AP Human Geography

BasicConcepts

An in-depth Social Science

Many people have misconceptions about geography and think of the discipline as simply an exercise in memorizing place names.

Where we find Geography? Geography exist in the

global issues receiving attention at this time; things such as – Population growth– Terrorism– Cultural diffusion.

Diffusion is defined as the spread of linguistic or cultural practices or innovations within a community or from one community to another.

Location, Location, Location

Geography's importance can also be established by looking at community issues, such as:– Water supply– Pollution– Growth management– Housing– Retail

Openings and Closures

Thinking Geographically In addition to political rule, boundaries can be drawn

based on various components of culture including language, religion, values.

Questions to Ponder Where would the most

desirable places to live be located?

What impacts would this population increase cause?

Every Story Can be approached from a Geographers Perspective

Consider natural events and natural disasters. Do humans choose to live in harm’s way?

Spatial analysis Geography by its nature is a spatial science.

Geographers therefore study space in order to locate the distribution of people and objects. Geographers ask two main questions, “where” and “why.”

Spatial analysis is concerned with analyzing regularities achieved through interaction.

Regularities result in a distinctive distribution of a feature.

Distribution has three properties:– Density– Concentration– Pattern

World Political Boundaries (2004)

Fig. 1-1: National political boundaries are among the most significant elements of the cultural landscape

How Geographers Address Location

Maps– Early mapmaking– Map scale– Projection– Land Ordinance of 1785

Contemporary Tools– GIS– Remote sensing– GPS

Ptolemy’s view of the world c150AD

Old Islamic MapsFulfilling the duties of formal prayers and the pilgrimage, Muslims need to find the direction and routes leading to al Ka'ba from virtually any spot on the globe. The Ka'ba is the house of Abraham in Mecca. And it is the point at which Muslims must face when they perform prayers.

Left - map of the world in 1154 by Idrissi

Right - map of the world made by the Muslim geographer Jihani in the 10th century of the Christian era.

Maps of the Marshall Islands

Fig. 1-2: A Polynesian “stick chart” depicts patterns of waves on the sea route between two South Pacific islands. Modern maps show the locations of these Marshall Islands.

Scale Differences: Maps of Florida

Fig. 1-3: The effects of scale in maps of Florida.

(Scales from 1:10 million to 1:10,000)

Examples of Map Projections

Robinson Projection

http://www.nationalatlas.gov/articles/mapping/a_projections.html

Township and Range System in the U.S.

Fig. 1-4: Principal meridians and east-west baselines of the township system. Townships in northwest Mississippi and topographic map of the area.

Layers of a GIS

Fig. 1-5: A geographic information system (GIS) stores information about a location in several layers. Each layer represents a different category of information.

GPS

Uniqueness of Places and Regions

Place: Unique location of a feature– Place names– Site– Situation– Mathematical location

Regions: Areas of unique characteristics– Cultural landscape– Types of regions– Regional integration of culture– Cultural ecology

Site: Lower Manhattan Island

Fig. 1-6: Site of lower Manhattan Island, New York City. There have been many changes to the area over the last 200 years.

Situation: Singapore

Fig. 1-7: Singapore is situated at a key location for international trade.

World Geographic Grid

Fig. 1-8: The world geographic grid consists of meridians of longitude and parallels of latitude. The prime meridian (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.

Election 2000: Regional Differences

Fig. 1-10: Presidential election results by county and state illustrate differences in regional voting patterns.

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 different boundaries.

Vernacular Region - Kurdistan

Spatial Association at Various Scales

Fig. 1-13: Death rates from cancer in the U.S., Maryland, and Baltimore show different patterns that can identify associations with different factors.

What is Culture?

Culture is a body of customary believes, material trades, and social forms that together constitute the distinct tradition of a group of people.

The Latin root of culture is cultus, which means to care for. – Example Agriculture (term

for growing things)

Cultural Ecology Geographers also consider environmental factors as well

as cultural factors, when looking at regions. Cultural Ecology - the geographic study of human-environmental

relations. In the 19th Century – some geographers said that human

actions were caused by environmental conditions. (environmental determinism)

This is rejected by modern geographers that say some environmental conditions limit human actions. (possibilism)

Of course now we are realizing that humans can actually adjust their environment. (For good or bad)

World Climate Regions

Fig. 1-14: The modified Köppen system divides the world into five main climate regions.

Geomorphology This is the branch of

geology that studies the characteristics and configuration and evolution of rocks and land forms.

Environmental Modification in the Netherlands

Fig. 1-15: Polders and dikes have been used for extensive environmental modification in the Netherlands.

Environmental Modification in Florida

Fig. 1-16: Straightening the Kissimmee River has had many unintended side effects.

View of Miami Beach

The barrier Island

Similarity of Different Places Scale: From local to global

– Globalization of economy– Globalization of culture

Space: Distribution of features– Distribution– Gender and ethnic diversity in space

Connections between places– Spatial interaction– Diffusion

Globalization of the Economy

Fig. 1-17: The Denso corporation is headquartered in Japan, but it has regional headquarters and other facilities in North America and Western Europe.

Globalization of Culture What are the major Elements of culture?

– Customary beliefs– Social customs– Material traits

Affects of globalization of culture– Fewer local differences– Enhanced communications– Unequal access– Difficulty in maintaining of local traditions

There is also globalization of environment– Sensitive and insensitive environmental modification

Density, Concentration, and Pattern

Fig. 1-18: The density, concentration, and pattern (of houses in this example) may each vary in an area or landscape.

Housing density in Hong Kong

Density and Concentration of Baseball Teams, 1952–2000

Fig. 1-19: The changing distribution of North American baseball teams illustrates the differences between density and concentration.

Space-Time Compression 1492–1962

Fig. 1-20: The times required to cross the Atlantic, or orbit the Earth, illustrate how transport improvements have shrunk the world.

Spatial Interaction Interdependence exists among places based upon the

degree of spatial interaction. – Spatial interaction is established through the movement of people,

ideas, and objects between regions. – For example, Travel has changed considerably over the last 500

years. In the past, most forms of interaction among cultural

groups required the physical movement of settlers, explores, and plunders from one place to another. – Today travel by car or plane is much faster and communication is

instantaneous. – When places are connected to each other through a network,

geographers say there is a spatial interaction between them.

Airline Route Networks

Fig. 1-21: Delta Airlines, like many others, has configured its route network in a “hub and spoke” system.

Diffusion Diffusion is the process by which a characteristic

spreads across space from one place to another over time. – The place of origin of the characteristic is called the

hearth. For example – US, Canadian, and many Latin cultures can be

traced back to the European Hearth. There are two basic types of diffusion:

– Relocation diffusion– Expansion diffusion

Expansion Diffusion includes: – Hierarchical diffusion– Contagious diffusion– Stimulus diffusion