What is Human Geography

1. What is Human Geography?

  • Learning Objective:

    • PSO – 1.A: Define major geographic concepts that illustrate spatial relationships.

      • Concepts: Spatial perspective, Location, Place, Site, Situation

    • PSO – 1.B: Explain how major geographic concepts illustrate spatial relationships.

      • Concepts: Mental maps, Distribution, Distance decay, Time-space compression, Environmental determinism, Possibilism

2. Essential Questions in Geography

  • Key questions to explore:

    • Where is it?

      • Geographic inquiry starts with location.

    • Why is it there?

      • Analyzes processes and interactions that lead to the current state.

    • Why do we care?

      • Establishes the relevance of the geographic inquiry.

3. Developing Spatial Perspective

  • Investigating the three essential questions strengthens spatial perspective.

  • Enables understanding of:

    • How people live on Earth

    • How societies are organized

    • Reasons behind human events in particular locations

  • Activity: Draw a detailed mental map of a familiar room and label key components.

4. Understanding Location

  • Location: Description of a point's position on Earth.

    • Types of Location:

      • Absolute Location:

        • Precise; requires using coordinates (latitude/longitude).

        • Uses GPS (Global Positioning System).

      • Relative Location:

        • Imprecise; based on location knowledge relative to other places.

        • Direction is crucial for both absolute and relative location.

5. Absolute Locations to Identify

  • Instructions: Find the absolute locations for:

    • 32°N, 97°W

    • 1°N, 104°E

    • 13°S, 172°W

    • 27°N, 85°E

    • 22°S, 43°W

    • 41°S, 175°E

    • 40°N, 74°W

    • 12°N, 44°E

    • Locations include Garland, Singapore, Samoa, Kathmandu, Rio de Janeiro, Wellington, NYC, Djibouti

6. Relative Location

  • Relative Location:

    • Implies the location of a place concerning others.

    • Directions are significant for determining relative locations.

  • Activity: Create and share directions to two locations based on relative location.

7. Characteristics of Place

Physical Characteristics:

  • Climate

  • Landforms

  • Soils

  • Water sources

  • Vegetation

  • Animal life

  • Considered in terms of biomes.

Human Characteristics:

  • Languages

  • Religions

  • Political systems

  • Economic systems

  • Population distribution

  • Architecture

  • Quality of life

    • Place: Defined by these distinguishing physical and human characteristics.

8. Sense of Place

  • Developing a sense of place involves:

    • Attaching emotions to places based on personal experiences.

    • Both physical and human characteristics play a role.

    • Activity: Identify and share three locations you have a strong sense of place for.

9. Concepts of Site and Situation

Site:

  • Refers to the absolute location along with its physical characteristics.

    • Example: "Barcelona is located on a plain with the Besos River to the north and the Llobregat River to the south…"

Situation:

  • Refers to a place’s location relative to others or its surrounding features.

    • Example: "Barcelona is a port city on the Mediterranean Sea…"

10. Understanding Regions in Geography

  • Learning Objectives:

    • SPS – 1.A: Describe different ways geographers define regions.

      • Types: Formal region, Functional region, Node, Perceptual region.

    • PSO – 1.C and 1.D: Define and explain the scales of analysis in geography:

      • Types: Global, Regional, National, Local.

11. Definition and Importance of Regions

  • Regions are constructs created by humans; boundaries can be defined differently.

  • They are tools for organizing:

    • Locations, distributions, patterns, and situations.

    • Regions can vary in size and act as scales of analysis.

12. Types of Regions

Formal Regions:

  • Defined by shared characteristics.

  • Typically have well-defined boundaries (also called uniform regions).

Functional Regions:

  • Defined by social or economic relationships centered around a node.

  • Sometimes referred to as nodal regions; dependent on function.

Perceptual Regions:

  • Exist in people's minds and reflect their feelings about a place.

  • Boundaries are often fuzzy or unclear (also called vernacular regions).

13. Additional Examples of Regions

  • Examples of Formal Regions:

    • New York City as a formal region with defined boundaries.

  • Functional Regions:

    • Example involves the influence of a central node impacting surrounding areas.

  • Perceptual Regions Existence:

    • Defined by people's sentiments and attitudes toward a region (e.g., North America).