Introduction to World Regional Geography Study of Geography

Introduction to World Regional Geography Study of Geography F Evolution of Geography F Contributions of the Greeks/Romans F – geo (the earth) graphos (to write about/describe) – Herodotus-”Father of Geography” who explained the physical and human geography of his day – Aristotle- explained processes of the earth, influence of temperature, wind, soils and vulcanism – Eratosthenes- measured circumference of the earth from angle of the sun at two points – Construction of earth grids- longitude and latitude

– Established the science of cartography – Ptolemy-Greek astronomer who designed early map of the world. – Strabo- description of Roman World, spatial perspective of the known world F Middle Ages – Geography falls into disrepute in Middle Ages – Golden Age of Islamic Civilization – Arabs were outstanding geographers, continued tradition of map-making – Ibn Batuta travels throughout Middle East, observations of peoples and lands – Avicenna’s understanding of physical geography, creation of mountains

– Ibn Khaldun’s Muqaddimah provides an account of the influence of man’ physical environment on social and political institutions – observations are model of scientific research on history and geography – traveled extensively throughout North Africa and Middle East – importance of cities and urbanization on the level of civilization.

Ptolemy's World Map, circa 150 A. D.

Ibn Battuta’s Travels 1300 AD Ibn Battuta’s travels 1300 A. D.

F Renaissance and Age of Discovery – Resurgence of geography as a science – Prince Henry the Navigator of Portugal, new more accurate maps – Early explores question old concepts in light of discovery – Scientific travelers, Alexander von Humbolt’s description of the earth – Karl Ritter- understanding of the human dimension of the world – Geography is respected branch of knowledge in European university, particularly in Germany – Importance of the National Geographic Society in US founded in 1888 – Chinese contributions to geography

F World Regional Geography – Different fields of Geography u Physical Geography, study of the environment, location of terrain, physical features of the land u Human Geography, study of human occupation of the land u Regional Geography, analysis of environmental and human patterns within an area or region

– Regions of the World: u (1) Europe; u (2) Russia; u (3) North America; u (4) Middle America; u (5) South America; u (6) North Africa/Southwest Asia; u (7) Subsaharan Africa; u (8) South Asia; u (9) East Asia; u (10) Southeast Asia; u (11) Australia; u (12) Pacific Realm

– Format of course u background/historical u physical factors features u climate u population u cultural features u social and economic factors – agriculture – industry – environmental problems

Basic Geographical Factors F Climate – Climatic differences are result of differences in the processes by which earth’s atmosphere is heated and cooled – Radiation and absorption of heat energy determine climatic variations – Lower the latitude, the more solar energy received – Sun’s rays strike earth at vertical angles in lower latitudes

– heat dissipated by air currents and ocean currents – Higher the elevation, the less dense is air and less the air can hold water vapor. Air temps decrease 3. 6 degrees F per 1000 feet of elevation F Precipitation – What causes rainfall? Physical process of how air is cooled is the cause of rainfall – When water vapor in atmosphere is cooled to point that it condenses, it changes from a gaseous state to liquid state – Warm air can hold more water vapor than cold air

– Types of precipitation u Convectional precipitation- equatorial latitudes with land mass warming, as hot air rises it precipates u Orthographic precipitation- air force up over mountains, cooling rapidly and producing rain u Cyclonic/Frontal precipitation-cold front pushes up under war air front or warm front rises over cold front. Found in mid latitudes

Types of Precipitation

F Types of Climate – Type A Climate (Humid Equatorial Climate u High temperatures all year u High precipitation u Subtypes (Af)high rainfall every month; (Am) monsoon; (Aw) savanna with unpredictable rainfall – Type B Climate (Dry Climate) u lower and higher altitudes u (Bw) true desert; (Bs) semi-arid steppe u soils thin and poor u high range of temperatures (140 -48 degrees F)

– Type C Climate (humid temperature climates) u found above and below tropic of cancer and tropic of capricorn u US (Kentucky-Florida) Europe; southern Brazil/northern Argentina: South Africa, Australia, China, and Japan u Subtypes (Cf) No drive season i. el Marine West Coast; (Cw) dry winter; Cs) dry summers, Mediterranean climates – Type D Climate (humid cold continental climates) u great annual range of temperatures u very cold winters; cool summers u total precipitation not high, much snow u found in interiors of North America/Eurasia u best soils in world with high levels of humus

– Type E Climates u vary from true ice-cap conditions to tundra with 4 months/year of temps above freezing u high mountain areas u near arctic conditions with limited vegetation

F Population – Questions: (1) What factors responsible for growth of human population? (2) What is density and distribution of the world’s population? (3) What models of population explain change? – Growth of population u 5 million from 5, 000 BC to 2, 000 BC u 250 million at beginning of Christian era u 500 million in 1650 AD u 1 billion in 1850 AD u 2 billion in 1950 AD u 5. 7 billion in 1998 AD u 7 billion estimated by 2010 AD

– Models of Population Change u Demographic u Stage – – – I preindustrial agrarian economy high birth rate and high death rate relatively stable population that grows slowly large # of children useful for work in fields and social security life expectancy low; security dependent on family u Stage – – – transition II high birth rates, falling death rates improvements in public health, sanitation, and medicine productivity of agriculture improves opportunity for employment in cities industrialization , urbanization, specialization of labor

– Stage III u birth rate declines u smaller families due to urbanization and demands for education u children more of a liability in an urban, industrial environment u population growth declines dramatically – Stage IV u birth rates and death rates very low u population growth stabilizes or grows very slowly – Amount of time to go through demographic transition? u Western Europe/US= 150 years u Soviet Union=40 years u Japan=25 years

Demographic Transition

Demographic Transition MDC’s vs. LDC’s

F Human Cultural Hearths – Most cultural hearths established from 5, 000 BC to 1, 000 BC – Primary cultural hearths u Middle East (Tigris, Euphrates and Nile Rivers) u Indus Valley (Mohenjo-Daro and Harappa) u China (Yellow River and North China plain) – Secondary cultural hearths u Mesoamerican civilization (Mayans and Aztecs) u Bantu civilization in Africa (Central/South Africa and the Ethiopian highlands) u European civilization

F Economic factors – Sectors of the Economy u primary sector (fishing, extracting natural resources, forestry, agriculture) u secondary sector (processing basic commodities, manufacturing) u tertiary sector (services provided by government and private sector) u quarternary sector (institutions that provide information to make decisions, computers, data analysis) – Modernization and development brings about changes in nature of the economy

– Economic indicators of modernization and development u level of GNP and GNP per capita u per capital consumption of inanimate energy u percentage of labor force in agriculture