Introduction to Geography Arthur Getis Mark D Bjelland

Introduction to Geography Arthur Getis, Mark D. Bjelland, Victoria L. Getis Copyright © 2014 Mc. Graw-Hill Education. All rights reserved. No reproduction or distribution without the prior written consent of Mc. Graw-Hill Education.

Introduction Chapter 1 Copyright © 2014 Mc. Graw-Hill Education. All rights reserved. No reproduction or distribution without the prior written consent of Mc. Graw-Hill Education.

Overview l l l What is Geography? Evolution of the Discipline Some Core Geographic Concepts Geography’s Themes and Standards Organization of the Textbook 3 Copyright © 2014 Mc. Graw-Hill Education. All rights reserved. No reproduction or distribution without the prior written consent of Mc. Graw-Hill Education.

What is Geography? l l More than place names and locations The study of spatial variation l l How and why things differ from place to place on the surface of the earth How spatial patterns evolved through time Focus on the interaction of people and social groups with their environment and with each other Geography is about earth space and the content of that space 4 Copyright © 2014 Mc. Graw-Hill Education. All rights reserved. No reproduction or distribution without the prior written consent of Mc. Graw-Hill Education.

Evolution of the Discipline l Ancient Greeks and Romans l Term reputedly coined by Eratosthenes from Greek: geo graphein l “the earth” “to write” Herodotus – (c. 484 -425 B. C. ) Described Persian Empire 5 Copyright © 2014 Mc. Graw-Hill Education. All rights reserved. No reproduction or distribution without the prior written consent of Mc. Graw-Hill Education.

Evolution of the Discipline l Ancient Greeks and Romans l Strabo (c. 64 B. C. - A. D. 20) Described inhabited world, including differences l Ptolemy – 2 nd Century A. D. Map of world based on previously developed latitude/longitude, map accepted in Europe as authoritative for nearly 1500 years 6 Copyright © 2014 Mc. Graw-Hill Education. All rights reserved. No reproduction or distribution without the prior written consent of Mc. Graw-Hill Education.

Evolution of the Discipline l Ancient Chinese l l Muslim scholars l l l As involved with geography as Westerners; however no contact with them Preserved Greek and Roman knowledge Described analyzed their known world in its physical, cultural and regional variations European voyages of exploration (15 th-16 th Centuries) Copyright © 2014 Mc. Graw-Hill Education. All rights reserved. No reproduction or distribution without the prior written consent of Mc. Graw-Hill Education. 7

Evolution of the Discipline l Modern geography l Origins in the surge of scholarly inquiry that began in 17 th century Europe, e. g. , Alexander von Humboldt l By 1900, geography had become distinctive and respected discipline in universities throughout Europe l Profession became increasingly specialized into disciplinary subdivisions 8 Copyright © 2014 Mc. Graw-Hill Education. All rights reserved. No reproduction or distribution without the prior written consent of Mc. Graw-Hill Education.

Evolution of the Discipline Subfields of Geography l Three dominating themes across subfields l Spatial variation of physical and human phenomena on the surface of the earth l Systems that link physical phenomena and human activities in one area with other areas l Human-environmental relationships and spatial systems in specific locational settings (known as regional geography) Copyright © 2014 Mc. Graw-Hill Education. All rights reserved. No reproduction or distribution without the prior written consent of Mc. Graw-Hill Education. 9

Evolution of the Discipline Subfields of Geography l Regional geography l Systematic geography l Study of one or a few related aspects of the physical environment or of human populations and societies l Examines its interrelationships with other spatial systems and areal patterns 10 Copyright © 2014 Mc. Graw-Hill Education. All rights reserved. No reproduction or distribution without the prior written consent of Mc. Graw-Hill Education.

Evolution of the Discipline Subfields of Geography l Physical geography l l Focus is on the natural environment Human geography l Focus is on people 11 Copyright © 2014 Mc. Graw-Hill Education. All rights reserved. No reproduction or distribution without the prior written consent of Mc. Graw-Hill Education.

Evolution of the Discipline Why Geography Matters l The only discipline concerned with understanding why and how both physical and cultural phenomena differ from place to place l Vital to an understanding of national and international issues l Offers a diversity of job opportunities 12 Copyright © 2014 Mc. Graw-Hill Education. All rights reserved. No reproduction or distribution without the prior written consent of Mc. Graw-Hill Education.

Some Core Geographic Concepts l Geographers believe that recognizing spatial patterns is the essential starting point for understanding how people live on and shape Earth’s surface 13 Copyright © 2014 Mc. Graw-Hill Education. All rights reserved. No reproduction or distribution without the prior written consent of Mc. Graw-Hill Education.

Some Core Geographic Concepts l Geographers use a common store of concepts, terms and methods of study: l l l Space Place Location Direction Distance Size and scale 14 Copyright © 2014 Mc. Graw-Hill Education. All rights reserved. No reproduction or distribution without the prior written consent of Mc. Graw-Hill Education.

Some Core Geographic Concepts l The word spatial is an essential modifier in framing questions and forming concepts l l Geography is a spatial science Geographers are interested in: l l l The way things are distributed The way movements occur and The way processes operate over the surface of the earth 15 Copyright © 2014 Mc. Graw-Hill Education. All rights reserved. No reproduction or distribution without the prior written consent of Mc. Graw-Hill Education.

Some Core Geographic Concepts l Places have: l l l l Location, direction, and distance with respect to other places Size Both physical structure and cultural content Attributes that develop and change over time Content that is structured and explainable Elements that interrelate with other places Places may be generalized into regions of similarities and differences 16 Copyright © 2014 Mc. Graw-Hill Education. All rights reserved. No reproduction or distribution without the prior written consent of Mc. Graw-Hill Education.

Some Core Geographic Concepts l Location l Absolute location l Based on a precise and accepted system of coordinates – mathematical location § Latitude and longitude § Other grid systems, e. g. , street address and township, range and section property descriptions 17 Copyright © 2014 Mc. Graw-Hill Education. All rights reserved. No reproduction or distribution without the prior written consent of Mc. Graw-Hill Education.

Some Core Geographic Concepts l Location l Relative location l Position in relation to other places or things l Expresses spatial interconnection and interdependence of places l May carry social and economic implications 18 Copyright © 2014 Mc. Graw-Hill Education. All rights reserved. No reproduction or distribution without the prior written consent of Mc. Graw-Hill Education.

Some Core Geographic Concepts l Location l l Site l Physical and cultural characteristics of the place itself l Absolute location concept Situation l External relations of a place l Expression of relative location 19 Copyright © 2014 Mc. Graw-Hill Education. All rights reserved. No reproduction or distribution without the prior written consent of Mc. Graw-Hill Education.

Some Core Geographic Concepts l Direction l l Absolute direction l Based on the cardinal points (N-S-E-W) Relative direction l Culturally based and locationally variable § “Out West” § “Back East” § “Down South” § “Near East” § “Far East” 20 Copyright © 2014 Mc. Graw-Hill Education. All rights reserved. No reproduction or distribution without the prior written consent of Mc. Graw-Hill Education.

Some Core Geographic Concepts l Distance l l Absolute distance l Uses standard units such as miles or kilometers Relative distance l Transforms linear measurements into other units more meaningful to human experience or decision making, e. g. , § Time distance § Travel cost § Psychological perception of distance 21 Copyright © 2014 Mc. Graw-Hill Education. All rights reserved. No reproduction or distribution without the prior written consent of Mc. Graw-Hill Education.

Some Core Geographic Concepts l Size and Scale l l Size (small, medium, large) Term used by general population Scale Degree of generalization represented: l Reference to the size of unit studied § E. g. , local , regional or global l Relationship between the size of an area on a map and the actual size of the mapped area on the surface of the earth 22 Copyright © 2014 Mc. Graw-Hill Education. All rights reserved. No reproduction or distribution without the prior written consent of Mc. Graw-Hill Education.

Some Core Geographic Concepts l Places have physical and cultural attributes l l Physical attributes l Climate, soil, water supplies, mineral resources, terrain features, etc. l Natural landscape attributes help shape – but do not dictate – how people live Cultural attributes l Language, religion, industries, food, music, etc. l Cultural landscape § Visible imprint of human activity on the physical environment Copyright © 2014 Mc. Graw-Hill Education. All rights reserved. No reproduction or distribution without the prior written consent of Mc. Graw-Hill Education. 23

Some Core Geographic Concepts l Attributes of place are always changing l l l The physical environment undergoes continuous and pronounced change Humans alter the environments they occupy l Pace of change has accelerated § Built landscape has increasingly replaced natural landscape Places are the present result of the past operation of distinctive physical and cultural processes 24 Copyright © 2014 Mc. Graw-Hill Education. All rights reserved. No reproduction or distribution without the prior written consent of Mc. Graw-Hill Education.

Some Core Geographic Concepts l Interrelations Between Places l Spatial interaction l The movement of people, goods, information, etc. between different places An indication of interdependence between areas 25 Copyright © 2014 Mc. Graw-Hill Education. All rights reserved. No reproduction or distribution without the prior written consent of Mc. Graw-Hill Education.

Some Core Geographic Concepts l Interrelations Between Places l Spatial interaction’s core components: l Accessibility § Relative ease with which a destination may be reached l Connectivity § All the tangible and intangible ways places are connected l Spatial diffusion § Dispersion of an idea or thing from a center of origin to more distant points 26 Copyright © 2014 Mc. Graw-Hill Education. All rights reserved. No reproduction or distribution without the prior written consent of Mc. Graw-Hill Education.

Some Core Geographic Concepts l Interrelations Between Places l Spatial interaction’s core components: l Globalization § Increasing interconnection of all parts of the world as the full range of social, cultural, political, economic and environmental processes becomes international in scale and effect. § Promoted by continuing advances in worldwide accessibility and connectivity 27 Copyright © 2014 Mc. Graw-Hill Education. All rights reserved. No reproduction or distribution without the prior written consent of Mc. Graw-Hill Education.

Some Core Geographic Concepts l Place Similarity and Regions l The distinctive characteristics of places – physical, cultural, locational – suggest two geographically important ideas: l No two places on earth can be exactly the same l The natural and cultural characteristics of places show patterns of similarity in some areas permitting geographers to recognize and define regions 28 Copyright © 2014 Mc. Graw-Hill Education. All rights reserved. No reproduction or distribution without the prior written consent of Mc. Graw-Hill Education.

Some Core Geographic Concepts l Place Similarity and Regions l Earth areas that display significant elements of internal uniformity and external differences from surrounding territories l Used to classify the complex reality of the earth’s surface into manageable pieces 29 Copyright © 2014 Mc. Graw-Hill Education. All rights reserved. No reproduction or distribution without the prior written consent of Mc. Graw-Hill Education.

Some Core Geographic Concepts l Types of Regions l l l Formal (uniform) regions l Uniformity in one or a limited combination of physical or cultural features Functional (nodal) regions l A spatial system with interdependent parts that operates as an organizational unit Perceptual (vernacular/popular) regions l Exist in the perceptions of their inhabitants and the general society l Reflect feelings and images rather than objective data Copyright © 2014 Mc. Graw-Hill Education. All rights reserved. No reproduction or distribution without the prior written consent of Mc. Graw-Hill Education. 30

Geography’s Themes and Standards l Five fundamental themes l l Formulated by joint committee of National Council for Geographic Education and Association of American Geographers Basic concepts and topics that recur in all geographic inquiry l Location l Place l Relationships within places l Movement l Regions Copyright © 2014 Mc. Graw-Hill Education. All rights reserved. No reproduction or distribution without the prior written consent of Mc. Graw-Hill Education. 31

Geography’s Themes and Standards l National Geography Standards (1994) l l 18 standards grouped into six categories The geographically informed person knows and understands: l Geographic Techniques and Skills l Physical systems l Human systems l Environment and society l The uses of geography l Places and regions 32 Copyright © 2014 Mc. Graw-Hill Education. All rights reserved. No reproduction or distribution without the prior written consent of Mc. Graw-Hill Education.

Organization of Textbook l Distinct but closely related areas of study l All areas of study connected to Techniques of Geographic Analysis: Introduction (Ch. 1), and Geographic Techniques and Skills (Ch. 2). l All chapters contain information on the uses of geography. 33 Copyright © 2014 Mc. Graw-Hill Education. All rights reserved. No reproduction or distribution without the prior written consent of Mc. Graw-Hill Education.

Organization of Textbook l l Physical Systems: Landforms (Ch. 3), Weather and Climate (Ch. 4) Human Systems: Population (Ch. 5), Cultural (Ch. 6), Human Interaction (Ch. 7), Political (Ch. 8) Location: Primary Activities (Ch. 9), Secondary and Tertiary Activities (Ch. 10), Urban (Ch. 11) Environment: Natural Resources (Ch. 12), Human Impact (Ch. 13) 34 Copyright © 2014 Mc. Graw-Hill Education. All rights reserved. No reproduction or distribution without the prior written consent of Mc. Graw-Hill Education.