Geography An Overview

Geography: An Overview

Introduction to Geography

• Geography is a broad field, and this lecture serves as part one of the introductory material for week one.
• Students are required to watch both parts (including "earth basics") entirely, as they will be tested on the content.

What is Geography?

• Many students have encountered geography in their K-12 education within history classes.
• Geography is often perceived as memorization and map-based knowledge; however, this is only partially true.
• While K-12 geography involves maps, geography at the university level is very different.
• This course will provide a taste of what geography truly is, but maps will still be used to some extent.
• The focus will not be on memorizing locations like the Rocky Mountains or African lakes.
• A specific definition of geography is not provided because the lecturer finds definitions too limiting.
• Geography stems from the ancient term "Geographia," meaning to write and study about Earth.
• The course will not focus on memorizing planetary features or map details.

Defining Geography Broadly

• Geography is a multidisciplinary field examining Earth's physical and human landscapes, and the relationship between them.
• It is divided into three main subfields:
  • Physical Geography
  • Human Geography
  • Geospatial Technologies
• Geography majors receive training in all three subfields and specialize as they advance in education.

Physical Geography

• Focuses on physical landscapes, systems, processes, and changes over time.
• Draws from geology, climatology, oceanography, meteorology, biology, etc., to understand spatial distribution of features.
• This course is primarily about physical geography and includes a lab component for practical learning and application.

Human Geography

• Examines human landscapes and patterns over time.
• Interfaces with history, migration patterns, population demographics, urbanism, sociology, resources, and war.
• Looks at the human landscape superimposed over the physical landscape, studying patterns.

Geospatial Technologies

• Formerly the cartography portion of geography, now uses advanced computer software.
• Includes Geographic Information Systems (GIS).
• GIS is widely used in cities, utility companies, fire departments, crime analytics, real estate, census information, and the U.S. Government.
• Earning a GIS certificate is popular among geography majors due to its job prospects.
• GIS involves systems like ArcGIS, ArcMaps, made by Esri, a billion-dollar company.
• Students will see some ArcGIS maps in labs but will not build them themselves.

Mapping and Human Nature

• Maps are used in this course, including basic maps and Google Earth assignments.
• Humans have an innate desire to organize space around them.
• In ancient times, communal settings like nomadic tribes had organized layouts with central bonfire areas and separate structures for sleeping and storage.
• Even in camping, people organize campsites, considering privacy, flat ground, and safety.
• Humans organize space to make sense of it, even in personal spaces like rooms。

Mapping as an Extension of Organizing Space

• Mapping is an extension of the human desire to organize space.
• The Roman Empire used maps to understand and document borders, cities, infrastructure, and troop locations.
• Ancient Chinese maps and maps from the Muslim Golden Age of the Mediterranean also reflect this.
• Today's maps are more advanced, such as population cluster maps, transportation maps, and census data maps.
• Examples:
  • Population cluster map of India, Iran, and Saudi Arabia
  • Transportation cluster map of the Middle East
  • U.S. Census Bureau maps showing states with the most divorcees at age 30
  • Cal Poly Humboldt's