Human GeographyUnit 2

• A branch of geography that focuses on the study of patterns and processes that shape human interaction with the environment

Political Geography

The world is divided into many political regions

Nations of the World• State(country)- An

independent unit that occupies a specific territory and has control of it’s internal and external affairs.

• Nation-A group of people living in a territory and having a strong sense of unity.

• Nation-state- when a nation and state occupy the same territory.

• Stateless nation- when a nation does not have a territory.

Types of Government• Democracy- Citizens hold power, either

directly or through elected representatives. Ex. United States.

• Monarchy- A ruling family holds power and may or may not share power with the citizens. EX. UK or Saudi Arabia.

• Dictatorship- An individual or group holds complete political power. EX. North Korea.

• Communism- Economic system, and political power is held by the government in the name of the people. EX. USSR.

• Totalitarianism (or totalitarian rule) is a political system where the state, usually under the control of a single political person, faction, or class, recognizes no limits to its authority and strives to regulate every aspect of public and private life wherever feasible

Geographic Characteristics of Nations

• Three characteristics in describing country.

• Size-A large nation has the potential to be more powerful because of resources and people.

• Shape- The shape of a country can have a impact on how easily it can be governed, how goods are moved, and how it relates to neighboring countries.

• Location- A landlocked country has to find a way to build connections with the rest of the world and a country surrounded by hostile nations must worry about protection and security.

National Boundaries• Boundaries set the limits

of the territory controlled.• Natural Boundaries-

Based on a physical feature of the land, such as rivers, lakes, or mountain chains.

• Artificial Boundaries- A fixed line generally following latitude or longitude lines.

Regional Political Systems• Countries often divide

into smaller political units to make governing more efficient.

• National: United States

• State\regional: Texas• Local: Burkburnett

Urban Geography•Urban geography is the study

of how people use space in cities.

•UrbanizationThe movement of people to, and the clustering of people in, towns and cities- a major force in every geographic realm today. Also when expanding cities absorb the rural countryside and transforms it into suburbs.

Growth of Urban Areas

Cities are not just areas of population-they are also centers of business and culture.

Urban Areas• Urban areas develop around the

central city. The built up area is called a suburb.

• Suburbs may be residential or have other urban activities.

• A Metropolitan area includes the central city the suburbs and other areas linked economically. A megalopolis is formed when several metropolitan areas grow together.

• The rise in the number of cities and the lifestyle change that resulted is called urbanization.

City Locations• Many cities are found in places

that allow good transportation, such as a river, lake, or coast.

• Some are found in places with access to natural resources.

• Some cities may specialize in a certain economic activity or grow because of economic activities in the city.

• Cultural, educational, or military activities may also attract people to a location.

Land Use Patterns• Basic land use patterns

found in all cities are:• Residential-single family

housing and apartment buildings.

• Industrial- areas reserved for manufacturing of goods.

• Commercial- used for private business and the buying and selling of retail products.

Urban Area Models• The core of the city is

based on commercial activity. This area of the city is called the central business district(CBD).

• As you move away from the CBD residential housing begins to dominate.

• The value of land generally decreases as you move away from the CBD in a city.

Function of Cities• Types of functions of

cities: retail, entertainment, transportation, business, education, government, manufacturing, wholesale, residential, recreation, and religion.

• Good transportation is essential for people and goods to get from one place to another.

Economic Support Systems• Infrastructure- Consist

of the basic support systems needed to keep an economy going, including power, communications, transportation, water, sanitation, and education systems. The more sophisticated the infrastructure, the more developed the country.

Economic Geography• Economy consist of the

production and exchange of goods and services among a group of people.

• Economics activities depends on the resources of the land and how people use them.

• The level of economic development can be measured in different ways.

Types of Economic Systems• The way people produce and

exchange goods is called a economic system.

• Traditional- Goods and service are traded without exchanging money.

• Command- Production of goods and services is determined by the central government.

• Market- Production of goods and service is determined by the consumer.

• Mixed- A combination of command and market economies provide goods and service so all people benefit.

Economic Activities• Some groups raise enough food

or animals to meet their need to eat and have little left over. This is subsistence agriculture.

• In market oriented agriculture crops or animals are produced so that farmers can sell to markets.

• Small industry involve a family of crafts persons who produce goods to be sold in a local area. Since this happened in the home it is referred to as a cottage industry.

• Commercial industry meet the needs of people in a large area.

Levels of Economic Activity• Primary activities- involve

gathering raw materials such as timber.

• Secondary activities- involve adding value to a material by changing it’s form. Manufacturing automobiles is an example.

• Tertiary activities- involve providing business or professional service. Ex. Salespersons, teachers or doctors.

• Quaternary activities- provide information, management, and research by highly trained professionals.

The Economics of Natural Resources

• Natural Resources are materials on or in the earth- such as trees, fish, or coal- that have economic value.

• Materials from the earth only become resources when society has the technology to transform those resources into goods.

• Natural resources are abundant but not distributed equally around the world.

Renewable Resources

• Renewable- These resources can be replaced through natural processes. Examples include trees and seafood.

Non- Renewable Resources• Non- Renewable-

These resources can not be replaced once they have been removed from the ground. Examples include metals, such as gold, and silver. Also fossil fuels.

Inexhaustible Energy Resources

Inexhaustible energy sources- These resources, which are used for producing power are the result of solar or planetary processes and are unlimited in quantity. They include sunlight, winds, geothermal, and tides.

Measuring Economic Development

• Per capita income- the average amount of money earned by each person in a political unit.

• Gross national product(GNP)- total value of all goods and services produced by a country over a year.

• Gross domestic product(GDP)- total value of all goods and services produced within a country in a given period of time.

GlobalizationGlobalization is the process of increased interconnectedness among countries most notably in the areas of economics, politics, and culture. McDonalds in Japan, French films being played in Minneapolis, and the United Nations, are all representations of globalization.

• If you look at the tag on your shirt, chances are you would see that it was made in a country other than the one in which you sit right now. What's more, before it reached your wardrobe, this shirt could have very well been made with Chinese cotton sewed by Thai hands, shipped across the Pacific on a French freighter crewed by Spaniards to a Los Angeles harbor. This international exchange is just one example of globalization, a process that has everything to do with geography. McDonald’s in Japan

Globalization cont……

Developmental Levels• Countries of the world

have different levels of economic development. Developing nations are nations that have a low GDP and limited development on all levels of economic activities.

• Developed nations are countries with high per capita income and varied economies.

Demographics: The characteristics of human

populations and population segments,

especially when used to identify consumer

markets

Birth Rate: Crude birth rate is the nativity or childbirths per 1000

people per year

Death Rate: Mortality rate is a measure of the number of

deaths (in general, or due to a specific cause) in some

population, scaled to the size of that population

Natural Increase: In demographics, the rate of

natural increase (RNI) is the crude birth rate minus the

crude death rate of a population.

Population Density: Population density is the

measure of the number per unit area. It is commonly represented as people per

square mile

Population Distribution: Population Distribution is how

people (or animals) are distributed on the surface of

earth. It shows where they are concentrated and where they are

sparse.

Developing Countries: is a term generally used to describe a nation with a low level of

material well-being (not to be confused with third world

countries).

Developed Countries: are countries that have a

high level of development according

to some criteria. (ex….economy)

Population Pyramid: A population pyramid is a type of bar graph. It shows the number or

percentage of people that fall into specific age groups. It may also comparethe distribution of age groups by sex, ethnic group, or some other category.

Gross National Product (GNP) is the total value of

all goods and services produced by a country over

a year or some other specified period of time

GDP - Gross Domestic Product. Which is the total

value of all goods and services produced within a country in a given period

of time

Standard of Living is The level of wealth, comfort, material goods and

necessities available to a certain socioeconomic class in a certain

geographic area. Examples are access to certain goods (such as number of refrigerators per 1000 people), or

measures of health such as life expectancy. It is the ease by which

people living in a time or place are able to satisfy their needs and/or wants.

India, forinstance, has a young population; the majority of people are under the age of 30.To show how the population of a country is distributed by age, a populationpyramid is a very useful tool.

Pandemic: is an epidemic of infectious disease that has spread through human populations across a large region; for instance multiple continents, or even worldwide.

Immigration means for an individual or a family to move to a new country from their country of origin

Migration denotes the act of moving from one place to another - within a country or across borders

VS.

People and Places

The elements of culture

Defining Culture• Culture is the total knowledge,

attitudes, and behaviors shared by and passed on by members of a specific group.

• Culture involves the following factors: food and shelter, education, religion, security/protection, language, creative expression, relationship to family, and political and social organizations.

• Cultural diffusion is the spreading of ideas or products from one culture to another.

• Cultural diffusion is the spreading of ideas or products from one culture to another.

Direct diffusion of culture occurs when two distinct cultures are very close together. Over time, direct contact between the two leads to an intermingling of the cultures. Historically this occurred through trade, intermarriage, and sometimes warfare because members of the various cultures interacted with each other for long periods. An example today would be the similar interest in soccer in some areas of the United States and Mexico.

Forced diffusion or expansion diffusion is the second method of cultural diffusion and takes place when one culture defeats another and forces its beliefs and customs onto the conquered people. An example here would be when the Spanish took over lands in the Americas and later forced the original inhabitants to convert to Roman Catholicism in the 16th and 17th Centuries.

Indirect diffusion type happens when cultural ideas are spread through a middleman or even another culture. An example here would be the popularity of Italian food throughout North America. Technology, mass media, and the internet are both playing a huge role in promoting this type of cultural diffusion around the world today.

Society• A Society is a group that

shares a geographic region, a sense of identity, and a culture.

• An ethnic group refers to a specific group that shares a language, customs, and a common heritage.

• An ethnic group has an identity as a separate group of people within the region where they live.

Cultural Change and Exchange• Innovation is taking existing

technology and resources and creating something new to meet a need.EX. Some societies invented baskets for storage.

• Diffusion is the spread of ideas, invention, or patterns of behavior. A cultural hearth is a place from where ideas, materials, and technology spread out to cultures. River civilizations are the best known cultural hearths.

Acculturation

• Exposure to an innovation does not guarantee that a society will accept an innovation. Individuals in a society must decide whether the innovation is useful.

• Acculturation occurs when a society changes because it accepts or adopts an innovation. Ex. A society wearing jeans instead of traditional garments.

Language

• Language is one of the most important aspects of a culture because it allows people to communicate with each other.

Language and Identity• Language helps to

establish a cultural identity. It helps establish unity among those who speak the language. Language can also divide people if more than one language is spoken but one seems to be favored. Ex. Canada where both French and English are spoken.

Language Families• There are between 3,000

and 6,500 languages today.

• Today’s languages evolved from earlier languages.

• Versions of languages are called dialects. A dialect reflects changes in speech patterns related to class, region, or other cultural changes.

Language Diffusion• Language can be diffused in

many ways. It may follow trade routes or be invented.Ex. Swahili developed as a trade language between Arabic traders and Bantu-speaking tribes on Africa’s east coast.

• Diffusion can also occur through migration. EX. Colonist from Europe brought languages to North America.

Religion

• Religion consist of a belief in a supernatural power or powers that are regarded as the creators and maintainers of the universe.

• Religion is categorized three ways:Monotheistic- with a belief in one god.Polytheistic- with a belief in many gods.Animistic- belief in divine forces in nature.

Major World Religions• Christianity-predominantly in Europe, North America, and

South America.• Judaism-predominantly in Europe, Israel, and North

America• Buddhism-predominantly in South, East, and Southeast

Asia• Animism-found in parts of Africa, the Americas, Asia, and

Australia; typically as part of indigenous belief systems• Sikhism-predominantly in South Asia• Islam-predominantly found in North Africa, Middle East,

Southwest Asia, and Indonesia• Hinduism-predominantly in South Asia (India)

Spread of Religion• Religions spread across

the world through diffusion and converts, people who give up their former beliefs for a new religion. Some religions like Christianity, Islam, and Buddhism, actively seek to convert people to their beliefs.

Major Religions• The major religions of the

world are Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, and Hinduism.

• Judaism, Islam, And Christianity- are monotheistic and share basic beliefs, and some prophets and teachers.

• Buddhism represents a adaptation of Hinduism.

Creative Cultural Expressions• All cultures have ways

of expressing themselves creatively. The environment and culture in which an artist lives is reflected in the artistic product.

• Cultures produce performing arts, visual arts, and literature.