| A | B |
|---|
| Human Geography | Study of where and why human activities are located where they are= Are concerned with the uneven impact of destruction |
| Physical Geography | Studies where and why natural forces occur as they do |
| Map | 2 dimensional/flat-scale model of Earth's surface or a portion of it (the map is a geographers most important tool) |
| "Why" Question (unique) | Why each place on Earth is in some way unique (Each place is unique due to place and region) |
| Place | A specific point on Earth distinguished by a particular characteristic (every place on earth occupies a unique location) |
| Region | Area of Earth distinguished by a distinctive combination of cultural and physical features (Cultural features, beliefs, etc.) |
| "Why Question (similar) | Why do different places on Earth have similar features (answered using scale, space, and connections) |
| Scale | Relationship between the portion of Earth being studied and Earth as a whole |
| Space | Physical gap or interval between 2 objects |
| Connections | Relationships among people and objects across the barrier of space |
| What is the geographer's most important tool for spatially thinking? | Map |
| Cartography | Perfecting the science of mapmaking (must keep in mind scale and projection) |
| Purposes of a map | Tool for storing reference material (i.e. locating things) and a tool for communicating geographic information (reasons for/causes of a distribution of things) |
| Why are a series of maps helpful? | May show patterns in a specific area (patterns on maps may suggest interactions among different features of Earth) |
| Earliest surviving maps | Made by Babylonians on clay tablets about 2300 BC |
| Miletus | (A port in present-day Turkey) Became a center for geographic thought and mapmaking in the ancient world |
| Thales | Applied principles of geometry to measure land area |
| Anaximander | (Student of Thales) Made a world map based on information from sailors, though he portrayed Earth's shape as a cylinder |
| Hecateus | May have produced the 1st geography book around 500 BC |
| Aristotle | First to demonstrate that Earth was spherical= Observed that matter falls together toward a common center, that Earth's shadow on the Moon is circular during an eclipse, and that the visible groups of stars change as one travels north or south |
| Eratosthenes | First person of record to use the word geography and also accepted that Earth was spherical and calculated its circumference within 0.5% accuracy= Prepared one of the earliest maps of the known world and correctly divided Earth into 5 climatic regions |
| What are the 5 climatic regions? | 1 torrid zone across the middle, 2 frigid zones at the extreme north and south, and 2 temperate bands in between |
| Greek Ptolemy | Wrote an 8 volume Guide to Geography |
| Age of Exploration and Discovery | When revival of geography and mapmaking occured |
| Cartographer's 1st decision when making a map? | How much of Earth's surface to depict on the map (if trying to show entire world, wont have much detail, while if only trying to show small part, can have much detail)= Level of detail depends on scale |
| Scale | The relationship of a feature's size on a map to its actual size on Earth |
| Fraction Scale | Shows the numerical ration between distances on the map and Earth's surface (scale of 1:24,000 or 1/24,000 means that one unit [inch, etc.] on the map represents 24,000 of the same unit [inch, etc.] on the ground)= Units must be the same on map and ground (otherwise, can be any) |
| What do the numbers mean in a ratio: 1/# | 1 on left side of ratio always refers to a unit of distance ON THE MAP, and the number on the right always refers to the SAME UNIT of distance ON EARTH'S SURFACE |
| Written Scale | Describes relation between map and Earth distances in words (EX: 1 inch equals 1 mile on a map means that 1 inch on the map represents 1 mile on Earth's surface) |
| Geographic Scale | Consists of a bar line marked to show distance on Earth's surface= To use bar line, first determine with a ruler the distance on the map in inches or centimeters; then hold ruler against bar line and read number on bar line opposite the map distance on the ruler= Number on the bar line is the equivalent distance on Earth's surface |
| Small Scale Map | (Objects on map appear small [view is zoomed out]) Map showing much land but little detail |
| Large Scale Map | (Objects on map appear larger [view is zoomed in]) Map provides much detail about a small area |
| Projection | The scientific method of transferring locations on Earth's spherical surface to a flat map (results in distortion of information [especially for maps showing the whole world]) |
| 4 types of Distortion | SHAPE of an area can be distorted (so that it appears more elongated/squat than in reality), the DISTANCE between 2 points may become increased/decreased, the RELATIVE SIZE of different areas may be altered (so that 1 area might appear larger than another on a map but in reality is smaller), the DIRECTION from one place to another can be distorted |
| What are most maps? | Equal Area Projections= Benefit is that the relative sizes of the landmasses on the map are the same as in reality= Projection minimizes distortion in the shapes of most land-masses, although areas toward the North and South poles become more distorted (but because they are hardly inhabited, it is ok) |
| Distortions of Equal Area Projections | Eastern and Western hemispheres are separated into 2 pieces (= interruption), the meridians (vertical lines) whcih in reality converge at the North and South poles do not converge at all on the map (and they also don't form right angles with the parallels [horizontal lines]) |
| Horizontal Lines | Parallels |
| Vertical Lines | Meridians |
| Robinson Projection | Useful for displaying information across the oceans but its disadvantage is that by allocating space to the oceans, the land areas are much smaller than on interrupted maps of the same size |
| Mercator Projection | Advantages: shape is distorted very little, direction is consistent, map is rectangular; Disadvantages: area is grossly distorted toward the poles (making high latitude places look much larger than in reality) |
| Land Ordinance of 1785 | Divided much of the country into a system of townships and ranges to facilitate the sale of land to settlers in the West (initially surveyed by Thomas Hutchins and later the Surveyor General) |
| Township | Square 6 miles on each side= Each township has a number corresponding to its distance north or south of a particular base line= Each has a second number called the range= Divided into 36 sections |
| Principal Meridians | North-south lines that separate townships |
| Base Lines | East-west lines that separate townships |
| T1N | (Township 1 North) Townships in the first row north of a baseline |
| Range | Corresponds to a township's location east or west of a principal meridan |
| R1E | (Range 1 East) Townships in the 1st column east of a principal meridan |
| Sections | Each township is divided into 36 sections= Each is 1 mile by 1 mile= Are numbered in a consistent order (from 1 in the northeast to 36 in the southeast)= Each section is divided into 4 quarter-sections |
| Quarter Sections | Each Section is divided into 4 quarter sections (designated as the northeast, northwest, southeast, southwest quarters of a particular section) Is 0.5 mile by 0.5 mile, or 160 acres |
| Remote Sensing | Acquisition of data about Earth's surface from a satellite orbiting Earth or from other long-distance methods= These satellites scan Earth's surface (like how a TV camera scans an image in the thin lines you see on the screen)= Images are transmitted in digital form to a receiving station on earth= Primarily used for environmental purposes |
| GIS | (Geographic Information System) Computer system that can capture, store, query, analyze, and display geographic data= Key to GIS is Geocoding |
| Geocoding | (Key to GIS) Position of any object on Earth can be measured and recorded with mathematical precision and then stored in a computer= Maps can be created by asking the computer to retrieve a number of stored objects and combine them to form an image= Very accurate (but humans must find/correct any mistakes)= All information for the map can be saved as layers |
| Why are layers helpful? | They can be compared to show relationships among different kinds of information (computers do the work quickly and with much more detail) |
| Pixel | At any moment a satellite sensor records the image of a tiny area called a picture element (a.k.a. pixel) |
| What are maps created by remote sensing? | Essentially a grid containing many rows of pixels= The smallest feature on Earth's surface that can be detected by a sensor is the resolution of the scanner |
| Why are geographers interested in remote sensing? | To map the distribution of urban sprawl and agricultural practices |
| GPS | (Global Position System) System that accurately determines the precise position of something on Earth= GPS system in use in the US includes 2 dozen satellites placed in predetermined orbits (a series of tracking stations to monitor and control the satellites and receivers that compute position, velocity, and time from the satellite signals) |
| Why do geographers like GPS? | Useful in coding the precise location of objects= Information can later be entered as a layer in a GIS |
| Place | Unique location of a feature= Humans a strongly attached to this idea |
| Regions | Areas of unique characteristics |
| How are Place and Region different? | Matter of scale= Place is a point while a region is an area |
| Location | (Identified to describe a feature's place on Earth) The Position that something occupies on Earth's surface |
| 4 Ways To Identify Location | Place name, site, situation, mathematical location |
| Toponym | Name given to a place on Earth (easiest way to describe a particular location)= Place name may be named after anything and can also change/be changed (due to racist meanings, political purposes, etc.) |
| Board of Geographical Names | (Operated by US Geological Survey) Established to be final arbiter of names on US maps |
| Site | Physical character of a place (that is used to describe the location of a place)= Site characteristics include climate, water sources, topography, soil, latitude, etc.= Important in selecting places to live, work, etc. |
| What gives each place a distinctive character? | Combination of physical features |
| What is the "best" site? | Islands because they have both hilltops and riverside locations (thus defense and transportation) |
| Situation | Location of a place relative to other places (valuable way to indicate location) |
| Why is situation a good way to indicate location? | Finding an unfamiliar place and understanding its importance |
| How does situation help us find an unfamiliar place? | By comparing its location with a familiar one(s) |
| How does situation help us understand the importance of a location? | Many locations are important because they are accessible to other places |
| How can you precisely describe the location of any place on Earth's surface? | Meridians and parallels (2 sets of imaginary arcs drawn in a grid pattern on Earth's surface) |
| Meridian | Arc drawn between the North and South Poles |
| Parallel | Circle drawn around the globe parallel to the equator and at right angles to the meridians |
| Longitude | Numbering system that allows us to identify the location of each meridian= Important in calculating time= Earth as a sphere is divided into 360º longitude |
| Prime Meridian | Meridian that passes through the Royal Observatory at Greenwich, England, is 0º longitude (meridian on the opposite side of the globe from the prime meridian is 180ª longitude) |
| Measures of Meridians (other than Prime Meridian) | Between 0º and 180º east or west (depending if they are either east or west o the prime meridian) |
| How is longitude important in calculating time? | Earth makes a complete rotation every 24 hours and as a sphere is divided into 360º of longitude= Traveling 15º east or west is the equivalent of traveling to a place that is 1 hour earlier or later than the starting point (360 divided by 24 hours equals 15º) |
| Latitude | Numbering system to indicate the location of a parallel (0º-90º) |
| Equator | 0º Latitude= Is the parallel with the largest circumference and is the place where every day has 12 hours of daylight |
| North Pole | 90º north latitude |
| South Pole | 90º south latitude |
| How do you make the mathematical location of a place more precise? | Dividing each degree into 60 minutes (') and each minute into 60 seconds (") |
| X-Degrees= X-Minutes= X-Seconds | 1º=60'=3600" |
| X-Minutes= X-Second | 1'=60" |
| How are latitudes scientifically derived? | Derived by Earth's shape and its rotation around the Sun (i.e. length of day and the position of the Sun and stars gives you latitude) |
| 0º Longitude | (A human creation) Any meridian could have been selected as 0º longitude because all have the same length and all run between the poles= Runs through Greenwich, England (because England was world's most powerful country when longitude was made) |
| What was so troubling with longitude? Who solved the problem? | Inability to measure longitude was greatest problem for exploration= John harrison built the first portable clock |
| How did the portable clock solve the problem of longitude? | When the Sun was directly overhead of the ship (noon local time), the clock was set to Greenwich time and could be examined= If the clock said 2pm in Greenwich, then the ship was at 30º west longitude (because each hour of difference was equivalent to traveling 15º longitude |
| How is spherical earth divided into 360º of longitude? | Degrees from 0º to 180º west longitude plus the degrees from 0º to 180º east longitude |
| How many time zones are there? | 24 time zones= Know this because if we let every 15º of longitude represent 1 time zone and divide the 360º by 15º, we get 24 |
| GMT or UT | ("Greenwich Mean Time" or "Universal Time") Internal agreement designated the time at the prime meridian (0º longitude)= Is master reference time for all points on Earth |
| How do you change you clocks as you travel eastward from the prime meridian? | (Earth rotates eastward, so places to east of you go under sun earlier than you do) You are catching up with the Sun so you must turn your clock ahead from GMT by 1 hour (1 hour earlier) for each 15º= If you travel westward from the prime meridian, you are falling behind the Sun, so you turn your clock back from GMT by 1 hour for each 15º (EX: 7:00 to 8:00) |
| Eastern US time compared to GMT | Eastern US is near 75º west longitude and is thus 5 hours earlier than GMT (EX: 7pm GMT and 2pm US) |
| What are the 4 standard time zones shared by the 48 contiguous US States and Canada? | Eastern, Central, Mountain, Pacific |
| Eastern Standard Time Zone | Near 75º west longitude (passes close to Philadelphia) and is 5 hours earlier than GMT |
| Central Standard Time Zone | Near 90º west longitude (passes through Memphis, Tennessee) and is 6 hours earlier than GMT |
| Mountain Standard Time Zone | Near 105º west longitude (passes through Denver, Colorado) and is 7 hours earlier than GMT |
| Pacific Standard Time Zone | Near 120º west longitude (passes through Lake Tahoe in California) and is 8 hours earlier than GMT |
| Alaska Time Zone | Contains most of Alaska (9 hours earlier than GMT) |
| Hawaii-Aleutian Time Zone | Contains most of Hawaii and some of Aleutian Islands (10 hours earlier than GMT) |
| Atlantic Time Zone | Contains eastern Canada (4 hours earlier than GMT) |
| International Date Line | Follows 180º latitude= When you pass this line, you move the clock back 24 hours (if you are heading eastward toward America) and 24 ahead if you are heading westward toward Asia= If going East to West, you gain a day= If going west to east, you loose a day= Going to the left is 1 day ahead of the right= If you go west, you will never see the sun rise while if you go east, you will see the sun rise again (i.e. repeat day) |
| Kiribati | (Collection of small islands in the Pacific Ocean) Moved the International Date Line 2,000 miles to its eastern border near 150º west longitude= Thus, it is the first country to see each day's sunrise |
| Cultural Landscape | (Is what a region gets its unified character from) A combination of cultural features such as language and religion, etc.= Is an area fashioned from nature by a cultural group= Culture is the agent, the natural area the medium, the cultural landscape the result |
| Regional Studies | (a.k.a. Contemporary Cultural Landscape Approach) Says that each region has its own distinctive landscape that results from a unique combination of social relationships and physical processes= Within a region the people/activities/environment will display similarities and regularities within a region and differ in some way from those of other regions |
| How do regions gain uniqueness? | Possessing not a single human or environmental characteristic but a combination of them |
| Fundamental principle underlying the cultural landscape approach | People are the most important agents of change of Earth's surface (physical environment is not always the most important) |
| What causes distinctive landscapes that don't stem from physical features? | Economic systems, political structures, living arrangements, etc. |
| When can you use the term "region"? | Applied to any area larger than a point and smaller than the entire planet= Most often applied at 1 of 2 scales: several neighboring countries that share important features or many localities within a country |
| How many times can a specific place appear in a "region"? | Countless times (depending on how that region is being defined) |
| 3 types of regions | Formal, functional, vernacular |
| Formal Region | (a.k.a. Uniform Region or Homogeneous Region) Area within which everyone shares in common one ore more distinctive characteristics (shared feature can be cultural or environmental)= In a formal region, the selected characteristic is presented throughout while in other kinds of formal regions, a characteristic may be predominant rather than universal |
| Why are formal regions typically identified? | To help explain broad global or national patters (i.e. variations in religions, etc.)= Characteristic selected to distinguish a formal region often illustrates a general concept rather than a precise mathematical distribution |
| How can you identify formal regions? | Must recognize the diversity of cultural, economic, and enviornmental factors even while making a generalization (problems will be a majority % overshadowing a minority %) |
| Functional Region | (a.k.a. Nodal Region) Area organized around a node or focal point= Characteristic chosen to define the region dominates at a central focus or node and diminishes in importance outward= Region is tied to the central point by transportation or communications systems or by economic or functional associations= Node may be anything (i.e. shop, etc.) and the boundaries of the region mark the limits of the trading area of the activity= People may be attracted to the node and information may flow from the node to the surrounding area (EX: newspaper [closer to center, more read, farther away, less read]) |
| Why are functional regions used? | To display information about economic areas |
| Vernacular Region | (a.k.a. Perceptual Region) A place that people believe exists as part of their cultural identity= These regions emerge from people's informal sense of place rather than from scientific models developed through geographic thought (EX: South US) |
| Mental Map | (Useful way to identify a perceptual region) An internal representation of a portion of Earth's surface= Depicts what an individual knows about a place, containing personal impressions of what is in a place and where places are located |
| Are maps that show information about a particular region useful? | Not if a person know little about the region being described |
| Factors with similar distributions have... | Similar spatial association |
| Culture | (Used when thinking about why each region on Earth is distinctive) Body of customary beliefs, material traits, and social forms that together constitute the distinct tradition of a group of people |
| How are groups of people distinguished? | According to important cultural characteristics, describe where particular cultural groups are distributed, and offer reasons to explain the observed distribution |
| Cultured | A person with taste for intellectual outputs (i.e. books, art, etc.) |
| Popular Culture | (EX: TV programs) Is distinguished from intellectually challenging culture |
| What is looked at in culture to see why each region in the world is unique? | What is cared about and what is taken care of |
| What is looked at to see what caused a distinctive culture in a particular place? | Customary ideas, beliefs, and values of a people= Very important cultural values derive from a group's language, religion, and ethnicity |
| What 3 cultural traits are good for identifying the location of a culture and the principal means by which cultural values become distributed around the world? | Language, religion, ethnicity |
| Language | System of signs, sounds, gestures, and marks that have meanings understood within a cultural group= People communicate the cultural values they care about through language and the words themselves tell something about where different cultural groups are located |
| Religion | Principal system of attitudes, beliefs, and practices through which people worship in a formal, organized way= Geographers look at the distribution of different religious groups around the world and how the interact with their environment |
| Ethnicity | Encompasses a group's language, religion, and other cultural values (as well as its physical traits_ |
| What are the names of the 2 regions of the world that are caused by dividing the world based on the economy? | More Developed Economically (MDC) and Less Developed Regions (LDC)= Are distinguished by economic gains, living, etc. |
| MDC | (More Developed Economically) Include North America, Europe, and Japan= Has a higher possession of wealth and material goods because of different types of economic activities |
| LDC | (Less Developed Regions) Include sub-Saharan Africa, Middle East, etc.= Most people are engaged in agriculture |
| What is the relationship between culture and natural environment? | Different cultural groups modify the natural enviornment ini distinctive ways to produce unique regions |
| Cultural Ecology | (a.k.a. Human Environment) Geographic study of human-environment relationships |
| Humboldt and Ritter | Urged geographers to adopt the methods of scientific inquiry used by natural scientists= Said that the scientific study of social and natural processes is fundamentally the same= Should apply laws from the natural sciences to understanding relationships between the physical environment and human actions= Focused on how the physical environment CAUSED social development |
| Environmental Determinism | Focus on how the physical environment CAUSED social development |
| Ellsworth Huntington | Argued that climate was a major determinant of civilization |
| Possibilism | Used when trying to explain the relationships beween human activities and the physical environment in a region= Says that the physical environment may limit some human actions but people have the ability to adjust to their environment (through resources) |
| Resources | Substances that are useful to people, easy to access, and culturally acceptable |
| Technology and The Environment | Technology can radically change the environment= Problem is that some people use technology to modify the environment insensitively (actions hurt resources, etc.) |
| What are important physical processes? | Climate, vegetation, soil, landforms |
| Koppen System | Divides the world into 5 main climate regions that are identified by the letters A through E |
| What are the names associated with the 5 letters (A through E) used in the Koppen System? | A-Tropical Climates, B-Dry Climates, C-Warm Mid Latitude Climates, D-Cold Mid Latitude Climates, E-Polar Climates |
| How are the 5 main climate regions (in the Koppen System) subdivided into many subtypes? | Basis for the subdivision (except for B Climate) is the amount of precipitation and the season in which it falls= For B climate, subdivision is made on the basis of temperature and precipitation |
| What does the climate of a particular region influence? | Human activity (especially production of the food needed to survive) |
| Biomes | 4 major forms of plant communities= Location and extent are influenced by both climate and human activities |
| Vegetation and Soil | Influence the types of agriculture that people practice in a particular region |
| 4 Main Biomes | Forest, Savanna, Grassland, Desert |
| Forest Biome | Trees form a continuous canopy over the ground= Grasses and shrubs may grow beneath the cover |
| Savanna Biome | Mixture of trees and grasses= Trees do not form a continuous canopy and the resultant lack of shade allows grass to grow |
| Grassland Biome | Covered by grass rather than trees= Few trees grow in the region because of low precipitation (EX: US Prairies are world's largest grasslands) |
| Desert Biome | Not completely bereft of vegetation= Although many desert areas have almost no vegetation, the region contains dispersed patches of plants adapted to dry conditions= Vegetation is often sufficient for the survival of small numbers of animals |
| Soil | Material that forms on Earth's surface and is the thin layer between the air and the rocks= Not merely dirt, soil contains the nutrients necessary for successful growth of plants |
| U.S. Comprehensive Soil Classification System | Divides global soil types into 10 orders (according to the characteristics of the immediate surface soil layers and the subsoil= More than 12,000 types of soil |
| How are Orders subdivided? | Subdivided into suborders, great groups, subgroups, families, series |
| What causes the destruction of soil? | Erosion and depletion of nutrients |
| Erosion (of soil) | Occurs when the soil washes away in the rain or blows away in the wind= To reduce erosion problems, farmers reduce the amount of plowing, plant crops whose roots help bind the soil, and avoid planting on steep slopes |
| Depletion of Nutrients (in soil) | Nutrients are depleted when plants withdraw more nutrients than natural process can replace= Each type of plant uses and restores specific/different nutrients= Repeated harvesting of the same type of crop year after year can remove certain nutrients and reduce the soil's productivity= To minimize depletion problem, farmers plant plants that just replenish nutrients (and aren't really worth $) and add fertilizers |
| Landforms | (a.k.a. Earth's surface features) Vary from relatively flat to mountainous |
| Geomorphology | Study of Earth's landforms= Helps explain distribution of people and the choice of economic activities at different locations (people prefer living on flat lands) |
| Topographic Maps | Show remarkable detail of physical features (i.e. bodies of water, forests, mountains, etc.)= Also show cultural features (i.e. buildings, roads, etc.) |
| Topos | (a.k.a. Topographic Maps) Used by engineers, hikers, and anyone who really needs to see the lay of the land |
| Why are Topographic Maps used by Geographers? | To study relief and slope of localities |
| Relief (in regards to Topographic Maps) | Difference in elevation between any 2 points and it measures the extent to which an area is flat or hilly |
| Slope (in regards to Topographic Maps) | Is how the steepness of hills are measured= Is relief divided by the distance between 2 points |
| Contour Lines | Lines on the map that connect points of equal elevation above or below sea level= Are closer together to show steeper slopes and farther apart in flatter areas |
| How have the Dutch modified their landscape? Why? | (Modified environment gently) Polders and Dikes= Because most of Netherlands lies under sea level |
| Polder | Piece of land that is created by draining water from an area= Were constructed by private developers (used in Netherlands because many parts are below sea level)= Dutch use t for agriculture to reduce country's dependence on imported food |
| Dikes | Made to prevent the North Sea (part of the Atlantic Ocean) from flooding much of the country |
| Zuider Zee | Part of the North Sea that once threatened to flood Netherlands |
| Delta Plan | Many dams were built in Netherlands after a flood of the many natural rivers that flow through the Netherlands killed many people |
| Barrier Islands in Florida | Are basically large sandbars that shield the mainland from flooding and storm damage= Constantly being eroded and shifted from the force of storms and pounding surf (and parts are sometimes washed away after storms)= Most are linked by bridges |
| How is erosion fought along the Barrier Islands? | People build seawalls and jetties (=structures extending into the sea (but while it protects the side from the current, the side unprotected from the current erodes) |
| 2000 Comprehensive Everglades Restoration | Made to restore the flow of water through South Florida while improving flood control and water quality (which was hurt by the growth of farming as a result of previous erosion-preventing techniques) |
| Local Scale | We see unique features (i.e. shows a neighborhood) |
| Global Scale | We see broad patterns (i.e. shows the world) |
| Globalization | (Increases importance of scale) A force or process that involves the entire world and results in making something worldwide in scope= Means that the scale of the world is shrinking (in reference to the ability of a something to interact with something else in another place)= Produces a world that is more uniform, integrated, and independent= Requires a common language (thus English is more important) |
| Transnational Corporation | (a.k.a. Multinational Corporations) Conducts research, operates factories, and sells products in many countries, not just where its headquarters and principle shareholders are located (has led globalization)= Able to globalize due to technology that allows them to easily move money |
| What are the results of the globalization of the economy? | Every place in the world is part of the global economy but it has led to more specialization at the local level= Each place plays a specific role based on its local assets= Has thus increased economic differences among places |
| What underlies the uniform cultural landscape? | Globalization of cultural beliefs and forms (especially religion and language) |
| Global Culture | As more people adopt the global culture, local culture is threatened= Still, cultural difference among places not only persist but actually flourish in many places |
| Globalization of Communications | People in 2 distant places can watch the asme television program while, at the same time, 2 people in the same house can watch different shows |
| What happens when people try to retain their local culture in the face of globalization? | The people become intolerant of those with differing beliefs |
| What do Geographers think about in regards to space? | The arrangement of people and activities found in space and then try to understand why those people and activities are distributed across space as they are= They identify the location of important places and explain why human activities are located beside one another in space= Every place occupies a unique position on Earth and are thus examined on how they are arranged across Earth |
| How does history and geography differ? | A historian cannot enter a time machine to study other eras; however, a geographer can actively study spaces |
| Distribution | Refers to if features (on Earth [close or far away]) are numerous or scarce, close together or far apart= Arrangement of a feature in space |
| 3 properties of Distribution | Density, concentration, pattern |
| Density | Frequency with which something occurs in space= A large population does not necessarily mean a high density= Is unrelated to poverty |
| Arithmetic Density | Total number of objects in an area and is used to compare the distribution of population in different countries= Requires number of people and the land area |
| How to measure Arithmetic Density | (Total amount of X) divided by (X's area) |
| Physiological Density | Number of persons per unit of area suitable for agriculture= A high physiological density may mean that a country has difficulty growing enough food to sustain its population |
| Agricultural Density | Number of farmers per unit area of farmland= A high agricultural density may mean that a country has inefficient agriculture |
| Concentration | Extent of a feature's spread over space= To compare levels of concentration, 2 areas must have same number of objects and the same size area= Used to describe changes in distribution= Not the same as density |
| Clustered | If objects are close together |
| Dispersed | If objects are spread out |
| Pattern | Geometric arrangement of objects in space (some distributed in geometric patter and others irregularly)= Vary according to gender and ethnicity (gender patterns are taught at birth) |
| How are objects often arranged? | In a square or rectangular pattern |
| Grid Pattern | Regular pattern of streets that intersect at right angles at uniform intervals to form square or rectangular blocks |
| When is cultural identity a source of pride? | At the local scale and an inspiration for personal values |
| Self-Identification | (Traits matter to other people) Criteria by which other people classify us and choose to interact with us |
| Space-Time Compression | Describes the reduction in the time it takes for something to reach another place= Promotes rapid change |
| Diffusion | Process by which a characteristic spreads across space from one place to another over time= Connections are made between regions, as well as the mechanism by which connections are maintained through networks (must happen for interaction to occur) |
| When can we see spatial interaction? | When places are connected with each other= Interaction takes place through networks |
| Networks | Chains of communication that connect places |
| Distance Decay | The farther away one group is from another, the less likely the 2 groups are to interact= Contact diminishes with increasing distance and eventually disappears |
| Hearth | Place from which an innovation originates (originates from hearth and then diffuses outward) |
| How does a hearth emerge? | Cultural group must be willing to try something new and be able to allocate resources to nurture the innovation= To make hearth, people must also have the technical ability to achieve the desired idea and the economic structures to facilitate implementation of the innovation |
| Relocation Diffusion | Spread of an idea through physical movement of people from one place to another |
| Expansion Diffusion | Spread of a feature from 1 place to another in a snowballing process= Happens much faster in the contemporary world than in the past (can happen instantly/simultaneously even if distance of separation is large) |
| What causes expansion diffusion? | Hierarchical Diffusion, Contagious Diffusion, Stimulus Diffusion |
| Hierarchical Diffusion | Spread of an idea from person or nodes of authority or power o other persons or places= May result from spread of ideas from elites to others in the community |
| Contagious Diffusion | Rapid, widespread diffusion of a characteristic throughout the population= Is similar to the spread of a disease (is rapidly adopted) |
| Stimulus Diffusion | Spread of an underlying principle (even though a characteristic itself apparently fails to diffuse) |
| Uneven Development | Increasing gap in economic conditions between regions in the core and periphery that results from the globalization of the economy |
