Chapter 1 - The Geographical Perspective: Elements and Terms

Question 1

Define Space, Absolute space, and Relative space

Answer 1

space: The areal extent of something on the Earth’s surface

Abs. space: space with definitive boundaries that can be objectively measured, such as the property line of a person’s home

Rel. space: space as it is perceived and interpreted by individuals, how we feel about it, attachments to the space (far from home)

Question 2

What are Mental Maps

Answer 2

person’s individual perspective on the way space is organised.

Closely interconnected with perception

Question 3

Perception and its importance

Answer 3

perception influences how people interpret space over time

A college campus feels big at first, thenn smaller as you get more comfortable

Question 4

Location

Answer 4

A specific part of the Earth’s surface that usually doesn’t change over time, and can be described in absolute, relative, or nominal terms (toponyms)

Question 5

Site

Answer 5

when we think of a location, we associate it with physical characteristics like its climate, mountainous range, valley depth, etc. and it is closely related to absolute location

Question 6

Situation

Answer 6

more aligned with relative location, situation refers to thinking about a location in terms of its strategic location and accessibility to other cities/towns

Question 7

Distance

Answer 7

The amount of space between two or more points on the earth’s surface

Question 7

Toponym

Answer 7

a common name for a location; sometimes contested and can change over time

Question 8

Landscape

Answer 8

Appearance or visible characteristics of an area on the Earth’s surface produced through BOTH the natural environment and human activity

Question 9

cultural landscape

Answer 9

Appearance or visible characteristics of an area produced by SOLELY human activity, such as a suburban area, neighbourhood, farmstead, or hockey arena

(Cultural landscapes differ around the world, suburbs in Africa will look different than suburbs in Calgary, AB even though they’re both suburbs)

Question 10

place

Answer 10

a location with particular identity or meaning attached to it

The subjectivity is key to understanding place

Question 11

sense of place

Answer 11

Feelings evoked by deep attachments to a place

Question 12

what are:

Topophilia
Placelessness
Topophobia

Answer 12

Topophilia: someone’s happy place
Placelessness: a place you feel no attachment to (retail store/mall)
Topophobia: a place that makes you feel anxious/fearful

Question 13

Region (name an example of a region defined on a cultural and regional basis)

Answer 13

Area of the earth that can be defined in terms of one or more distinctive characteristics that may be human, physical or both

Latin America is an example of a region that is defined on a cultural basis
Cascadia in North America is an example of a region defined on a physical basis

Question 14

What is a formal region?

Answer 14

an area that possesses a certain degree of uniformity with respect to cultural or physical traits; the commonalities are shared by nearly all people in the region

Question 15

what is a functional region?

Answer 15

area organised around a node or focal point, and unified by a specific economic, social or political activity

the further away you get from the node the less unified the people/landscape are

Question 16

what is a vernacular region?

Answer 16

an area defined on the basis of perceptions held by people inside or outside the region (the Bible Belt)

Question 17

what is regionalization

Answer 17

subdividing areas within a region into smaller regions, such as provinces in Canada

These subdivisions are subjective, but are typically divided on the basis of differences in culture or landscape

Question 18

1st Law of Geography

Answer 18

“everything is related to everything else, but near things are more related than distant things” (Tobler 1970)

Question 19

Time-Space Convergence theory

Answer 19

the idea that transportation and communication technologies have evolved over time to allow for faster travel and communication between people over long distances, effectively reducing the experience of space

Question 20

What is Distribution in Human Geography

Answer 20

the spatial arrangement of things in a geographic area (density, concentration, pattern)

Question 21

What is Concentration (give an example of a cluster and dispersion)

Answer 21

how geographic phenomena are spread over a given area

cafe’s are clustered in urban centres, while hospitals are dispersed over the city

Question 22

What is Density in Human Geography

Answer 22

the frequency at which geographic phenomena exist within a particular area; these could be trees, people, buildings, coffee shops, or mechanic shops

Question 23

What is hierarchical diffusion

Answer 23

where the phenomenon is spread first to key people or places and then to the rest of the area/population

Question 24

What is contagious diffusion

Answer 24

where the phenomenon of diffusion is rapid and random
(distance is the only variable for expansion)

Question 25

What is Spatial Interaction

Answer 25

the relationship between two LOCATIONS

Question 26

Distance Decay

Answer 26

a spatial relationship where the intensity of the interaction declines as distance increases

(we are less likely to go visit our grandparents the further away they are)

Question 26

Friction of Distance

Answer 26

the restraining effect of distance on human interaction and movement; generally greater time and cost are associated with greater distance

(over time friction of distance has decreased as transportation technology has improved)

Question 26

Relocation Diffusion vs. Expansion Diffusion

Answer 26

Rel. Dif: Relocation diffusion: when individuals migrate to a new location and bring their ‘cultural suitcases’ WITH them

Exp. Dif: when cultures are spread outward from the hearth to new locations WITHOUT movement of individuals