Transcript Intro to World Geography

Introduction to World
Geography
©2012, TESCCC
What is Geography????
• Geography is the study of place and space:
Geographers look at where things are and why
they are there.
• Study of human activity, the natural
environment, and the relationship between the
two (human-environment interactions).
©2012, TESCCC
What do Geographers do??
► Observe
► Look
for patterns, relationships, and
processes
► Examine spatial patterns: From a local to
global scale
► Look from multiple perspectives
► Ask: Where? Why, Where?
and Why do we care?
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Physical v. Cultural Geography
Physical Geography
Cultural Geography
Rocks/Minerals
Population/Settlements/Urbanizati
on
Landforms
Economic and Political Systems
Animal and Plant Life
Transportation
Soils
Human Migration
Atmosphere/Climate/Weather
Social Systems
Environment
Recreation
Rivers/Oceans/Other bodies of
Water
Religion/Belief System
Physical Geography is the study of the Natural Landscape of the Earth
while Cultural Geography is the study of the Human Landscape of the
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Earth.
What types of jobs do
geographers have (in the U.S.)?
Location Analysts, for:
franchises (like “Burger King”)
stores (like big department stores)
public facilities (like new schools)
Environmental Scientists and Consultants
GIS (computer mapping) Urban and Regional Planners
Real Estate and Residential Development Analysts
Transportation and Tourism Planners and Analysts
University and public school teachers
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CLASSIFICATION SYSTEMS
Geologists
Taxonomy: kingdom, phylum,
Class, order, family, genus,
species
Geological time
Historians
Eras, ages, periods
Biologists
Geographers
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Geographic Regions
GEOGRAPHIC REGIONS:
What defines a region?
Regions are based on Spatial Criteria
►Physical
(natural) characteristics
 landforms, climate, vegetation
►Human
(cultural) characteristics
 language, religion, ethnicity, population
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GEOGRAPHIC REGIONS:
►Change
over time.
►Do not have definite borders
 Are separated from or blend with other regions
by transition zones.
►Transition
Zone: Gradual shift (not a sharp break) to
neighboring regions.
►Regions
criteria is determined by
human needs.
 This criteria allows for comparisons with
other areas.
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Properties of Regions
 Area
 Boundaries
 Location
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SUB-REGIONS
► Classification
of Regions is based upon physical
features and human characteristics.
 Examples:
 The United States is in the North American Region.
 The U.S. has several sub-regions: Northeast, Midwest, South,
etc.
► Region
& Sub-region boundaries are based on criteria
we establish.
► Criteria
can be:
 Human
(cultural) properties
 Physical
 or
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Both
(natural) characteristics
Example Region Classification
Dominated by one
political power:
►
►
►
►
►
►
►
►
North America: U.S.
Middle America: Mexico
South America: Brazil
Russian Realm: Russia
East Asia: China
South Asia: India
Southeast Asia: Indonesia
Australian Realm: Australia
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No dominant State
►
►
►
►
Europe
Sub-Saharan Africa
North Africa / Southwest Asia
Oceania (Pacific Realm)
Other Classification of Regions
►Regions
can also be classified by
 Formal Characteristics
 Functional Characteristics
 Perceptual Characteristics
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FORMAL REGION
► Marked
by a certain degree of
homogeneity in one or more phenomena.
Limited number of characteristics.
► Example:
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Latin America, Europe
FUNCTIONAL REGION
►A
region marked less by its functional
structure. Organized around a set of
interactions and connections between
places.
Example: Metropolitan Area
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Perceptual Region
► Region
in which people perceive the
characteristics of the region in the same
way.
► Example: American Midwest
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Maps & More Maps
Maps are geographers’ most
common and useful tool
► Types of maps and projections
 Physical maps
 Political maps
 Special Purpose maps
►
► Cultural
characteristics: Population density, infant
mortality, literacy, GDP, etc.
► Physical characteristics: Climate, Vegetation,
Precipitation, etc.
►Why
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do geographers use each type map?
TODALSIGS
► TODALSIGS
is an acronym to help us
remember the parts to a good map:









T - Title
O - Orientation
D - Date
A - Author
L - Legend
S - Scale
I - Index
G - Grid
S - Source
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The Grid System
►
A grid system may use numbers and letters or a
system of numbers .
►
A system that uses numbers and letters will have
numbers running along the side and letters running
along the top of the map (or vise versa).
►
Latitude and Longitude use a series of numbers
identified with cardinal directions (N, S, E, W).
 Latitude: Lines of latitude run horizontal around the
globe or a map. They are either North or South of the
Equator.
 Longitude: Lines of longitude run vertically around the
globe or map. They are either West or East of the Prime
Meridian.
©2012, TESCCC
SUMMARY
• Geography means “the study of the earth” and is also
known as “the study of the earth as the home of
humankind.” Four main goals for this class:
1. Identify and analyze patterns, relationships, and processes
2. Examine important geographic problems and their potential
solutions
3. Identify and analyze different types of information and
connections among data
4. Discuss and interpret current events
5. Develop geographic analytical skills in interpreting places
and understanding landscapes.
©2012, TESCCC
SUMMARY
• Maps are the geographers’ most basic and useful
tools. To be able to use maps effectively, one must
understand their basic language, especially the
concepts and terms of scale, coordinate systems,
projection, and symbolization. There are a variety
of ways in which maps can depict spatial data.
©2012, TESCCC