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.