Explain the importance of geography as a field of inquiry. Human Geography Ch. 1.1 Explain the importance of geography as a field of inquiry.

Facts about world hunger? 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

Facts about World Hunger? More than enough food for everyone 1/6th of world pop. malnourished; 1 billion + people Most are women and children Sub-Saharan Africa most malnourished Causes: poverty, failure in food distribution, lower status of women/children

Per capita GDP (average wealth per person) Any connection to hunger?

Any connection to hunger?

What is Human Geography? Part of the field of Geography 3 main branches Geographic Techniques Cartography Data collection Physical Geography Human Geography

Physical Geography: The study of natural features of Earth Landforms Climate Vegetation Soil types

Human Geography: The study of people and places: How people make places How people organize space and society How people interact with each other in place and space How we make sense of others and ourselves

What do human geographers study? In other words: The study of the differences across space and the organization of human activities on the earth’s surface.

Such as world trade: What technological advances allow us to trade with so many locations around the world? How is this different from the past?

What are some of these new technologies? Transportation Communication

What are some businesses found globally today? Global Products and Businesses

Globalization: the growing interdependence and interconnectedness of the modern world through increased flows of goods, services, capital, people and information driven by technological innovations in transportation and communication disregards country borders

The Global Starbucks What does this tell us about Starbucks? About globalization? What important global component is missing from this map?

Globalization: These processes occur at the world or global scale. For ex: Global financial markets (NYC, London, Tokyo) Stocks decline in NY, causing decline in stocks globally Environmental changes Global warming from burning fossil fuels Invasive species

Why is no place on Earth untouched by humans? People explore, travel, migrate, live, work….. People create communities, countries, cultural networks People adapt to, alter, manipulate the physical environment Pollution in Antarctica

Let’s go back to hunger: How did geographic information provide context for a better spatial understanding of hunger? Geographic information shows that hunger is spatially most prevalent in those regions around the world with extreme levels of poverty, especially for women and children. There is no spatial connection between hunger and and the amount of arable (fertile) land a country may have.

In other words: Famine does not occur because the environment doesn’t allow people to grow enough food. Famine occurs because the people are too poor to both afford the technology that would allow them to be more productive and to be able to import the food necessary to feed themselves.

Pros and Cons of Globalization