Chapter One Thinking Geographically
Where are you? Tell me where you are. How do you know?
Important Terms Map two dimensional or flat scale model of the Earth. Place A specific Point on the Earth s surface. Region an area of the Earth described by a distinctive combination of cultural and physical features. Scale Relationship between a portion of the Earth and the whole. Space physical gap between two objects. Connections relationships between people and objects across space.
Key Issue # 1 How Do Geographers Address Where Things Are?
How Geographers Address Location Maps Early mapmaking Map scale Projection U.S. Land Ordinance of 1785 Contemporary Tools GIS Remote sensing GPS
Cartography The science of mapmaking,
Early Mapmaking Maps surfaced in 2300 BC. Aristotle was the first to see the describe the earth was spherical. Map making and exploration were revived during the Age of Exploration.
Maps of the Marshall Islands 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.
Polynesian Stick Chart
Marshall Islands depicted in stick chart
Marshall Islands in the South Pacific
World Political Boundaries (2007) Fig. 1-2: National political boundaries are among the most significant elements of the cultural landscape
Map Scale How much of the map do you draw? Once that question is answered we look for map scale.
Scale Differences Maps of Washington State Fig. 1-3: The effects of scale in maps of Washington State. (Scales from 1:10 million to 1:10,000)
Washington State (1:10 million scale)
Western Washington (1:1 million scale)
Seattle Region (1:100,000 scale)
Downtown Seattle, Washington (1:10,000 scale)
Projection The problem with a map is that the Earth is round and maps are flat. The projection of maps to a flat surface gives us distortion. Shape can be distorted. Distance can be distorted. Size can be distorted. Direction can be distorted.
US Land Ordinance of 1785 Commissioned to Thomas Hutchins to map the US and divide into sections to sell. Surveyor General is in charge of any land mapping for the US.
Township & Range System in the US Fig. 1-4: Principal meridians & east-west baselines of the township system. Townships in northwest Mississippi & topographic map of the area.
Townships A square 6 miles on each side (36 square miles) The square has 36 sections. Each section has 4 parts (NE, NW, SE, SW) of 160 acres, this is how land was developed and sold.
Principal Meridians & Baselines U.S. Land Ordinance of 1785
Tallahatchie River, Mississippi in Township Sections The Tallahatchie River is located in the southeast and southwest quarter-sections of Section 32, T23N R1E.
Tallahatchie River, Mississippi The topographic map of the U.S. Geological Survey has a scale of 1:24,000
Contemporary Tools GIS Remote sensing GPS
GIS geographic information system Computerized system that can store, query, analyze and display geographic data.
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.
Remote Sensing Satellites scan the Earth for a variety of applications. Vegetation, temperature, population, pollution are possible uses.
GPS global positioning system. Tells the exact location of something on Earth.
Google Map Chicago pizza restaurants
Key Issue # 2 Why is Each Point on Earth Unique?
Uniqueness of Places & Regions Place: Unique location of a feature Place names Site Situation Mathematical location Regions: Areas of unique characteristics Cultural landscape Types of regions Spatial association Regional integration of culture Cultural ecology
Place: A Unique Location of a Feature Location is the position that something occupies on Earth s surface. A toponym is the name given to the location of the Earth. Page 15 in your book. Some name are more descriptive. El Paso Las Cruces San Antonio Baton Rouge Boca Raton Grand Teton National Park
Longest Town name in the World Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobewllllantysiliogogog och. The Church of St. Mary s in the grove of the white hazelnut tree near the rapid whirlpool and the Church of St. Tisilio near the red cave.
Vocabulary Site the physical character of a place. Situation location relative to other places.
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.
Downtown Singapore
Mathematical Location Meridian arch drawn between North and South poles. Parallel circle drawn around the globe parallel to the equator. Longitude Prime Meridian Latitude
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 each represent about 15 of longitude. They are often depicted using the Mercator projection.
New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina Fig. 1.1: Most of the area of New Orleans flooded after Hurricane Katrina was majority African American. Physical and political geography intersect in analyzing the impacts of the natural disaster
New Orleans
New Orleans after Katrina
Regions Formal Region uniform region or a homogeneous region States Agricultural regions Voting patterns
Presidential Election 2004 Regional Differences Fig. 1-10: Presidential election results by county & state illustrate differences in regional voting patterns.
Presidential Election, 2004 Results by County
Presidential Election, 2004 Results by State
Functional Regions Areas that are around a node or focal point.
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 A place that exist as part of the cultural identity
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 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.
Cancer Death Rates in the U.S.
Cancer Death Rates in Maryland
Cancer Death Rates in Baltimore
Culture to care for Body of customary beliefs, material traits and social forms that together constitute the distinct tradition of a group of people. Language Religion Ethnicity Wealth Political Institutions
Cultural Ecology Environmental determinism how the physical environment caused social development.
World Climate Regions Fig. 1-14: The modified Köppen system divides the world into five main climate regions.
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.
C-38 Canal Florida The canal has carried water with agricultural runoff and pollution into Lake Okeechobee
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.
Distribution: Density, Concentration, & Pattern Fig. 1-18: The density, concentration, and pattern (of houses in this example) may vary in an area or landscape.
Density and Concentration of Baseball Teams, 1952 & 2007 Fig. 1-19: The changing distribution of North American baseball teams illustrates the differences between density and concentration.
U.S. Baseball Teams, 1952 Fig. 1-19: Baseball teams were highly concentrated in the Northeast and Midwest in 1952.
U.S. Baseball Teams, 2007 Fig. 1-19: By 2007, U.S. baseball teams were much more dispersed than in 1952, and their number and density at a national level had increased.
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.
Airline Route Networks Fig. 1-21: Continental Airlines, like many others, has configured its route network in a hub and spoke system.
AIDS Diffusion in the US, 1981-2002 Fig. 1-22: New AIDS cases were concentrated in three nodes in 1981. They spread through the country in the 1980s, but declined in the original nodes in the late 1990s.
New AIDS Cases, 1981 (per 100,000 population)
New AIDS Cases, 1993 (per 100,000 population)
New AIDS Cases, 2002 (per 100,000 population)
Cumulative AIDS Cases, 1981-2002
The AIDS Memorial Quilt
Big Mac Geography