AP Human Geography - Unit 1: Thinking Geographically

What is Human Geography?

Focus areas include:

  • How people create places

  • How people organize space and society

  • How people interact with each other

  • How people understand themselves and others

Human Geography Defined:

It examines how advances in communication and transportation connect places and people. Economic globalization affects cultural uniformity across regions.

Globalization:

Defined as processes increasing interactions among people across national borders. Originated in economic free trade but now involves broader societal interactions.

  • Concept Caching: Levi’s in Lucca, Italy

Field Note: Awakening to World Hunger

  • Personal Reflection: Experience ordering coffee in relation to studying Kenyan coffee plantations.

  • Key Observations:

    • Contrast between agricultural production (coffee) and local hunger.

    • Highlights complexities of globalization.

  • Visual Reference: Kericho, Kenya

Understanding Scale:

Geographers use the idea of scale to analyze global to local interrelations.

  • Tobler’s First Law of Geography: Proximity increases relevance.

  • Glocalization: Local scales are influenced by global processes.

Data Collection & Analysis:

  • Quantitative Data: Numeric data (e.g., Census).

  • Qualitative Data: Descriptive data (e.g., income range, religion).

Geographic Questions:

  • Medical Geography: Importance of mapping disease distribution for causative analysis.

  • Case Study: Dr. John Snow and cholera outbreak in London (1854) as a milestone in epidemiology.

Cholera Overview:

  • Disease Characteristics: Bacterial, causes diarrhea and dehydration.

  • Current Relevance: Still present in areas lacking adequate sanitation, especially flood-prone places.

Mapping Cholera in Haiti (2010):

  • Infection Rates by Dept.: <6% infection rates observed.

  • Visual Representation: Map illustrating cholera spread and impact.

The Spatial Perspective:

  • Immanuel Kant: Emphasis on the importance of geographical perspectives.

  • Five Themes of Geography: Understanding phenomena in spatial context.

  • Cultural landscape: Examines human influence on the environment.

Geographic Concepts:

Aim to facilitate geographic thinking and case studies.

Eight Major Concepts:

  • Location (absolute and relative)

  • Human-environment interactions

  • Region

  • Place

  • Movement

  • Cultural landscape

  • Scale

  • Context

Five Themes Introduction:

Developed by the National Geographic Society (1986). Derived from geographic spatial concerns.

Theme 1: Location:

  • Significance: Geographical positioning on outcomes.

  • Location Theory: Explains the placements of human activities.

  • Absolute Location: Fixed coordinates.

  • Relative Location: Contextual positioning, varies over time.

Theme 2: Human-Environment Interactions:

Investigates the relationship between humans and their physical surroundings. Prompts questions about the purpose and consequences of locational decisions.

Theme 3: Region:

Regions are areas with concentrated characteristics. Understanding regional geography helps synthesize information about areas. Further breakdown of regions discussed later.

Theme 4: Place:

Definition of a unique location, or toponym. Development of sense of place through cultural meanings. Concept of perception influences views of places.

Theme 5: Movement:

Movement pertains to the flow of people, goods, and ideas.

  • Factors for Spatial Interaction:

    • Distance

    • Accessibility

    • Transportation and communication connections

Cultural Landscape:

  • Definition: Evidence of human impact on the environment.

  • Coined by: Carl Sauer; fundamental to geography.

  • Incorporates all human-made features, intentional or unintentional.

Sequent Occupance:

Concept refers to layers of human impact in an area, building on previous occupations.

  • Example Regions: Athens, Mexico City

Maps in Geography: Why Use Maps?

  • Cartography: Art and science of map-making.

  • Types of Maps:

    • Reference Maps: Locations and features.

    • Thematic Maps: Storytelling and trend identification.

Reference Maps:

  • Focus on accurate placement of locations via a coordinate system.

  • Topographic Maps: Depict natural features without cultural elements.

  • Role of satellite-based GPS for precise geographic positioning.

Thematic Maps Continued:

Display variations in attributes or geographic trends. Relative Location: Position relative to other features.

Map Projections:

Transitioning 3D objects to a 2D surface leads to distortion.

  • Types of Projections:

    • Mercator: Oldest, navigational use, distorted at poles.

    • Robinson: Balanced aesthetics.

    • Peters: Accurate landmass placement.

    • Planar: Polar perspective, shortest distances.

Map Scale:

  • Ratio of: Map distance to Earth's distance.

  • Types:

    • Large Scale: Covers small areas in detail.

    • Small Scale: Covers large areas with less detail.

Mental Maps:

Representations of places in our minds, based on experience or hearsay.

  • Activity Spaces: Regularly visited locations.

  • Include terra incognita referring to unknown or unreachable areas.

Generalized Maps:

Shows trends and simplifications in data presentation. Choropleth Maps: Another term for generalized representation.

Isoline (Isotherm) Maps:

Connect points of the same value, widely used in meteorology and terrain mapping.

Population Distribution in South Asia (2012):

  • Dot representation indicating large populations.

  • Visual Analysis of: Area-based demographic trends.

Graduated Symbol Map:

Also referred to as Proportional Symbol Map.

Cartogram Representation:

Visualizes world data through population metrics.

Limitations of Maps:

Maps can omit important information, focusing on selected data. Considerations of scale impact information representation.

Remote Sensing and GIS:

Techniques for distant data collection and analysis of Earth's features. Facilitates time-based environmental studies.

Concepcion, Chile Example:

Satellite imagery post-2010 earthquake shows city layout and damage assessments.

Geographic Information Systems (GIS):

Harnesses technology to analyze and represent geographic data. Integrates multiple data layers for comprehensive mapping.

  • Tools used: Apple Maps, Google Maps, Garmin GPS.

Remote Sensing and GIS Continued:

Essential in both human and physical geography for data analysis.

Importance of Scale:

Distinction in scale includes map ratio and spatial extent. Influences observations of geographical phenomena.

  • Levels of Analysis: Local, Regional, National, Global.

Geographers’ Interest in Scale:

Observances change at different scales, affecting overall interpretations. Excellent for APHG exam preparation based on data interpretation across scales.

Scale in Study Importance:

Details influenced by scale of examination.

  • Example: Jumping Scale in political actions, per geographer Victoria Lawson.

Regions Defined:

  • Formal Region: Areas sharing cultural or physical traits (e.g., French-speaking Europe).

  • Homogeneity: Key characteristic in defining regions.

Region Types:

  • Functional Region: Defined by interconnected activities (e.g., City of Chicago).

  • Perceptual Regions: Subjective constructs for understanding human geography.

Concept Caching:

Perceptual regions as identified by Wilbur Zelinsky's maps of North America's vernacular regions.

Culture:

Encompasses tangible lifestyles and underlying beliefs/values. Interconnected with anthropology field.

  • Culture Trait: A distinct attribute of culture.

Cultural Complex and Hearth:

  • Culture Complex: Unique combinations of traits defining cultures.

  • Cultural Hearth: Origin areas for cultural traits; ex: Islam from Mecca.

Diffusion Concepts:

  • Expansion Diffusion: Trait remains strong in the hearth while spreading outward.

  • Contagious Diffusion: Spread via personal contact; affects nearly all adjacent individuals. Example: Trends like Silly Bandz.

Hierarchical and Reverse Hierarchical Diffusion:

  • Hierarchical: Spread among susceptible segments. Example: High Fashion.

  • Reverse Hierarchical: Grassroots movements upward through social strata.

  • Stimulus Diffusion: Ideas needing adaptation for acceptance.

Diffusion Mapping Examples:

Visual representations of Contagious and Hierarchical Diffusions.

Relocation Diffusion:

Involves the actual migration to propagate traits. Must achieve adoption in new locales to be effective.

Globalization and Diffusion:

  • Time-Distance Decay: Importance dissipates over distance from a cultural hearth.

  • Spatial Interactions: Influencing factors on diffusion processes.

Environmental Determinism:

Claims human behavior is significantly influenced by the environment. Critique of historical Eurocentrism in societal advancements.

Possibilism:

Opposes environmental determinism; states environment limits choices rather than dictates them. Challenges include identifying carrying capacity versus technological capability.

Cultural and Political Ecology:

  • Cultural Ecology: Views culture as an adaptive system to the environment.

  • Political Ecology: Considers environmental impacts of political-economic structures. Stresses human diversity beyond environmental determinism.