Intro to Human Geography Its Nature and Perspective

Intro to Human Geography It’s Nature and Perspective

Geographic Questions: • Where are things located? • Why? • How are places related? • How are places inter-connected? • How are humans affected by these locations? “THE WHY OF WHERE!!!”

Definition of Geography • scientific and systematic study physical & cultural features of the earth’s surface. • spatial perspective looking at patterns and distributions • Invented by Greek scholar: Eratosthenes -Geo – “Earth” -graphy – “to write”

• Human (or Cultural) Geography: study of the spatial differentiation and organization of human activity on the earth’s surface. • how we organize space and society • where & why human activities are located

THE REGIONAL APPROACH Latin America • Regional (Latin America, Sub-Saharan Africa Southeast Asia Africa, Southeast Asia)

Five Themes of Geography • Location • Place • Region • Movement • Human-Environment

Location-position on the earth’s surface Absolute Location: latitude and longitude; street address Relative Location: a way of expressing a location in relation to another site

Site & Situation Site-the physical character of a place Situation– the location of a place relative to other places Fig. 1 -7: Singapore is situated at a key location for international trade.

Place: physical location with physical & cultural attributes sense of place: infusing a place with meaning and emotion.

Perception of Place Where Pennsylvanian students prefer to live Where Californian students prefer to live

The Cultural Landscape • visible expression of human activity • natural landscape modified by human activities • Can also be called the “Built Environment” Religion and cremation practices diffuse with Hindu migrants from India to Kenya.

Sequent Occupance Dar es Salaam, Tanzania: African, Arab, German, British, and Indian layers to the city Apartment in Mumbai, India Apartment in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania

Spatial analysis: the study of geographic phenomena on the earth’s surface - how are things organized on Earth? - how do they appear on the landscape? - Why of where? and so what?

the SPATIAL: 1. Distance 2. Accessibility 3. Connectivity

Distance Decay • interaction between places diminishes frequency as distance between them increases closer = more interaction

Distance Decay

Friction of distance Farther people have to travel…less likely they are to do so.

place utility: a place’s usefulness to a particular person or group

Accessibility “How easy or difficult is it to overcome the friction of distance? ”

Connectivity • Level of interaction • channels of communication & transportation Ex: Telephone Lines, streets, pipelines, radio, TV, internet

Ullman’s Spatial Model of Interaction 1. Complementari ty: supply & demand between places

2. Transferability: ability to acquire item

3. Intervening Opportunity: alternative locations for activities between two points

Diffusion - Dissemination or spread of an idea or innovation from its hearth to other areas What prevents diffusion? - time -distance decay - cultural barriers

1. Expansion Diffusion: spreads outward from the heart a. Contagious – spreads adjacently b. Hierarchical – spreads to linked people or places first c. Stimulus – foreign idea promotes a local change

Stimulus Diffusion Ex: Because Hindus believe cows are holy, cows often roam the streets in villages and towns. The Mc. Donalds restaurants in India feature veggie burgers.

2. Relocation Diffusion: permanent movement of individuals who carry an idea or innovation with them Paris, France Kenya

Spatial Distribution • elements common to all spatial distributions : Density, Dispersion, & Pattern

Density • The measure of the number or quantity of anything within a defined unit of area

Dispersion • Spread of a phenomenon over an area • How spread out? 1. Clustered (Agglomerated) = spatially close together 2. Dispersed (Scattered) = spread out

Pattern • The geometric arrangement of objects in space • Types of Patterns: Linear, Clustered, & Random

Linear Pattern • typically depict houses along a street or towns along a railroad

Clustered Pattern • typically involve items concentrated around a single node • Ex: Center City with surrounding suburbs

Random Pattern • An unstructured irregular distribution

Types of Regions 1. Formal (Uniform) region: defined by a commonality, typically a cultural linkage or physical characteristic Ex: German speaking region of Europe

2. Functional (Nodal) region: defined by a set of social, political, or economic activities or interactions Ex: an urban area, magazine circulation, radio station, downtown CBD

3. Perceptual (Vernacular) Region: ideas in our minds that define an area of “sameness” or “connectedness. ” Exs: the South the Mid-Atlantic the Middle East Chinatown Little Italy

The meanings of regions are often contested. In Montgomery, Alabama, streets named after Confederate President Jefferson Davis and Civil Rights leader Rosa Parks intersect.

Region v. Realm • “Realms” are larger, and often encompass several regions Ex: The “Muslim World”

1. Globe Grid: based upon latitude-longitude coordinates latitude lines (parallels) – decrease in length closer to poles longitude lines (meridians) – converge at the poles * scale on Earth’s surface is same everywhere 2. Map Projections: making a flat map of a round surface * All maps distort the globe grid properties

World Geographic Grid The world geographic grid consists of meridians of longitude and parallels of latitude. The prime meridian (0º) passes through Greenwich, England

Cylindrical Projection Planar Projection (Azimuthal) Conic Projection

The Robinson Projection

Two Types of Maps: Reference Maps Thematic Maps - Show locations - Geographic features - Absolute locations - “Tells a story” - Data attributes - Pattern, distribution, movement - Relative locations/features Ex: street maps

Reference Map

Thematic Maps • Thematic Maps: a map depicting a specific spatial distribution or statistical variation of abstract objects in space TYPES: Graduated Circle Dot-Distribution Isopleth (isolines: weather, topographic maps)

Thematic Map What story about median income in the Washington, DC area is this map telling?

Graduated Circle Map • Uses circles of different sizes to show the frequency of occurrence of a certain topic

Dot-distribution Map • A single of specified number of occurrences are recorded by a single dot

Isopleth Map • Calculation refers to an areal statistic • The isoline connects average values per unit

Examples of topographic maps (shows elevation through contour lines)

Choropleth Map • Present average value of the data studied per preexisting areal unit

Which is the small-scale map? City of Edmonton Neighborhood in Edmonton Small scale: more area, less detail Large scale: less area, more detail

E. Mental maps (“cognitive” maps) mental maps: representations of our own image of the world

Activity Spaces: the places we travel to routinely in our rounds of daily activity. – How are activity spaces and mental maps related?

Geographic Information System (GIS): a collection of computer hardware and software that permits storage and analysis of layers of spatial data.

Remote Sensing: a method of collecting data by instruments that are physically distant from the area of study.

Scale - local - regional - national - global What is occurring across scales provides context for us to understand a phenomenon.

Scale

Measuring Spatial Interaction i. Distance Decay (“the friction of distance”) ii. The Gravity Model (size & distance affect interaction) iii. Movement Biases (distance, direction, & network bias)

distance decay: the decline of activity with increasing distance from the point of origin • inverse-square relationship (j-curve)

voluntary migration: people have a choice to move or stay reluctant migration: less than fully voluntary, but not forced migration: imposed relocation by one group over another causing “refugees” Refugee Exs. : - any economic migrant - 75 million people from Europe to Americas (1835 -1935) - Indonesia: resettlement from

E. Ravenstein’s “Laws of Migration” 1. short distance 2. step by step 3. rural to urban 4. each flow produces a counter flow 5. Most international migrants are young males

D. Migration Patterns Step migration: smaller, less extreme moves Ex. : farm to village—to small town—to major city Chain migration: an established linkage or chain for future migrants (creates a “migration field”) – Migrants provide information, money, place to stay, a job for other family/friends

Channel migration: clear pathways & travel routes are established - Ex. : The Oregon Trail

“Guest Workers” - have short term work visas - send remittances to home country

Remittances • Money sent back to home country by immigrants