aphg unit 1

Geography Overview

• Geography is not uniform, divided into two main branches:

  • Physical Geography: Studies natural phenomena and processes.

  • Human Geography: Examines how humans perceive, utilize, and modify the earth.

Understanding Geography

Spatial Perspective

• Focuses on the importance of event locations and reasons behind them.

  • Questions include:

    • Where does something occur?

    • Why there?

    • Why should we care?

Ecological Perspective

• Examines the relationship between living beings and their environment.

  • Investigates how ecosystems and humans influence each other.

Key Concepts in Geography

Location Types

• Absolute Location:

  • Exact position using latitude and longitude.

  • Example: 47° 50' N, 1994' E.

• Relative Location:

  • Where something is in relation to surrounding landmarks.

Place

• Distinction from location; areas defined by human and physical traits.

  • Physical Characteristics: Climate, landforms, soil.

  • Human Characteristics: Language, culture, governance.

Site and Situation

• Site: Combination of absolute location and physical characteristics of a place.

• Situation: Relative location linked to connectivity with other areas (e.g., transport routes).

Space and Density

• Space: The area between objects, vital for understanding interactions.

• Density: Number of items in a given space, assisting in comparative analysis.

Patterns and Flow

• Pattern: The arrangement of entities in a space.

• Flow: Movement of people, goods, and information, affected by transport systems.

Latitude and Longitude

• Latitude: Measures north-south position, equator at 0 degrees.

• Longitude: Measures east-west position around the globe.

Models in Geography

Importance of Models

• Models aid understanding of interactions and social phenomena.

Distance Decay Model

• Indicates that distance affects interaction rates; further apart means less interaction.

  • Linked to "friction of distance" where distance slows interactions.

Human-Environment Interaction

• Recognizes the dependency of humans on their environment and vice versa.

Environmental Determinism vs. Possibilism

• Environmental Determinism: Suggests environment heavily dictates human behavior (deemed outdated).

• Possibilism: Indicates humans can adapt and utilize their environment for advancements.

Sustainability

• Involves resource use that ensures future availability (mainly renewable resources).

Scale in Geography

Understanding Scale

• Scale helps focus on geographic characteristics in detail.

  • Large Scale: More detail in smaller areas.

  • Small Scale: Broader overview with less detail.

Scale of Analysis

• Different levels of data analysis:

  • Global: World-wide impacts.

  • National: Country-specific data breakdown.

  • Regional: Comparisons within regions or countries.

  • Local: Data specific to smaller areas like cities or neighborhoods.

Regions

Types of Regions

• Formal (Uniform) Regions: Unified by shared traits within set boundaries.

  • Examples include cultural or physical unifications.

• Functional (Nodal) Regions: Organized around a focal point or node (e.g., city centers).

Perceptual Regions

• Reflect personal feelings and attitudes about places, often lacking clear edges (e.g., the American South).

Map Types

Reference Maps

• Provide factual information about geography, like state boundaries.

Thematic Maps

• Convey specific data narratives through visual distinction:

  • Isoline Maps: Connect areas of equal data.

  • Graduated Symbol Maps: Vary shapes to indicate data magnitude.

  • Dot Maps: Show density of features using dots.

  • Choropleth Maps: Utilize color gradients to signify data variations.

  • Cartograms: Distort unit shapes to highlight intensity of features.