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Regional AnalysisChapter 1, section 3
Regions are the equivalent of scientific classification for geographers
Regions are determined through the cultural landscape
Three types of regions:◦ Formal◦ Functional (nodal)◦ Perceptual
Regional studies: each region has its own distinctive landscape that results from a unique combination of social relationships and physical processes.◦ important to the
principle: people are the most important agents of change of Earth’s surface
Regions
Formal regions help explain broad global or national patterns such as variations in religions and levels of economic development.
Formal Regions
Also a uniform or homogenous region. Shares one or more distinctive characteristics
Could be cultural, economic, environmental
Example: Montana
Has recognized boundaries and shares a common set of laws
nodal region, it is organized around a node or focal point.
Used to display information about economic areas Example: circulation
of a newspaper
Functional Regions
Formal and Functional Regions
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 region, is a place that people believe exists as part of their cultural identity.
◦ Example: the “south”How do you know you are
in the south?
-driving from New York down I-95
-waffle house?-grits?-sweet tea?
Perceptual region
Vernacular Regions
A number of factors are often used to define the South as a vernacular region, each of which identifies somewhat different boundaries.
Regionalism◦ Used to describe situations
in which different religious or ethnic groups with distinctive identities co-exist within the same state boundaries, often concentrated within a particular region and sharing strong feelings of collective identity. Often ethnic groups who aims
for autonomy from a national state Ex. Serbs in Croatia
Sectionalism◦ Feelings that develop into
an extreme devotion to regional interests and customs
Irredentism◦ Assertion by the
government of a country that a minority living outside its formal border belongs to it historically and culturally. Often leads to war Ex. Serbs in Croatia
Regionalization
Ordinary Landscapes◦ Vernacular landscapes◦ Everyday landscapes that
people create in the course of their lives together
Symbolic Landscapes◦ Represent particular values
or aspirations that builders and financiers want to impart to a larger public Ex. Washington, D.C. Some landscapes become
powerful sense of national identity Ex. West Irelend
Landscapes reflect people’s dreams and ideas as well as their material lives◦ Messages embedded in
the landscape can be read as signs about values, beliefs, and practices
◦ One task of geographers is to interpret the meaning of landscapes
Landscapes
Refers to the feelings evoked among people as a result of the experiences and memories they associate with a place and to the symbolism they attach to that place.
Can also refer to the character of a place as seen by outsiders
For insiders:◦ Sense of place develops
through shared dress codes, speech patterns, and public comportment. lifeworld
◦ Intersubjectivity Shared meanings that are
derived from everyday practice
◦ For outsiders: A sense of place can be
evoked only if local landmarks, ways of life, etc. are distinctive enough to evoke a significant common meaning for people who have no direct experience of them
Sense of Place
Allows us to understand changing patterns, processes, and relationships among people, places, and regions◦ Examples:
Industrial Revolution Introduction of the
Railroad
Geographical Imagination
Places and regions are in constant state of change◦ Today, because of a
globalized economy and globalized telecommunications and transportation networks, places have become more interdependent
Future Geographies
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