Unit 1: Thinking Geographically


The two types of Geography

  • Physical Geography

  • The study of spatial characteristics of various elements of the environment.

  • Weather, climate, ecosystems, biomes, geology

  • Human Geography

  • Study of the spatial characteristics of humans and their activities

  • Spatial Analysis

  • Location is the heart of geography

  • Goal is to understand why things and people are where they are, and why their location is important

  • Four Level Analysis spatial framework

  • Use this process when looking at a map, chart, graph, data table, landscape, or image.

    1. Level 1

  • What?

  • Where?

  • When?

  • Map Scale?

  • Scale of Analysis?

  • Source?

    1. Level 2

Are there any patterns

3. Level 3

  • Why and how did this pattern occur

    1. Level 4

  • What will be the impact on Society, Politics, Economy, Environment or Development (SPEED)

  • Maps

  • Reference Maps

  • Designed for general information about places

  • Politics Maps

  • Show human created boundaries such as countries, states, cities, and capitals

  • Physical maps

  • Show natural features such as mountains, rivers, and deserts

  • Plat maps

  • Show property lines and details of land ownership

  • Thematic maps

  • Show spatial aspects of information

  • Choropleth maps

  • Use colors or patterns to show spatial data. Often show quantitative data

  • Proportional symbol map

  • Use graduated symbols to show spatial data

  • Dot Distribution maps

  • Show the specific location of something on a map. Each dot represents a quantity and does not have to be a dot

  • Isoline maps

  • Use lines to connect points of equal data across space

  • Cartograms

  • The sizes of countries are shown according to some specific data

  • Scale

  • The ratio between the sizes of things in the real world and those on the map.

  • Small scale maps= Zoomed out and less detail

  • Large scale maps= Zoomed in and more detail

  • Location

  • Absolute location

  • The precise spot where something is according to a system

  • Relative Location

  • A description of where something is in relation to other things

  • Connectivity

  • How well something is tied together

  • Accessibility

  • How well people interact with other locations

  • Distance

  • Absolute Distance

  • Precise units of measure

  • Relative distance

  • Degrees of nearness based on time or money

  • Place

  • The general arrangement of things

  • Clustered

  • Phenomena are arranged in a group or concentrated in an area

  • Linear

  • Phenomena are arranged in a straight line

  • Dispersed

  • Phenomena are spread out over a large area

  • Circular

  • Phenomena are equally spaced from a central point, forming a circle

  • Geometric

  • Phenomena are in a regular arrangement

  • Random

  • Phenomena appear to have no order to their position

  • Projection

  • All maps are šŸ‘Ž

  • They distort aspects of reality

  • Shape

  • Area

  • Distance

  • Direction

  • The process of projecting a curved surface on a flat plane is called projection

  • Mercator Projection

  • Purpose

  • Navigation

  • Strengths

  • Directions are accurate; lines of latitude and longitude meet at right angles

  • Distortion

  • Land masses near the poles appear large

  • Why are people upset?

  • Peters Projecton

  • Purpose

  • Spatial distributions related to area

  • Strengths

  • Sizes of land masses are accurate

  • Distortion

  • Shapes are inaccurate, especially near the poles

  • Goode-Homosoline

  • Purpose

  • Spatial distributions

  • Strengths

  • Area and shape are preserved

  • Distortion

  • Interrupts the oceans

  • Mollweide

  • Purpose

  • Spatial distribution related to area

  • Strengths

  • An equal area projection, meaning sizes are more accurate

  • Distortion

  • Shapes of land masses and oceans are inaccurate

  • Robinson ā­ļø

  • Purpose

  • General use

  • Strengths

  • No major distortion, oval shape appears more like the globe than a rectangle

  • Distortion

  • All 4 are slightly distorted to prevent one from being grossly distorted

  • Conic

  • Purpose

  • General use in mid-latitude countries

  • Strengths

  • Lines of longitude converge; lines of latitude are curved; size and shape are close to reality

  • Distortion

  • Directions are not constant; longitude lines converge at one pole

  • Landscape Analysis

  • New Geographic Technology

  • Geographic Information System (GIS)

  • Integrated computer programs for handling, and analyzing data that is specifically referenced to Earths surface

  • Create Geovisualizations

  • GPS: System that determines the precise position of something on Earth through a series of satellites, tracking stations, and receivers

  • Remote sensing

  • Acquisition of data about Earths Surface from a satellite orbiting the planet or high altitude balloons

  • Field observations

  • Acquiring data firsthand by visiting a location

  • Spatial Concepts

  • Place

  • Refers to the human characteristics of a location

  • We refer to a location usingā€¦

  • Site

  • Characteristics at the immediate location

  • Situation

  • The location of the place relative to its surroundings

  • Sense of place

  • We perceive the characteristics of place based on personal belief

  • If a place has no personal ties then it is considered placeless

  • Distance and Time

  • Time-space Compression

  • Shrinking of relative locations based on better technology

  • Friction of Distance/Distance Decay

  • When things are farther apart they are less connected

  • Human Environment Interaction

  • Environmental Determinism

  • Climate is the determining factor in progress, energy and culture of people

  • Human behavior is strongly affected by and controlled or determined by the physical environment

  • Possibilism has replaced environmental determinism

  • The environment may limit some human actions, but people have the ability to adjust to their environment

  • When climate limits the crop, people can grow crops that are compatible

  • Scales of Analysis

  • The entire world- Global scale

  • Multiple countries of the world- World Regional

  • One country- National

  • A portion of a country or a region within a country- National-Regional

  • A province, state, city, county, or neighborhood- Local

  • Regionalization and Globalization

  • Formal Regions

  • Uniformity in one or more physical or cultural features

  • Functional/Nodal Regions

  • Spatial system defined by the interactions and connections that give it an organizational basis

  • Vernacular/Perceptual

  • Based on how people view a place

  • Reflect feelings and images rather than objective data

  • 2 Ways

  • How they view themselves

  • View of outsiders