Aphug Unit 1

UNIT ONE: THINKING GEOGRAPHICALLY

1. Introduction to Maps

• Learning Target: Identify types of maps, the types of information presented in maps, and different kinds of spatial patterns and relationships portrayed in maps.

• Reference Maps: Designed for general information about places.

  • Types of reference maps:

  • Political Maps: Show governmental boundaries and divisions.

  • Physical Maps: Depict natural features like mountains, rivers, and lakes.

• Thematic Maps: Used as communication tools to illustrate the distribution of human activities.

  • Types of thematic maps:

  • Cartogram: Distorts the size of areas based on specific data (e.g., population).

  • Choropleth Map: Uses different colors or shading to represent data values.

  • Dot Density Map: Displays a value using dots; each dot represents a certain number of occurrences.

  • Isoline Map: Connects points of equal value (e.g., elevation or temperature).

  • Proportional Symbol Map: Uses symbols of varying size to indicate the magnitude of a distribution.

• Spatial Patterns Represented on a Map:

  • Elevation: The height of land above sea level, represented via contour lines on maps.

  • Clustering: Pattern where features are grouped closely together.

  • Dispersal: Pattern showing how features are spread over a wide area.

• Map Projections: Methods used to represent 3D Earth on 2D surfaces, which can introduce distortion.

  • Goode's Homolosine Projection: Minimizes distortion of area but distorts shape and distance, especially at the poles.

  • Mercator Map Projection:

  • Advantages: Accurate shapes and directions near the equator.

  • Disadvantages: Great distortion of size toward the poles.

  • Robinson Projection: Attempts to minimize all types of distortion (shape, size, distance, direction) but lacks accuracy in any one aspect.

  • Gall-Peters Projection: Preserves area but distorts shape, particularly near the equator.

2. Geographic Data

• Learning Target: Identify different methods of geographic data collection.

• Geospatial Data: Encompasses all information about physical features and human activities on Earth.

• Geographic Information System (GIS): A computer system designed for capturing, storing, checking, and displaying data related to specific positions on the Earth's surface.

• Global Positioning System (GPS): Technology that utilizes satellite data to pinpoint locations on the Earth, assisting navigation.

• Remote Sensing: The acquisition of information about Earth's surface through satellite or aerial images, providing insights over large distances.

• Sources of Spatial Information: Include but are not limited to:

  • Field Observations

  • Media Reports

  • Travel Narratives

  • Policy Documents

  • Personal Interviews

  • Landscape Analysis

  • Photographic Interpretation

3. The Power of Geographic Data

• Learning Target: Explain geographical effects of decisions made using geographical information.

• Census Data: Official counting of individuals within a population, conducted every 10 years in the USA, provides essential demographic information for planning and resource allocation.

4. Spatial Concepts

• Learning Target: Define major geographic concepts that illustrate spatial relationships.

• Absolute Location: The exact position of something on the Earth's surface, typically given in coordinates (latitude and longitude).

• Relative Location: Describes a location in relation to other locations (e.g., "north of the river").

• Space: Refers to the extent of an area, which can be interpreted in both absolute terms and relative contexts.

• Place: The unique human and physical characteristics that define a location (e.g., culture, environment).

• Distance Decay: A geographical concept that indicates the diminishing importance of a phenomenon with increasing distance from its source.

• Time-Space Compression: Refers to the phenomenon where advancements in transportation and communication reduce the perceived distance between places.

• Pattern: The regular geometric arrangement of a phenomenon in a particular area (e.g., urban layouts).

5. Human-Environmental Interaction

• Learning Target: Explain how major geographic concepts illustrate spatial relationships.

• Sustainability: A principle advocating for achieving balance between human needs and environmental health, aiming to meet present needs without compromising future generations’ ability to meet their own.

• Environmental Determinism: A theory that suggests physical environments dictate social development and human behavior.

• Possibilism: The theory proposing that while the physical environment may restrict some human action, people possess the agency to adapt to their surroundings.

6. Scales of Analysis

• Learning Target: Define scales of analysis used by geographers and explain what they reveal.

• Scale: Refers to the relationship between distances in the real world and distances on a map, as well as how 'zoomed in' or 'zoomed out' a study is. Scales can be categorized as:

  • Global Scale: Encompasses worldwide trends (Globalization).

  • Regional Scale: Focuses on specific regions.

  • National Scale: Pertains to individual nations.

  • Local Scale: Examines small, localized areas.

• Scale of Analysis: The level of detail or range of analysis in geographic data, affecting interpretations.

7. Regional Analysis

• Learning Target: Describe different ways geographers define regions.

• Region: Defined as an area larger than a point and smaller than a planet, grouped based on measurable or perceived common features.

• Types of Regions:

  • Formal Region: Based on quantitative data that can be measured/documented. An example includes state boundaries (e.g., Wisconsin).

  • Functional Region: Defined around a central node or focal point, such as a radio broadcast area or a metropolitan area (e.g., DC metro).

  • Vernacular (Perceptual) Region: Comprises areas defined by subjective perceptions and beliefs held by people (e.g., the Midwest).