The Geographers Toolbox 1.

What is Geography??? ► Human Geography – is the study of human activities from a spatial context.

5 Themes of Geography Location – The exact or relative spot of something on Earth Place – Includes the physical and human features of a location Movement – Involves how people change locations and how goods are traded as well as the effects of these movements Human Environment Interaction – Covers the way people and environments affect each other Region – Organizes Earth into geographic areas with one or more shared characteristic

Basic Ideas of Geography ► All places have location, direction, and distance with respect to other places. ► Places may be large or small; the scale is important. ► Places have both physical structure and cultural content ► The characteristics of place develop and change over time. ► The elements of place interact with other places. ► The content of a place is rationally organized. ► Places may be classified into regions with similarities & differences 4.

Movement Why do we move from place to place? The movement of people, the import and export of goods, and mass communication have all played major roles in shaping our world CONNECTION TO FUTURE DISCUSSION ON: Patterns & pattern recognition Diffusion and distribution

Regions Process of regionalization THREE TYPES OF REGIONS:  Formal Regions  Functional Regions  Vernacular/Perceptual Regions

Formal Regions Formal regions are those defined by governmental or administrative boundaries (i. e., United States, Birmingham, Brazil). These regional boundaries are not open to dispute, therefore physical regions fall under this category (i. e., The Rockies, the Great Lakes States).

Functional Regions Functional regions are those defined by a function (i. e., TVA, United Airlines Service area or a newspaper service area). If the function ceases to exists, the region no longer exists.

Vernacular Regions Vernacular regions are those loosely defined by people's perception (i. e., The South, The Middle East).

Human-Environmental Interaction How do humans & the environment affect each other? 1.Adaptation 2.Modification 3.Dependence

People use these geographic space and interact with the environment: ► Grow crops ► Build homes ► Drive cars ► Do jobs ► Raise children ► Practice religion cast votes ► Spend leisure time

Identifying Location ► Location – TWO TYPES: Relative vs. Absolute Location ► 4 ways to identify location: 1. Place Name 2. Site 3. Situation 4. Mathematical Location 5.

Location / Place Location / Place ► Toponym – the name given to a place on Earth ► Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch “The Church of St. Mary’s in the grove of the white hazelnut tree near the rapid whirlpool and the Church of St. Tisilio near the red cave” 6.

Site ► ► Describes the physical and cultural characteristics of a location ► ► Climate ► ► Water Source ► ► Topography ► ► Soil / Vegetation ► ► Latitude ► ► Elevation 7.

Situation ► Describes where a location is in reference to surrounding features in the larger region. ► Relative Location described by landmarks, time, direction or distance from one place to another and may associate a particular place with another 8.

Mathematical Location ► Absolute Location The exact position of a place Latitude & Longitude – used to describe a point on earth in reference to degrees, minutes & seconds. 9.

“A Sense of Place” ► Cultural Landscape: A combination of cultural features such as:  Language  Religion  Economic Features Agriculture / Industry)  Physical Features (Climate / Vegetation) Carl Sauer – “Culture is the agent, the natural area is the medium, the cultural landscape is the result.” 15.

5 Themes of Geography

Space ► Space – refers to the physical gap or interval between two objects. 27.

► Distribution: The arrangement of a feature in space 28.

Density ► Frequency = Density. Homes – cars – volcanoes etc… ► Arithmetic Density: the total number of objects in an area is used to compare the distribution of population in different countries. 1. The # of people 2. The land area ► P. 34 Figure

Connections ► Connections are relationships among people and objects across the barrier of space. 30.

Pattern ► PATTERN is the geometric arrangement of things in space. ► emphasizes DESIGN rather than spacing.  LINEAR may be along rivers, streets or railroads  CENTRALIZED will AGGLOMERATE around a NODE  RANDOM is unstructured and irregular  GRID or RETANGULAR creates a checkerboard of sections and quarter-sections of farmland or (as with Fort Collins) regularly spaced city streets.  HEXAGONAL is the mainstay of Christaller’s Central Place Theory (Ch. 11).

Pattern... and do know the Northwest Ordinance of 1785

Density and Dispersion

U.S. Land Ordinance of

► Townships: 6 miles on each side. 36 Sections 36 Sections ► Principle Meridians: Some (N) & (S) lines separating townships ► Base Lines: Some (E) & (W) lines

Location distance AccessibilityConnectivity varies in intensity and frequency depending upon... Intensity and frequency are always decreased by increasing distance = Distance Decay Spatial Interaction

What’s in a Geographer’s Toolbox? ► GIS (Geographic Information System) – is a computer system that can capture, store, query, analyze, and display geographic data. ► Each type of information is stored in layers. 34.

GPS ► GPS – (Global Positioning System) is a system that determines accurately the precise position of something on Earth. 35.

Video – History of Cartography

Different Types of Maps ► Relief Maps ► Thematic Maps  Statistical  Cartograms  Choropleth  Isoline ► Topographic Maps ► Mental Maps 36.