REVIEW

Geography: its Nature and Perspectives

Scale!

Remember: With scale, it’s opposite of what you’d think Large scale is a small space with great detail Small scale is a large space with less detail

How can I remember? How big are the individual features on the map? If

Bluffdale was really LARGE, then it’s a LARGE scale map. If Bluffdale is just a tiny dot (SMALL), it’s a SMALL scale.

SCALE

Scale is represented in fractions 1/10,000 is a larger number than 1/100,000,000 so the

first number would be a larger scale To put it in easier terms, ½ is a larger number than

1/8. So the math with ½ would be a large scale.Aggregation is the size of the geographic

units we’re studying There are different levels of aggregation

State level? Country? County? City?

Types of maps

Types of Maps

Polar Projection

Types of maps

Thematic Maps or Special Purpose Maps Dot Distribution Map Isoline map

Usually altitude or temperature Contours or isotherms

Choropleth map Proportional symbol map

GIS: Global Information Systems

Geographic information on computers

Used in many areas of study

Military operations Urban planning

Very fast growing jobAlways changingIt allows multiple

“layers” to merge Compare and contrast

data

GPS: Global Positioning System

Satellite basedShows locationShould work in any weather conditionsOriginally used for militaryThe U.S. Department of Defense put up 24

satellites that communicate with one another and GPS devices

Regionalization

“The geographer’s equivalent of scientific classification is regionalization, with individual places or areal units being the objects of classification.” (Knox and Marston)

Formal: Homogeneity or uniformity is keyFunctional:

overall coherence to the structure and dynamics of economic, political, and social organizations

Organized around a note or focal point Has a core and a periphery

Vernacular: Based on perceptions

http://book2thepowerofplace.blogspot.com/2011/01/basics-of-maps-and-regions.html

Absolute v. Relative Location

Absolute: Specific coordinates Latitude and longitude Townships and range

Relative Where is it located relative to other things?

Site and Situation

Site Absolute location concept Attributes of the place itself- what is there? Who is

there?Situation

Relative location concept Reference to other significant places

Spatial Distributions

Density: Quantity within a defined area Not just a number, but how much is in a space People per square miles- different than just people or

just square milesDispersion: How far are things spread out?

Close together = agglomerated or clustered Far apart = dispersed or scattered Opposite of dispersion is concentration

Pattern: Geometric arrangement Linear, centralized, random, grid, hexagonal?

Sources Used

Rubenstein, Jame M. The Cultural Landscape. Boston: Prentice Hall, 2011.

Fellmann, Djelland, Getis and Getis. Human Geography: Landscapes of Human Activities. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2010.

Knox, Paul and Marston, Sallie. Human Geography. Upper Saddle River: Pearson Education, 2004.

Kuby, Harner and Gober. Human Geography in Action. Wiley, 2010