APHG Unit 1 & 2 Notes

Geography Basics

  • Geography studies Earth's regions and space, unlike history which focuses on eras and time.
  • Human geography examines patterns and processes of human activity on Earth's surface.
  • Key questions: What is happening there? Why is it happening there? Why do we care?
  • Methods include observation (visual, images, statistics, maps) using quantitative and qualitative data.

Maps

  • Reference Maps: Provide general information (roads, boundaries).
    • Topographic maps: Show physical landscapes.
    • Political maps: Show political boundaries.
  • Thematic Maps: Focus on specific phenomena or themes.
    • Choropleth Maps: Use shades/colors for data values in areas.
    • Symbol Maps: Use symbols to represent data points.
    • Isoline Maps: Connect points of equal value with lines.
    • Cartograms: Distort region size to represent data.
    • Dot Density Maps: Use dots for occurrences of phenomena.
    • Heat Maps: Use color gradients for data intensity.
  • Map Scale:
    • RF (Representative Fraction): No units.
    • Verbal Scale: Uses words.
    • Visual Scale: Bar format.
    • Small Scale: Large area, less detail.
    • Large Scale: Small area, more detail.

Geospatial Data

  • Quantitative: Numerical data.
  • Qualitative: Descriptive data.
  • Geospatial: Data linked to a geographic location.
  • Georeferenced data: Observation that location was noted.
  • GIS: Geographic Information Systems; software to identify patterns using multiple data layers.
  • GPS: Global Positioning System; uses satellites for precise location.
    • Needs at least 4 satellites.
  • Remote Sensing: Data collection from a distance (satellite images).
  • Demographic Data: Statistics about people (census).

Spatial Concepts

  • Location:
    • Absolute: Latitude/longitude, exact address.
    • Relative: Cardinal directions, descriptive (near, far).
  • Distance & Direction: Used to describe relative location.
  • Patterns: Clustering & dispersal.
  • Space: Unchanging area of Earth's surface.
  • Place: Physical and human characteristics of a space; changes.
  • Site: Physical characteristics of a place (absolute and relative location).
  • Situation: Relationship between a place and other places.
  • Location Theory: Explains why places are organized as they are.
  • Connectivity: Connection between places.
  • Accessibility: Ease of reaching a place.
  • Centrality: Influence of a city within an urban area.
  • Tobler’s First Law: Near things are more related than distant things.
  • Flows: Patterns of movement from one place to another.
  • Distance Decay: Interaction declines as distance increases.
  • Time-Space Compression: Technology reduces the effect of distance.

Human-Environment Interaction

  • Nature and Society: How humans use the environment.
  • Society: Group of people in a community.
  • Nature: Natural, physical world.
  • Cultural Landscape: Human-altered environment.
  • Land Use: Residential, commercial, etc.
  • Natural Resources: Materials used for economic gain.
  • Sustainability: Meeting present needs without compromising future generations.
  • Natural Disasters: Events causing damage; impact humans.
  • Technological Disasters: Human-caused environmental failures.
  • Environmental Modification: Altering the environment for human needs.
  • Environmental Adaptation: Adjusting practices to environmental conditions.
  • Theories:
    • Environmental Determinism: Environment shapes human activity.
    • Possibilism: Humans alter the environment with technology.

Scale of Analysis

  • Data Analysis: Determine best way to display data (maps, charts, diagrams).
  • Range of Observations: Data chunked into ranges.
  • Scale of Analysis: Geographic unit and data ranges.
  • Scales:
    • Global: Worldwide.
    • Regional: Large areas with shared traits.
    • National: Country scale.
    • Sub-National: Smaller regions within a country.
    • Local: Smallest geographic units (city, zip code).
  • Patterns and Analysis: Observation, pattern identification, analysis.
  • Level of Generalization: Abstraction in cartography.

Regional Analysis

  • Region: Area with common features.
  • Unifying Characteristics: Shared traits within a region.
  • Types of Regions:
    • Formal: Common quantifiable traits, political units.
    • Functional: Spatial interaction.
    • Perceptual: Individual identity/experiences.
  • Trouble with Boundaries: Overlapping, transitional, contested.
  • Scales: Local, national, supranational, global.
  • Supranational: Multi-country organizations.
  • Descriptors: SPEED (Social, Political, Economic, Environmental, Demographic).
  • Development:
    • MDC: More Developed Country.
    • LDC: Less Developed Country.
    • NIC: Newly Industrialized Country.
  • Characteristics:
    • MDC: High education, stable government, service economies.
    • LDC: Low education, government corruption, agrarian economies.
    • NIC: Improving education, gender equality, manufacturing economies.
  • Major World Regions: The West, The East, The Islamic Realm, The Global North, The Global South.

Population Distribution

  • Density: High in cities, low in countryside.
  • Factors:
    • Physical: Climate, landforms, water bodies.
    • Human: Culture, history, economics, politics.
  • Ecumene: Inhabited land.
  • Population Density: People per unit of land.
    • Arithmetic: Total population / total land.
    • Physiological: Total population / arable land.
    • Agricultural: Farmers / arable land.
  • Consequences:
    • Pressure: Unequal distribution can lead to over or underpopulation.
    • Services: Unequal distribution of services.