Transcript Advanced Placement Human Geography

THINKING
GEOGRAPHICALLY
Chapter 1
Key Issue 1 Map Scale
• 3 types of scale:
• Fractional/Ratio-1/24,000 or 1:24,000 means 1 inch on the map
represents 24,000 inches on the ground
• Written: 1 inch equals one mile
• Bar -
• Scale examples
• Neighborhood maps, world maps, country maps all have different
scales
• The scale is determined by the amount of detail shown in a map
• Neighborhood maps will have the largest scale, World maps have
the smallest scale
Scale Differences: Maps of Florida
Projection
• Since the earth is a 3D object and a map is
a 2D object, maps will have distortions
• This leads to distortion
• Shape, distance, relative size, direction
• Types of projections
• Robinson, Mercator, Mollweide, Sinusoidal,
Goode homolosine,
• Robinson is best to show size of the oceans
• Mercator has least distortion in shape and
direction. Grossly distorted near poles
How Geographers Address Location
• GIS- Geographic information
system
• Software program that producing
maps that display data
• Typically maps are multiple layers
with different data for each layer.
Data is relational (meaning there is
a connection to all layers)
How Geographers Address Location
• Remote sensing- Satellites that record and
map the Earth (mostly environmental but helps
with monitoring urban sprawl)
• GPS- Global positioning System. Precise
location provided by satellites (navigation) Used
after 9/11 to record the debris of the World
Trade Centers
Key issue 2 Uniqueness of Places and
Regions
• Place: Unique location of a feature
• Place names- Lakeland (toponym). Can be named
for several reasons
• Site- physical character like climate, water, soil,
vegetation.
• Situation-location to other places. Singapore is a
good example.
• Mathematical location- GPS coordinates
• Greenwich, England
• Latitude and longitude provide location
• Latitudes are calculated by the sun whereas longitudes are
man made
• East of international dateline-ahead
• West of international dateline-behind
World Geographic Grid
Fig. 1-8: The world geographic grid consists of meridians of longitude and parallels of
latitude. The prime meridan (0º) passes through Greenwich, England.
World Time Zones
Fig. 1-9: The world’s 24 standard time zones are often depicted
using the Mercator projection.
Calculating Time Zones
• Every 15 degrees longitude is an hour difference
• Greenwich mean time (GMT) is 0 degrees (England)
• New York- 75 degrees WEST
• India- 75 degrees EAST
• Australia- 120 degrees EAST
• California- 120 degrees WEST
Uniqueness of Places and Regions
• Cultural landscape- regions have distinct characteristics
because of social and physical processes and the Earth is
shaped by these relationships.
• Defined by Carl Sauer
• Combination of things like language, religion, jobs and
physical earth qualities
• Los Angeles is different thank New York City
• Spatial association
• There are trends between data and the physical earth
• Cancer rates are higher in eastern US
• Regional integration of culture -Care about/care for help
explain why places on the Earth are unique
• Cultural ecology-Culture effects the environment
• Possibilism versus Environmental determinism
• How does the environment affect human actions
Types of Regions
• Formal regions- clearly defined boundaries with a common
characteristic through out (uniform region)
• Common language, climate, laws
• States, corn belt, voting
• Used to identify national or global trends
• Function regions- an area or characteristic organized around a
node (nodal regions)
• New papers, radio stations, tv stations
• Vernacular regions- an area distinguished by cultural opinions
(perceptual region)
• The South is a good example
• Everyone has a different idea of what makes up the South therefore the
region does not have a defined boundary
Formal and Functional Regions
Fig. 1-11: The state of Iowa is an example of a formal region; the areas of
influence of various television stations are examples of functional
regions.
Vernacular Regions
Fig. 1-12: A number of factors are often used to define the South
as a vernacular region, each of which identifies somewhat
Physical processes that make places unique
• Climate- 5 types. People will not live in harsh
climates therefore climate influences human
activities
• Vegetation- 4 types. Mostly influences types of
agriculture practiced
• Soil-10 orders (not types). Erosion and depletion
• Landforms-Geomorphology helps understand the
distribution of people and economic activities
• Mountains aren’t good places to build Wal-marts
Cultural Ecology = Culture + Environment
Environmental Determinism
Possibilism
• Humboldt and Ritter
• Humans are not limited by
• The environment
the environment
• We are smart enough to
adapt the environment to
suit our needs
• We irrigate deserts into
farms
• Air conditioning allows
more development in hot
regions
determines human activity
• People live and develop in
regions where there is a
temperate climate
• Humans don’t live in
hostile areas
• The Earth determines
where humans develop
stuff
Key Issue 3 Similarity of Different Places
• Scale: From local to global-local decisions impact global
• Globalization of economy- people can do business anywhere in the
world because of electronic banking. Now economies are more linked
than ever
• Globalization of culture- The internet has been crucial to spreading
popular culture. Fashion is a good example of popular culture. You
would find blue jeans in Japan, making it seem familiar
• Connections between places
• Spatial interaction- Faster travel, technology increases interaction
over wide distances
• The world is shrinking – space time compression
• Popular culture, religion, music, news, disease all spread faster today
than in the past
Space-Time Compression, 1492–1962
Fig. 1-20: The times required to cross the Atlantic, or orbit the
Earth, illustrate how transport improvements have
Diffusion- spread of a characteristic
• Relocation - when something is spread by physical
movement
• Disease popping up in a country
• Spread of religion or languages
• Expansion- spread in a snowballing pattern
• Hierarchical- Spread from a hearth to outward areas
• Fashion is a great example (Paris, Milan, New York)
• Contagious- spreads like a disease, no discrimination
• Think of the wave at a sports stadium
• Stimulus- an idea is diffused or transmitted from one culture to
another. This idea then is improved upon or has stimulated another
idea or invention
• Samsung stealing some of Apple’s patents for cell phones and
improving on the technology