Introductory Cultural Geography

What is geography?

“Description of the Earth”. Spatial Science and Study of Spatial Variation

Major contributors to geographic thought

invented by the ancient Greek scholar “Eratosthenes” (Strabo, Herodotus, Ptolemy, Idrisi)

Place and location (site vs. situation)

a specific point on Earth, distinguished by a particular characteristic. Every place occupies a unique location, or position, on Earth’s surface

Scale

the relationship between the portion of Earth being studied and Earth as a whole

Regions and their types

an area of Earth defined by one or more distinctive characteristics. Geographers divide the world into a number of regions

Cultural landscape

Visible expression of human activity

Human vs. Physical Geography

What are the two questions that human geographers ask?

Where are people and activities found on Earth? Why are they found there?

What are the four types of regions?

Functional, Perceptual, Administrative, Thematic

Site

Physical and cultural attributes of a place

Situation

Expression of relative location with particular reference to items of significance to the place in question