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Introduction to Cultural & Human Geography:Location & Spatial Analysis

Chapter 1

The study of Geography

• The physical study of Earth modified by Humans.• Physical Geography – Earth’s natural processes &

outcomes – climate, weather, landforms, soils, plant & animal biomes

• Human Geography – spatial study of human activities & our relationship with the Earth environment

• Regional Geography – unique combinations of environments & human features – defining characteristics – Examples – Urban or Rural

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Location on Earth• Absolute – Latitude & Longitude grid system

measures location north & south of the Equator & location east & west of the Prime Meridian

• Relative – location fixed in terms of north, south, east,

or west

Prime Meridian = 0 degrees Longitude

Equator = 0 degrees Latitude

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Absolute Location: latitude & longitude

Figure 1.15 Latitude & Longitude measure Absolute Location on Earth

Parallels measure Location N & S of the Equator

Meridians measure Time or Time Zones

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Maps – the Geographer’s tools• Cartography, the science of map-making using

projections of Earth’s spherical surface onto a flat 2-dimensional surface. The oldest & still most widely used map is the Mercator projection-1569 used for sea navigation

Figure 1.14 – Cartogram & Choropleth Map demonstrates: • Global spatial inequality of all

people living on US$10 or less a day.

• Cartogram distorts spatial area relative to the spatial data portrayed on the Map.

Figure 1.13 GIS technology used to map land cover – Choropleth Map showing type of land cover via different colors.

Map Types

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Spatial Analysis

• Field work tools in geography, land surveys, personal interviews, archival research, Earth models such as globes & computer images

• Aerial photographs & satellite imagery of Earth referred to as “remote sensing”.

• Analysis of quantitative & qualitative spatial data.Spatial analysis uses concepts of:• Location, distance, space, accessibility & spatial

interaction.

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Distance

• Distance from place to place, an absolute measure in units – kilometers, or miles

• Distance can be a relative measure in terms of time, effort, or cost to move goods to market.

• Cognitive distance is how people perceive the spatial setting in a given situation, personal judgment about the degree of spatial separation between points or nodes.

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Location – Site

• Site – refers to the physical attributes of a location; terrain, soil, vegetation, water sources, climate

• Ex.: Hawaii has volcanic soils, tropical vegetation, a subtropical climate, & proximity to the tropical Pacific Ocean.

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Location - Situation• Situation – is the location

of a place relative to attributes that aid human activities; such as accessibility to transportation routes, seaways, rivers, ports!

• New Orleans is situated on the Mississippi River Delta with port access to the Gulf of Mexico & the Atlantic Ocean.

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Landscape• Ordinary landscapes – or

vernacular landscapes, that people create in their lives together

• Symbolic landscapes – represent particular values or aspirations that builders or financers want to impart to a larger public; monuments, streets, parks, sculpture

• Important to nation-building, serve as ideals

Figure 1.22 Landscapes can be symbolic of national identity as this landscape in Tuscany has for Italy

Figure 1.24 Picturesque landscape in England emblematic of the nation even though much change has occurred.

Regional Analysis• Landscapes

– Ordinary and Symbolic – Many layers of meaning

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Space• Cognitive space measures people’s values, beliefs, feelings, &

perceptions about places & landscapes.

• Cognitive space is also expressed as environments, paths, landmarks, paths, & other spatial layouts.

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Sense of Place• The feelings evoked among people as a result of

the experiences & memories associated with a place

• Lifeworld – the sense of place for insiders, taken-for-granted pattern & contexts of everyday living; vocabulary, speech patterns, codes, gestures, & humor.

• Intersubjectivity - shared meanings derived from everyday activities.

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Figure 1.17 Detail of Washington DC depends on this person’s experiences and perception

Cognitive images (mental maps)

– Based on perception and experience

Figure 1.27 This German town was once a prosperous regional center, but lack of access to a major highway leaves it isolated and economically disadvantaged.

Geographical Imagination

• Allows us to understand geographic change• Places and regions represent the cumulative legacy

of successive periods of change– General effects and unique outcomes– No location

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Accessibility is…• The opportunity for contact or interaction from a

given point or location in relation to other locations, or proximity. Affected by:– Distance between points or locations– Connectivity via nodes & topological space

• Transportation – streets, highways, rail, air, waterways. Communication – phone, airwaves.

– Economic, social, & cultural factors; how we weigh the cost of the distance relative to its usability and acceptability (socially & culturally).

• Spatial Interaction– Movement and flows

of human activity– Places can

complement each other

• Transferability– Spatial

organization of activity is continually changing

– Time-space convergence

Figure 1.19 The effects of changing transportation technologies, “shrinking” the world

Spatial Analysis

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Spatial Diffusion• The way things spread

through space & over time to places & regions, distance & movement.

• Cultural changes, religions, technological innovations, political movements, disease outbreaks

Process of Adoption:

Types of Diffusion• Contagious diffusion - phenomenon spreads

due to proximity of carriers, agents of change, fixed in location –

• Diffusion of World’s major Religions

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Types of Diffusion:• Hierarchical diffusion – cascading effect, from

location to location, • jumping over people • & places from:

from 1 innovation center to another

• Example: The Cell Phone• Diffused globally within

20 years

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Global diffusion of McDonald’s & Starbucks