What is Geography What is Geography Spatial Science

What is Geography?

What is Geography? Spatial Science: examines how, why, and where interaction between humans and the environment occurs.

What is Geography? • Geography: means the “study of the earth. ” • Studies natural or human phenomena through space, scale, and time. Natural Phenomenon Hurricanes Earthquakes Tornados

Space • • Geography is the science of place (location) and space. Place- For place the central issue is the difference relative to other places (relationship). -Relative location: the location of a place relative to other places. -Absolute location: the exact location of a place on the surface of the earth. • Space- When we discuss space (cf. place) we are often concerned with • What kinds of questions can Geographers ask about space and place? movement through space (distance and time). -Where are things located and why are they there? -How are people and their activities distributed in space? -How do people perceive space? -How do people create spaces?

Scale • Geographic scale is the dimension of how we examine a physical or human phenomena. • Different social and physical processes operate at different scales. -Global (macro) -Regional -Nation or State -Community, county, city, etc. (micro) • Many processes interact across various scales.

Time • Temporal scale- The historian has no exclusive right in the telling of stories in time. But the historian hopes to bring a special understanding to such story-telling. • Equally the geographer can claim no exclusive right to the telling of space stories, space futures, and space legends. • But the geographer should hope to tell such stories with special insight. -Compare two different places at a specific period. -Compare a place throughout history. -Why two cities have evolved differently over time.

Tools Remote sensing Cairo San Francisco

Washington D. C. (1 meter) Washington Monument

Tools • Geographic Information System (GIS)

Tools • Cartography Maps

Disciplines in Geography • Physical Geography- is concerned primarily with the physical processes and the relationship between humans and the physical environment. Ex. geomorphology, climatology, ecology, biology, etc. • Technique- Cartography, Remote Sensing, and Geographic Information System. • Human Geography

Human Geography • Studies the spatial analysis of human population, their culture, and activities. • Examines patterns, distribution, interaction, and location of human phenomenon. • Observes the relationship between the physical environment and humans; how we respond to change, and interact with the physical world. • It is sometimes referred as cultural or social geography, although these terms usually refer to subfields.

Interaction Between Human and The Physical Environment • What aspects of a hurricane would a Physical Geographer be interested in? - Force of the winds - Precipitation - Path of the hurricane - Atmospheric pressure - Water temperature What aspects of a hurricane would a Human Geographer be interested in? - Property damages - Landfall - Fatalities - Migration - Economic effect http: //earth. google. com/katrina. html

Hurricane Katrina • Timeline • Photos #2 • Photos #3 • Interactive Satellite Map

Sub fields of Human Geography • • Cultural Geography Population Geography Political Geography Urban Geography Economic Geography Medical Geography Historical Geography Social Geography • • Anthropology Demography Political Science Urban Studies Economics Medicine and Health History Sociology Check the following website for additional specialty groups http: //www. aag. org/sg/sg_display. cfm