Human Geography Chapter 1. what is geography? “description of the earth” a study of spatial variation –the how and why of physical & cultural differences.

Human GeographyChapter 1

what is geography?

• “description of the earth”• a study of spatial variation

– the how and why of physical & cultural differences

– location, location, location– observable patterns that have evolved

through time

-interaction of physical environment and human activity (Marsh, Sauer) -cultural landscape can alter the natural environment

evolution of the discipline- mapping/human interpretation

• Aristotle (384-322 BC)• Erathosthenes (276 BC)• Strabos (63BC-24AD)/Herodotus (484-

423BC)

Ptolemy (2nd century AD)

outside the western world

• Chinese Scholars• Muslim Scholars

human geography

• Where are people?• What are they like?• What is their interaction over space?• What kinds of landscapes do they erect?

physical geography

• attention towards natural landscape– landforms and their distribution– atmospheric conditions and climatic

patterns– soils / vegetation associations

modern geography…..

• 1. Climates, patterns, processes of physical environment

• 2. Rapid development of natural sciences

• 3. Accurate mapping• 4. Data collection / statistics

academic geography

• Earth science• Man-land relations• Areal differentiation• Spatial organization

– location– processes– patterns– interactions/relations– distributions

three concepts about space

• Location• Direction• Distance

absolute location

• Mathematical location– Latitude & Longitude

• degrees, minutes, seconds

– Township & Range (1785 Land Ordinance)• Subdivision: parallels & meridians• Topographic quadrangle, US Geological Survey

– Metes & Bounds

latitude & longitude

(22° 15' N, 114° 10‘ E)

relative location

• “place” in relationship to surroundings

• Site– absolute location concept– physical & cultural characteristics

• Topography, vegetation, water, physical characteristic

• Situation– external relations of locale– relative location concept– dynamic

absolute directions

• Based on cardinal systems– north, south, east, west– from solar system

relative directions

• Based on cultural & local perceptions– no absolute boundaries or definitions– “down south”, “out west”, “up north”, “down

south”, “Near East”, “Far East”

absolute distance

• Absolute mathematical mileage, or measurement of distance

relative distance

• Refers to a more regional spatial relationship– how distance is described

MILES MINUTES

$$$ & TIME

psychological distance

• Distance lengthened / shortened– first time traveled– night / day travel– safety / danger / excitement

size & scale

• Size of unit studied• Scale implies degree of generalization

– broad or narrow– Varying sizes

• local • regional• global

landscapes

• Natural• Cultural• Dynamic

multi-varied landscapes

process of change

Before 1970 After development

Long Island, New York

spatial interaction

• Accessibility – how easy/difficult to overcome time

& space separation

• Connectivity– how places are connected

• Spatial diffusion– process of dispersion of ideas or items from a

center of origin to more distant points

• Globalization– Increasing interconnection of peoples and

societies worldwide

globalization

• Standardization– $$$$, EU, time, United Nations

• Containerization– movement of products– outsourcing

• Intersection of the ‘haves’ & ‘have nots’– cell phones, internet

spatial distribution

• Arrangement of items on Earth’s surface

• Three concepts

1. density

• Measure of the number/quantity within a defined unit of areas – proportion

• arithmetic• physiological density

2. dispersion (concentration)

• Amount of spread of phenomenon over an area– 1. clustered, agglomerated– 2. dispersed, scattered, random

3. pattern

• Emphasizes design rather than spacing– linear (a) – road, river, rail line– centralized (b) – city & suburbs– random (c)

• Rectangular system of land survey - U.S.– rural: checkerboard, 1 mile squares– cities: grid system

regional concepts

• 1. formal or uniform regions– Areas of essential uniformity

• Physical or cultural• Sahara Desert, “Bible Belt”

2. functional region

• spatial system defined by interactions/ connections

Glendale Galleria

Newspaper Route

3. perceptual regions

• Less structured & more culturally based

The “Valley’China Town

cartography – the science of making maps

• Maps provide a visual tool • Maps are subjective• Map projections transfer locations on a

round surface to a flat surface– some form of distortion always occurs– greater distortion results from larger areas

depicted

global grid system

mathematics of the Earth

• Aristotle (384-322 BC) discovered the earth to be an oblate spheroid

– Equatorial bulge 7926.38 (7924) – Polar shortening 7899.80 (7922)– 23.5° axis (tilt)

seasons and climate

• Earth’s rotation & movement around the sun

• Tilt of the earth’s axis (23.5°)• Receipt of solar radiation• Re-radiation of energy in the form of

heat

the Earth’s divisions

• Latitude lines – Equal distance between lines– Lines become increasingly smaller descending

from the equator to poles

• Longitude lines– Each line is the same exact length– All lines become increasingly close together as

they descend to the poles

important lines of latitude

• Equator: 0 degrees• Tropic of Cancer: 23.5 degrees North• Tropic of Capricorn: 23.5 degrees South• Arctic Circle: 66.5 degrees North• Antarctic Circle: 66.5 degrees South

important lines of longitude

• Prime Meridian: 0 degrees (runs through Greenwich, England)

• International Dateline: 180 degrees• Time Zones: every 15 degrees of

longitude equals one hour

maps

• Scale– the smaller the scale the

greater the detail - for example one inch = one

mile is more detailed than one inch = one hundred miles

1:1 or 1:100

• Legend – interprets map information

map projections & distortion

• Shape• Distance• Relative size• Direction

Mercator: preserves direction, distorts landmassFuller’s: preserves shape and size, distorts directionRobinson: minimizes projection errorsPeters: equal-area projection, focus on Africa Azimuthal: oriented to the Poles

Robinson map projection

Fuller’s Dymaxion projection

Topographical map

Thematic maps

Cartogram map

Geographical Information Systems

mental maps