Praxis 5581 - Geographic Literacy and Human Environment Interaction

Praxis 5581

What are tools that geographers use?

• Maps

• GPS (Global Positioning System)

• GIS (Geographic Information Systems)

• Theodolites

• Remote sensors

region

• Specific area that shares common features.

• Can be natural or human-made.

Examples of regions

Formal Regions, Functional Regions, Perceptual Regions

formal region

Well-defined boundaries and are characterized by specific, measurable traits like climate, language, or economic activity.

Examples of Formal Regions

countries, states, and climate zones.

functional region

Defined by interactions and connections centered around a central point or node.

Examples of functional region

transportation networks, market areas, and metropolitan areas

perceptual region

• Based on people’s feelings, attitudes, and beliefs about a place.

• Often shaped by cultural, historical, or personal experiences.

Example of Perceptual Regions

The American South, the Middle East.

relative location

• Describes a place’s position in relation to other places.

• More subjective way of pinpointing a location, often used in everyday conversations and directions.

absolute location

The exact location of a place on Earth, usually expressed as latitude and longitude coordinates.

• Geographic term that describes a place’s position in a way that’s always the same, regardless of the observer’s location.

Physical characteristics of place.

Landforms, Bodies of Water, Climate, Soil, Vegetation, Animal Life

Human characteristics of place.

Culture, Economy, Government, Population, Infrastructure, Land Use, Architecture

scale

Refers to the relationshipbetween a distance on a mapand the corresponding distance on Earth’s surface.

Large-Scale Maps

Show smaller areas in greater detail.

Small-Scale Maps

Show larger areas with less detail.

2 data sources used by geographers to discover patterns in geography.

1. Census Bureau

2. Remote Sensing

How do geographers use Census Bureau data?

• Analyze population demographics, housing trends, economic indicators, and social characteristics.

• Collect data on population density, age distribution, income levels, education attainment, employment rates, and housing types.

• Identify urban growth patterns, demographic shifts, and socioeconomic disparities.

How do geographers use remote sensing data?

• Monitor land use changes, natural disasters, and environmental impacts.

• Examine land cover, vegetation health, water bodies, urban expansion, and deforestation.

• Track urban sprawl, identifying deforestation hotspots, and assessing the impact of climate change.

Significance of GPS in geography.

Global Positioning System

• Provides accuratelatitude, longitude, and altitude data, essential for mapping, navigation, and GIS.

• Enables real-time tracking of objects and people, useful for wildlife tracking, emergency response, and logistics.

• GPS data integrated with GIS allows for analyzing spatial patterns and relationships, aiding in understanding geographic phenomena like urban growth and climate change impacts.

Significance of GIS in geography.

Geographic Information System

• Allows geographers to analyze spatial patterns, relationships, and trends.

• Enables the creation of maps and visualizations that communicate complex spatial information effectively.

What does a world region mapshow?

• Divides Earth’s surface into distinct geographical areas.

• Each area is characterized by shared physical, cultural, or political attributes.

• Help to visualize the spatial relationships between countries, continents, and regions.

• Highlights differences and similarities in climate, topography, population distribution, and cultural features.

7 geographical regions.

1. North America

2. South America

3. Europe

4. Africa

5. Asia

6. Australia and Oceania

7. Antarctica

map projection

Method of representing the ellipsoidal Earth surface on a flat surface.

Types of map projections.

1. Mercator Projection

2. Robinson Projection

3. Goode’s Homolosine Projection

4. Azimuthal Projection

5. Mollweide Projection

6. Lambert Conformal Conic Projection

7. Peters Projection

When to use Mercator Projection.

• Standard projection for nautical charts.

• Many online maps use a modified version of the Mercator projection, known as the Web Mercator projection, to display geographic information on screens.

When to use Robinson Projection.

• Produces a visually pleasing map of the entire world.

• Minimizes distortion in area, shape, distance, and direction, making it suitable for general reference.

• Provides a good sense of the relative sizes and shapes of continents and oceans.

When to use Goode’s Homolosine Projection.

• Shows global patterns and distributions, such as population density, climate, or economic indicators.

• Provides a balanced view of the world’s continents and oceans, minimizing distortion in area.

When to use Azimuthal Projection.

• Provides a clear and undistorted view of the polar areas.

• Useful for planning flight paths, as they accurately show the shortest distance between two points on the globe.

• Can help visualize the range and direction of radio signals.

• Military applications.

When to use Mollweide Projection.

• Visualizing global patterns and distributions, such as population density, climate, or economic indicators.

• Providing a balanced view of the world’s continents and oceans, minimizing distortion in area.

When to use Lambert Conformal Conic Projection.

• Accurately represents the shapes of features, especially within the standard parallels.

• Minimizes distortion in area and distance, particularly near the standard parallels.

• Popular projection for topographic maps, nautical charts, and large-scale maps of countries like the United States.

When to use Peters Projection.

• Provides a more accurate depiction of the relative size of countries, particularly those in the Global South.

• Challenges the traditional Eurocentric view of the world, which often exaggerates the size of European and North American countries.

• Used to highlight global inequalities and promote a more balanced perspective on world affairs.

remote sensing

• Any method of collecting data about an object or location without making physical contact with it.

• Main purpose is to determine information about an object or phenomenon that can’t be assessed through physical contact or that requires additional research.

3 remote sensing tools.

1. Light Detection and Ranging (LIDAR)

2. Sound navigation ranging (Sonar)

3. Spectrometers

How does a sun-synchronous orbit work?

It is an orbit a satellite takes around the Earth where the movement and orbit of the satellite always appear the same from the perspective of the Sun.

What are geostationary orbitsand what are they used for?

• Orbits undergone by satellites in which the satellite orbits directly over the Earth’s equator and completes a single orbital period at the same rate the Earth rotates.

• This amounts to the satellite remaining in the same position in the sky throughout the whole day.

• These orbits are used by spy satellites, communication satellites, and military defense satellites.

5 themes of geography.

1. Location

2. Place

3. Human environment interaction

4. Movement

5. Region

location

Which includes both absolute and relative location.

Place

Revolves around the physical and human characteristics of a place.

Human Environment Interaction

Is the study of the how humans interact and adapt to the environment.

Movement

Is a look at how people move themselves, goods, and information around the globe.

Region

Seeks to divide the earth in manageable regions for study based on formal, functional and vernacular regions.

How is the scientific method used in geography?

• Used to investigate and acquire new knowledge or improve upon previous knowledge.

• Geographers use it to explain observations and solve puzzles about the world around us.