Chapter 1
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Transcript of Chapter 1
Chapter 1
Key Issue 2 Why is Each Point on Earth Unique
Place: unique location of a feature Regions: Areas of unique characteristics
Place: Unique location of a feature What are the four ways to identify
location? Place name Site Situation Mathematical location
Place Names Toponyms: Where does the name come
from? People Religion Landscape/Environment
Names can change Political reasons
DISCUSSION Where do names of some common
places in this area come from? Your School? Your State? Your country?
Site Physical Character of a place
Climate Water sources Topography Soil vegetation Latitude elevation
Site Physical characteristics important for
settlement Islands Rivers Can be manipulated by man
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.
DISCUSSION Why do you think some people live in
areas that are prone to natural disasters?
Situation Location of a place relative to other
places 1) Helps us to find an unfamiliar place by
comparing it to a familiar one “Across from the fire station”
2) Helps explain importance of location Metro-access
Situation: Singapore
Fig. 1-7: Singapore is situated at a key location for international trade.
DISCUSSION How would you describe the “situation”
of your school? Your house?
Why would you do this instead of just giving the address?
Mathematical Location Precise location (longitude & latitude)
Meridian (North-South poles) measure longitude Prime Meridian: Greenwich, England
Parallel (Equator) measure latitude Lat Lines are the FLAT lines
Telling Time 24 time zones, one for each hour Separated by 15° longitude
Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) 12pm in Greenwich 0° 7am in New York 75° West (-5hrs)
International Date Line, 180° longitude
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wk4XArc1xf4
Regions: Areas of Unique Characteristics Cultural Landscape
Combination of cultural, economic & physical features
Cultural Landscape Cultural Features
Language religion
Economic Features Agriculture Industry
Physical Features Climate vegetation
How is the New York region different than the DC Metro region?
Cultural Landscape “Regional Studies Approach”
Each region has its own distinctive landscape due to combination of social relationships & physical processes
Similarities IN the region, differences OUT
Presidential Election 2004Regional Differences
Fig. 1-10: Presidential election results by county & state illustrate differences in regional voting patterns.
Types of Regions Area larger than a point, smaller than
planet Three types
Formal Functional Vernacular
Formal Region Uniform/Homogeneous Region
Everyone shares distinctive characteristics
Examples: Language Climate Political Ideology (Red Republican State)
Used to describe patterns of a region
Functional Region Nodal Region
Organized around a focal point (node) Reception of TV station Distribution of Newspaper (Gazette)
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 Region Perceptual Region
What people envision as a place
Vernacular Regions
Fig. 1-12: A number of features are often used to define the South as a vernacular region, each of which identifies somewhat different boundaries.
Spatial Association Important to look at scale and
characteristics within a region to understand factors Cancer rates
United States: higher on East Coast MD: higher in Baltimore and East counties Baltimore: lower levels in Northern zip
codes
Spatial Association at Various Scales
Fig. 1-13: Death rates from cancer in the US, Maryland, and Baltimore show different patterns that can identify associations with different factors.
Regional Integration of Culture Culture: distinct tradition of group of people
To care about Similarities in ideas, beliefs, values, customs
To care of Production of Material Wealth Food, clothing, shelter
How do they obtain these things? Human Geographers research differences in
culture between: MDC: More developed countryLDC: Less developed country
Cultural Ecology Geographic study of Human-environment
relationships Environmental Determinism VS Possibilism Environmental Determinism
Physical environment caused social development
Possibilism People can adjust their environmentVideo 1
Cultural Ecology Human geographers study relationships
between human activities and physical environment
Why do we grow grass in the yard, use water to make it grow, then cut it???
Are we going to run out of food for our growing population???
What are we doing to our environment? What can be done?
Global Environment Climate Vegetation Soil Landforms
Climate Long-term average weather condition Koppen System
Tropical Dry Warm Mid-Lat Cold Mid-Lat Polar
World Climate Regions
Fig. 1-14: The modified Köppen system divides the world into five main climate regions.
Climate Humans have limited tolerance for
extreme temperature and precipitation levels Who would want to live in these regions?
DRY or POLAR??? Climate influences production of food
Monsoons in Southern Asia Delay can cause wide-spread famine
Physical Processes: Vegetation Vegetation & soil influence types of
agriculture Four main biomes: Forest: trees form canopy over ground Savanna: mixture of trees & grasses Grassland: covered by grass, lack of
trees Desert: dispersed patches of plants
Physical Processes: SoilSoil contains nutrients plants
humansConcerns with destruction of soil
Nature & human actionsErosionDepletion of nutrients
Physical Processes: Landforms Geomorphology: study of Earth’s
landforms Explains distribution of people &
economic activities Topographic maps: show detail of
physical features, ex: elevation
Topographic Maps
How might you use a topographic map if you were selecting? 1. A route for a hike. 2. The best location for an airport. 3. A route for a new road
Environmental Modification in the Netherlands
Fig. 1-15: Polders and dikes have been used for extensive environmental modification in the Netherlands.
The Netherlands “God made Earth, but the Dutch made
the Netherlands” Polders: land created by draining water Dikes: walls built to keep ocean out
Polder Dike Video
Florida Barrier Islands along coast
Sea walls & Jetties built to prevent them from washing away. Erosion
Everglades Modifications made to open up land
Led to polluted waters
Environmental Modification in Florida
Fig. 1-16: Straightening the Kissimmee River has had many unintended side effects.
C-38 CanalFlorida
The canal has carried water with agricultural runoff and pollution into Lake Okeechobee