Geography Flashcards
3 Questions Geographers Seek To Ask
- Where
- Why There
- What are the consequences of it being there
Spatial Perspective
A way of identifying explain and predict in the human and physical parents and space and interconnectedness of various spaces
Four Main Branches Of Geography
- Human geography
- Physical geography
- Regional Geography
- Topical/Systemic Geography
Human Geography
Takes as it’s subjects humans and the culture they create relative to their space and encompasses areas like population geography, economic, and political geography and looks at how people’s activities related to the environment politically, culturally, historically, and socially
Physical geography
Focuses on the physical environment it’s water, air, animals and land. It looks at land formations, water, weather, and the climate, but also include such areas as Geomorphology, biogeography, and environmental geography
Regional geography
Focuses on areas of earth to have some degree of similarity and devised a real into different realms
Topical/Systematic Geography
Consider systematic study of crabmeat, landforms, economics, and culture
Notable Geography Subfields
- Population Geography- deals with the relationship between the geography the population patterns, including birth and death rates
- Political Geography- deals with the effect of geography and politics, especially on national boundaries in relations between states
- Economic Geography- Study of the interactions between landscape and economics activity of the human population
5 Themes of Geography
Location Places Human/environment interaction Movement Regions
Location
Absolute - exact whereabouts of a place person or thing using latitude and longitude
Equator- parallels of latitude measures distance north and south of the equator
Prime meridian- meridians of longitude measure distances east and west of the prime meridian
Relative- Can be described by landmarks, time, direction, or distances from one thing to another.
Places and Regions
Unique combinations of physical characteristics and human characteristics that make a place unique from others.
- Physical Characteristics- examples are mountains, rivers, beaches, topography, plant life, animal life, resources such as tree oil or gas, climate, soils and natural vegetation
- Human Characteristics- changes to an environment made by humans. Man made food, religion, architecture, transportation and communication networks
Human Environmental Interaction
Can be positive or negative. Humans rely on the environment so they alter and adapt to it. How do we react to floods by building a dam.
Movement
Movement of transportation (imports and exports)
Flow of people (immigrants and migration)
Ideas and resources over time within a geographical area.
- Cultural diffusion- how ideas, innovations, ideology spread from one area to another
- Spatial Interaction- how places interact through movement. Nearer things are usually more related then faraway things.
- Friction of distance- degree to which distance interferes with some interaction
- Distance decay- interaction decline when distance between two places increase
Regions
A divided world based on unifying characteristics that may be physical, cultural, or human based
Example- same language or mountain range
3 Basic Regions
Formal, Functional, Vernacular
Formal regions
Errors that have common cultural or physical features and are often defined by governmental or administrative boundaries
Examples- A climate region or a map showing where Christianity is practice
Functional regions
Linked together by some functions influence on them. If the link is removed so is the region
Example- area affected by flu
Vernacular regions
Loosely define by people’s perception
Example- the south, the Middle East, where cool kids sit at lunch
Geography (Spatial Discipline)
Study of Earth surface including such aspects as the climate, topography, vegetation and population
6 Essential Elements of Geography
- The world in spatial terms
- Places and Regions
- Physical Systems
- Human Systems
- Environment and Society
- The Uses of Geography
The World in Spatial Terms
- Use of maps tools and technology to acquire, process, and report information
- Use mental maps to organize information about people places and environments
- Analyze the spatial organization of people, places, and environments on earths surface
Places and Regions
- The physical and human characteristics of places
- That people create regions to interpret earths complexity
- How culture and experience influence peoples perceptions of places and regions
Physical Systems
- The physical processes that shape the patterns of Earths surface
- The characteristics and distribution of ecosystems on Earths surface
Human Systems
- Characteristics, distribution, and migration of human populations
- Characteristics, distribution, and complexity of Earths cultural mosaics
- Patterns and networks of economic interdependence
- Processes, patterns, and functions of human settlement
- How the forces of cooperation and conflict among people influence the division and control of Earth’s surface.
Environment and Society
- How human actions modify the physical environment
- How physical systems affect human systems
- The changes that occur in the meanings, use, distribution, and importance of resources
The uses of geography
- How to apply geography to interpret the past
2. How to apply geography to interpret the present and plan for the future
- Air
- Land
- Water
- Animals
- Atmospheric- includes examinations of climate and meteorology
- Lithospheric- examine plate tectonics, erosion, and soil formation
- Hydrospheric- circulation of the oceans and hydrologic cycle
- Biospheric- Examines plant and animal communities and ecosystems
7 Processes that shaped Earths landforms
- Plate Tectonics
- Weathering
- Transportation
- Erosion
- Freezing and Thawing
- Gravity
7 Deposition
Humans Basic Needs
Food/Water, Shelter, Clothing
Environmental Determinism
View that environment can overpower people and determine their culture and the direction to the extent of their development. Idea of ppl in hot climates rest a lot and are considered lazy over time.
Human-cultural determination
Culture overpowers and shapes the environment. “People are destroying environments”. This view fails to emphasize that the environment does shape cultural activities
Human-environment interaction
Cycle of interaction between humans and environment. The environment and people shape each other.
Impact of culture on the interaction
People avoid places that are too hot, cold, wet, or dry. It also influences the crops that can be produced. Human adapts by building air conditioning and heating. They use trade to get goods they need if can’t be produced.
Impact of vegetation on the interaction
The quality of soiI and vegetation and access to irrigation affects people and their interactions with the environment. They can either leave an area, develop it or find another way to use it such as technology to provide an area with water.
Impact of landforms on the interaction
Landforms can shape human and cultural activities, like hunting. But also humans and cultures can adapt and change landforms to meet their needs, and example building highways through mountains to make transportation easier
Political ecology
Multi-disciplinary study of how social and environmental change occurs in the context of power relations, social structure last, economic issues, and human environment interactions.
What is a map? What is cartography
2D model of the earth or a portion of its surfaces. The process of mapmaking.
Type of maps
Directional map- used for directions
Political map- shows political boundaries, states, cities, capitals, and countries
Physical Map- shows landforms and bodies of water found in a area
Thematic map- variety of subjects, like climate, vegetation, population, density, historical trends, etc.
Four main map properties
Shape- The geometric shapes of the objects on the map
Size (area)- The relative amount of space taken up on the map by the landforms or objects on the map
Distances- The represented distance between objects on the map.
Direction- The degree of accuracy represent in the cardinal directions, north south east west and dare intermediate directions, Northwest North East southwest south east.
Six Parts of a map
Title- reveals subject of a map and what the map will convey
Compass- provides orientation for the map. “N”
Scale- used to compare actual distance
Labels- words or phrase that explain feature on map
Key (Legend)- explain or show what symbols or colors on a map mean.
Contuour (elevation map)- contour lines that are closer together mean elevation is steeper
