In labels on the clothes in
  your closet.
• Make a tally sheet by continent for the clothes
  that you check.
• Turn in tomorrow.
• Try to find Made in America

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GLOBALIZATION

• Globalization a force or process that involves
  the entire world and results in making something
  worldwide in scope.
• Globalization means that the scale of the world
  is shrinking at least in the ability of a
  person, object, or idea to interact with a
  person, object, or idea in another place.
• The world is becoming more uniform and
  interdependent.

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• People in parts of the world with traditional
  cultures are turning to Islam and Christianity.
• Groups are threatened with extinction of their
  local cultural beliefs and traits due to other
  cultures showing up in their every day lives.

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• Communication helps some people stay more
  culturally intact, such as satellite tv.
• Expatriates can watch programs in their home
  country.
• Dish Network

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• Geographers know that a lot of disputes are b/c
  of those wanting to globalize and those who
  want to preserve things.
• Different cultural groups have been unable to
  share the same space in SE Europe, E Africa, and
  the Middle East.

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In Class Essay ?

• Pick one of the following and write an essay
• Globalization is a good thing
• Globalization is a bad thing
• Globalization is good in some ways, bad in others

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• Key Issue 5
• Thinking About Connections

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Space-time Compression

• Space-time compression the reduction in the
  time it takes for something to reach another
  place
• Distant places are less remote and more
  accessible.
• We know what is happening on the other side of
  the world and we know it sooner than ever before.

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SPATIAL INTERACTION

• When places are connected through a network,
  geographers say there is spatial interaction
  between them.
• Spatial interaction is established through the
  movement of people, goods, or ideas.
• Today, we are connected to the globe through
  satellite tv, phones, and the internet.

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• Networks are chains of communication that connect
  people.
• Examples
• Tv networks ABC, NBC, CBS, FOX all broadcast
  the same thing across the country simultaneously
• Airlines hubs and spokes

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• The further away a country is, the less likely
  you are to interact with it.
• Contact diminishes with distance and eventually
  disappears this is called distance decay.

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Cultural Diversity

• Spatial interaction (interaction in space) may be
  limited even among people in close proximity to
  one another.
• People segregate voluntarily b/c people want to
  reinforce their cultural identify by living near
  people with similar backgrounds and experiences.
• Ex ethnic neighborhoods

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DIFFUSION

• The process by which a characteristic spreads
  from one place to another over time.
• Ideas today move very quickly. It makes the
  world very complex. Ideas are constantly
  traveling everywhere all of the time.

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• The place an innovention originates from is
  called a hearth. It diffuses to other places
  from there.
• Where are the hearths for
• Reggae?
• Fashion?
• Soccer?
• Democracy?

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• Using some of the examples we just saw, how do
  they diffuse over space with regard to the role
  of transportation and communication?
• Our own (American) traditions, including
  government, can be traced to the hearth of
  England.

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TYPES OF DIFFUSION

• For a person, object, or idea to have interaction
  with a person, object, or idea in another place,
  diffusion must occur.
• Geographers observe two types of diffusion
  Relocation and Expansion Diffusion.

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Relocation Diffusion

• Ideas spread through physical movement of people
  from one place to another.
• French, English, Spanish, Portugeuse spoken in N
  and S America b/c of migrants.

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Most languages can be traced back to W. Europe.
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Expansion Diffusion

• The spread of a feature from one place to another
  in a snowballing process.
• Happens 1 of 3 ways

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• Hierarchical diffusion spread from the
  top-down political leaders, social elite, etc.
  
• T. Boone Pickens Pickens Plan

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• Contagious diffusion rapid, widespread.
• Disease like influenza, or ideas that everyone
  has access to, like on the Internet or TV.
  Going Green
• Mecca Example article, map

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• Stimulus diffusion is a genuine invention sparked
  by an idea that diffused in from another
  culture.  Direct Borrowing
• Kind of like seeing something from another
  culture, being stimulated by it and modifying
  it to fit your needs.
• The invention of a unique Cherokee writing system
  by Sequoyah around 1821 after seeing English.
• Point and click mouse used in IBM machines,
  though invented by Apple.