GCTG- Lesson 1

LESSON 1: INTRODUCTION TO GEOGRAPHY

Geography

The study of places and the relationships between people and their environments

• Social Science

• Economic Geography

• Cultural Geography

Human Geography Branches

• Physical Science

• Climatology

• Geomorphology

• Biogeography

Physical Geography Branches

Tourism Geography

• A branch of geography that studies the position and appearance of tourist centers, their individual natural and cultural-historical characteristics, the attractions and traditions in the context of the area where they are found, the transportation network assuring the accessibility, and the links with other tourism centers. (Merlo, 1969)
  

• Concerned with the space, place, and environmental dimensions of tourism (William and Shaw,2001)

Merlo, 1969

Tourism Geography according to ______
A branch of geography that studies the position and appearance of tourist centers, their individual natural and cultural-historical characteristics, the attractions and traditions in the context of the area where they are found, the transportation network assuring the accessibility, and the links with other tourism centers.

William and Shaw,2001

Tourism Geography according to ______
Concerned with the space, place, and environmental dimensions of tourism.

Climatology

focuses on the long-term weather patterns of a specific location, known as its climate, which differs from weather—the short-term atmospheric conditions experienced daily. Climate plays a crucial role in determining the seasonal flow of tourists to various destinations and influences the types of activities available during different times of the year. Global climate change is expected to significantly impact the tourism industry, especially in regions heavily reliant on tourism, such as coastal areas—facing rising sea levels—and mountainous regions, where snow is becoming increasingly scarce.

Geomorphology

examines the Earth's landforms and the spatial arrangement of continents and islands. It studies natural processes like plate tectonics, mountain formation, and surface erosion, which continuously—but often gradually—reshape the Earth's surface. These geological processes have created some of the world’s most iconic scenic landscapes and popular recreation destinations.

Biogeography

explores the geographic distribution of plants and animals. Both climate and geomorphology influence the types of vegetation and wildlife native to a region. However, human activities have often altered these natural ecosystems over time. A solid understanding of biogeography is vital for managing ecotourism destinations and preserving outdoor recreational resources, ensuring that tourism development aligns with environmental conservation.

• Latitude

• Longitude

• Equator

• Prime Meridian

Climatology Terms

Latitude

These lines circle the earth parallel to the equator and measure the distance north or south of the equator in degrees

Longitude

The distance east and west from the arbitrary line called the prime meridian. Represented as vertical lines on most maps

Equator

is measured at 0’ latitude. An imaginary line around the middle of the Earth. It is halfway between the North and South Poles, and divides Earth into the Northern and Southern Hemispheres.

Prime Meridian

The line of 0° longitude, the starting point for measuring distance both east and west around the Earth.

Chester Arthur

At an international convention called by U.S. President _________ in 1884, representatives from 25 countries agreed to pick a single, standard meridian.

1884

At an international convention called by U.S. President Chester Arthur in ____, representatives from 25 countries agreed to pick a single, standard meridian.

25

At an international convention called by U.S. President Chester Arthur in 1884, representatives from __countries agreed to pick a single, standard meridian.

Royal Observatory - Greenwich, England.

They chose the meridian passing through the ______________ in ________ The Greenwich Meridian became the international standard for the prime meridian.

• Oceans

• Ocean Currents

Geomorphology terms

Oceans

A huge body of saltwater that covers about 71 percent of Earth’s surface. The planet has one global ocean, though oceanographers and the countries of the world have traditionally divided it into five distinct regions:

• Pacific ocean

• Atlantic ocean

• Indian ocean

• Arctic ocean

• Southern Ocean

The 5 distinct regions of the Ocean

Ocean Currents

the continuous, predictable, directional movement of seawater driven by gravity, wind (Coriolis Effect), and water density. Ocean water moves in two directions: horizontally and vertically. Horizontal movements are referred to as currents, while vertical changes are called upwellings or downwelling’s. This abiotic system is responsible for the transfer of heat, variations in biodiversity, and Earth’s climate system.

Continents

A ______ is one of Earth’s seven main divisions of land.

• Asia

• Africa

• North America

• South America

• Antarctica

• Europe

• Australia/Oceania

The 7 Continents

• Polar zone

• Temperature zone

• Subtropical zone

• Tropical zone

Climate Zones

Tropic of Cancer

The Tropical zone above the equator

Tropic of Capricorn

The Tropical zone below the equator

• Space

• Place

• Region

Human geography terms

• Geographical space

• Spatial pattern

Types of Space

Geographical space

is the three- dimensional space that encompasses the livable surface of the earth.

Spatial pattern

The distribution of something over an area. Also called as spatial organization.

Geographical place

are points of presence. A place exists and has a location.

• Location address

• Physical Landscape features

• Cultural Landscape features

Some means of distinguishing one place from another.

relationship with other places within its spatial realm

A______ (for geographic places, you can at least measure a distance between any two places on the planet, although many other types of relationships also exist, such as economic and cultural).

Region

an area of land that is larger than a place and which contains a common characteristic, such as the growing of a particular crop or the market area of a product.

Region

There are many ways in which space can be regionalized in this way. Examples include political, economic, physical and cultural.

• Homogenous (Formal) Regions

• Nodal (Functional) Regions

• Vernacular (Perceptual) Regions

Types of Regions

Homogenous (Formal) Regions

contain a common characteristic that is found throughout an area in equal degree.

Nodal (Functional) Regions

have a central point at which the characteristic defining the region is most predominant.

Vernacular (Perceptual) Regions

are more abstract and less structured than formal or functional regions. They are formed based on people's perceptions or collective mental map of the world's geography.

Priori Region

An a ________ is one that is arbitrarily drawn on the surface of the earth. Political units, such as states, provinces and countries, are the most common type of a ______

Examples: Many of the political boundaries in Africa and the Southwest Asia (the Middle East), are the result of political processes that, either intentionally or out of ignorance, divide major cultural groups into more than one country.

Sense of Place

A place comes into existence when humans give meaning to a part of the larger geographic space.

Sense of Place

Places that have a________ have a strong identity and character that is deeply felt by both its inhabitants and visitors. It is a social phenomenon that exists independent of any one individual's perceptions or experiences. This feeling may be derived from the natural environment but is more often made up of a mix of natural and cultural features in the landscape, including the people who occupy the landscape.

Maps

a symbolic representation of selected characteristics of a place, usually drawn on a flat surface. ____ present information about the world in a simple, visual way.

Maps

They teach about the world by showing sizes and shapes of countries, locations of features and distances between places.

Maps

_____ can show distributions of things over Earth, such as settlement patterns. They can show exact locations of houses and streets in a city neighborhood.

• Flat Maps

• Route Maps

• Globes

• Mental Maps

Some Typres of Maps

Flat Maps

Standard _______are those most of us are familiar with

Route Maps

Useful reference tools especially for airlines which often distributes a map that shows all the route it flies

Globes

The most accurate maps to use.

Mental Maps

It represents the way how you picture geography in your mind.

International Date Line

A vertical zigzagging line that bisects the Pacific Ocean. Crossing it requires a bit complicated thinking often expressed as “gaining a day“ or “losing a day”.

International Date Line

The ________ It curves around several land masses. For example it curves around the islands that make up the nation of Kiribati so that all regions of the country remain on the same day.

International Date Line

The _______, which roughly follows the 180° meridian, is only halfway around the globe from the prime meridian, which measures 0° longitude.

time zones

A zone on the terrestrial globe that is approximately 15° longitude wide and extends from pole to pole and within which a uniform clock time is used.

time zones

are the functional basis of standard time and were introduced in the late 19th century as railways connected places that had differing local times.