Introduction to World Regional Geography
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Transcript Introduction to World Regional Geography
Introduction to World
Regional Geography
Study of Geography
Evolution of Geography
Contributions of the Greeks/Romans
– geo (the earth) graphos (to write about/describe)
– Herodotus-”Father of Geography” who explained the
physical and human geography of his day
– Aristotle- explained processes of the earth, influence of
temperature, wind, soils and vulcanism
– Eratosthenes- measured circumference of the earth
from angle of the sun at two points
– Construction of earth grids- longitude and latitude
– Established the science of cartography
– Ptolemy-Greek astronomer who designed early map of the
world.
– Strabo- description of Roman World, spatial perspective of
the known world
Middle Ages
– Geography falls into disrepute in Middle Ages
– Golden Age of Islamic Civilization
– Arabs were outstanding geographers, continued tradition of
map-making
– Ibn Batuta travels throughout Middle East, observations of
peoples and lands
– Avicenna’s understanding of physical geography, creation
of mountains
– Ibn Khaldun’s Muqaddimah provides an account of the
influence of man’ physical environment on social and political
institutions
– observations are model of scientific research on history and
geography
– traveled extensively throughout North Africa and Middle East
– importance of cities and urbanization on the level of civilization.
Ptolemy's World Map, circa 150 A.D.
Ibn Battuta’s Travels 1300 AD
Ibn Battuta’s travels 1300 A.D.
Renaissance and Age of Discovery
– Resurgence of geography as a science
– Prince Henry the Navigator of Portugal, new more
accurate maps
– Early explores question old concepts in light of discovery
– Scientific travelers, Alexander von Humbolt’s description
of the earth
– Karl Ritter- understanding of the human dimension of the
world
– Geography is respected branch of knowledge in European
university, particularly in Germany
– Importance of the National Geographic Society in US
founded in 1888
– Chinese contributions to geography
World
Regional Geography
– Different fields of Geography
Physical
Geography, study of the environment, location of
terrain, physical features of the land
Human
Geography, study of human occupation of the land
Regional
Geography, analysis of environmental and human
patterns within an area or region
– Regions of the World:
(1)
Europe;
(2) Russia;
(3) North America;
(4) Middle America;
(5) South America;
(6) North Africa/Southwest Asia;
(7) Subsaharan Africa;
(8) South Asia;
(9) East Asia;
(10) Southeast Asia;
(11) Australia;
(12) Pacific Realm
– Format of course
background/historical
physical
factors
features
climate
population
cultural
features
social and economic factors
– agriculture
– industry
– environmental problems
Basic Geographical Factors
Climate
– Climatic differences are result of differences in the
processes by which earth’s atmosphere is heated and
cooled
– Radiation and absorption of heat energy determine
climatic variations
– Lower the latitude, the more solar energy received
– Sun’s rays strike earth at vertical angles in lower
latitudes
– heat dissipated by air currents and ocean currents
– Higher the elevation, the less dense is air and less the
air can hold water vapor. Air temps decrease 3.6
degrees F per 1000 feet of elevation
Precipitation
– What causes rainfall? Physical process of how air is
cooled is the cause of rainfall
– When water vapor in atmosphere is cooled to point that
it condenses, it changes from a gaseous state to liquid
state
– Warm air can hold more water vapor than cold air
– Types of precipitation
Convectional
precipitation- equatorial latitudes
with land mass warming, as hot air rises it precipates
Orthographic
precipitation- air force up over
mountains, cooling rapidly and producing rain
Cyclonic/Frontal
precipitation-cold front pushes
up under war air front or warm front rises over cold
front. Found in mid latitudes
Types of Precipitation
Types
of Climate
– Type A Climate (Humid Equatorial Climate
High
temperatures all year
High precipitation
Subtypes (Af)high rainfall every month;
(Am)
monsoon; (Aw) savanna with unpredictable rainfall
– Type B Climate (Dry Climate)
lower
and higher altitudes
(Bw) true desert; (Bs) semi-arid steppe
soils thin and poor
high range of temperatures (140-48 degrees F)
– Type C Climate (humid temperature climates)
found
above and below tropic of cancer and tropic of
capricorn
US (Kentucky-Florida) Europe; southern Brazil/northern
Argentina: South Africa, Australia, China, and Japan
Subtypes (Cf) No drive season i.el Marine West Coast; (Cw)
dry winter; Cs) dry summers, Mediterranean climates
– Type D Climate (humid cold continental climates)
great
annual range of temperatures
very cold winters; cool summers
total precipitation not high, much snow
found in interiors of North America/Eurasia
best soils in world with high levels of humus
– Type E Climates
vary
from true ice-cap conditions to tundra with 4
months/year of temps above freezing
high mountain areas
near arctic conditions with limited vegetation
Population
– Questions: (1) What factors responsible for growth of
human population? (2) What is density and
distribution of the world’s population? (3) What
models of population explain change?
– Growth of population
5
million from 5,000 BC to 2,000BC
250 million at beginning of Christian era
500 million in 1650 AD
1 billion in 1850 AD
2 billion in 1950 AD
5.7 billion in 1998 AD
7 billion estimated by 2010 AD
– Models of Population Change
Demographic
Stage
–
–
–
–
–
I
preindustrial agrarian economy
high birth rate and high death rate
relatively stable population that grows slowly
large # of children useful for work in fields and social security
life expectancy low; security dependent on family
Stage
–
–
–
–
–
transition
II
high birth rates, falling death rates
improvements in public health, sanitation, and medicine
productivity of agriculture improves
opportunity for employment in cities
industrialization , urbanization, specialization of labor
– Stage III
birth
rate declines
smaller families due to urbanization and demands for
education
children more of a liability in an urban, industrial
environment
population growth declines dramatically
– Stage IV
birth
rates and death rates very low
population growth stabilizes or grows very slowly
– Amount of time to go through demographic transition?
Western
Europe/US= 150 years
Soviet Union=40 years
Japan=25 years
Demographic Transition
Demographic Transition
MDC’s vs. LDC’s
Human
Cultural Hearths
– Most cultural hearths established from 5,000BC to
1,000 BC
– Primary cultural hearths
Middle
East (Tigris, Euphrates and Nile Rivers)
Indus Valley (Mohenjo-Daro and Harappa)
China (Yellow River and North China plain)
– Secondary cultural hearths
Mesoamerican
civilization (Mayans and Aztecs)
Bantu civilization in Africa (Central/South Africa and the
Ethiopian highlands)
European civilization
Economic
factors
– Sectors of the Economy
primary
sector (fishing, extracting natural resources,
forestry, agriculture)
secondary sector (processing basic commodities,
manufacturing)
tertiary sector (services provided by government and private
sector)
quarternary sector (institutions that provide information to
make decisions, computers, data analysis)
– Modernization and development brings about changes
in nature of the economy
– Economic indicators of modernization and development
level
of GNP and GNP per capita
per capital consumption of inanimate energy
percentage of labor force in agriculture