History of Geographic Thought

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History of Geographic Thought
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• A. The Spatial Organization of Human Activity

1. Geography is a spatial science (the study
of place space) 2. Human activities
are 1. located in space at particular places
2. regular (w/ discernible patterns) 3.
able to be described and understood
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B. Ancient Map-Making

• Earliest maps clay tablets by ancient
  Babylonians
• Catal Huyük village map (Turkey) 8,000
  yrs. old
• China silk maps from 2nd-century BCE
• Mayans/Incas maps of conquered territories

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C. Greek geographic thought

• geography (earth-writing) coined by
  Eratosthenes
• Eratosthenes closely estimated Earths
  circumference

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• Eratosthenes' measurement of the Earth's
  circumference
• Syene (S) is located on the Tropic of Cancer, so
  that at summer solstice the sun appears at the
  zenith, directly overhead. In Alexandria (A) the
  sun is south of the zenith at the same time. So
  the circumference of earth can be calculated
  being times the distance d between A and S.

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• D. Medieval Mapping
• Chinese
• - Chinese geographers highly advanced
• - invented compass in 11th-century
• - burned sticks of incense to measure time
• Muslim world
• - Arab geographers (700-1400) translated
• Greek geographic works
• - religious need for good maps?
• holy pilgrimage to Mecca prayer
• facing Mecca 5 times a day

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Muslim World in 1500
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• Europe
• - not too brightMedieval Christian T-O Map

Crusader map of Jerusalem, dating from the 12th-
century (east is at the top)
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E. Modern Geography1. Modern Geography
started during Scientific Revolution -
philosopher Immanuel Kant - studied
epistemology (knowledge)
A PHILOSOPHY OF SPACE A PHILOSOPHY OF SPACE A PHILOSOPHY OF SPACE
ABSOLUTE SUBSTANTIVE RELATIVE
knowledge gained through experience fundamental laws (Cogito ergo sum) scientific or religious a priori knowledge exists outside of us reality is perception knowledge is subjective between objects we produce space
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• End of 19th-century geography a discipline in
  world universities - scientific influence -
  positivism
• - empirical - quantitative revolution
• Today computer-generated map-making - GPS
  satellite systems - GIS (geographic information
  systems)

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The pioneering research of Paul Baran in the
1960s, who envisioned a communications network
that would survive a major enemy attackedthe
distributed network structure offered the best
survivability.
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Topophobia Landscapes of Fear?

• What places in South Florida cause you the most
  fear?
• Junk Mail?
• How do companies determine who to send junk mail?