Chimamanda Adichie: The danger of a single story •http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/eng/chimamanda_adichie_the_danger_of_a_single_story.html Chapter 1: Thinking Geographically 1.Thinking about space 2.Thinking about place 3.Thinking about region 4.Thinking about scale 5.Thinking about connections Key Issues Key Issue 1- Thinking About Space •Read the Intro •Geographers observe regularities across earth and depict them on maps •Thinking about Space –Spatial thinking is the most fundamental asset of a geographer ( Space to a Geographer is like time to a historian) –The process of understanding why people and activities are distributed across the space • –Geographers ask where and why not why and when –The key difference between historians and geographers is first hand experience – •Distribution –Look around the room; Is the room set up regularly or in chaotic fashion? Why do you think it was set up this way? –Communities, cultures and cities are set up the same way, why? –The arrangement of a feature in space is known as distribution •There are three main properties of distribution; density, concentration and pattern – •Density –The frequency in which something occurs in space is called density; look at the desk, how dense are they? –Arithmetic density is the density in which the total number of objects in one area; this is used in population •Ex. 59 million people divided into the square miles 94,251 = 626 persons per square mile – – –Large population does not mean large density, Why not? China has 1.2 billion people but is not the highest density, why? –Density is also unrelated to poverty, Switzerland vs. Mali –Physiological Density- number of people in an area suitable for farmland, could mean difficulty in growing food –Agricultural Density- number of farmers in an area, could mean inefficient agriculture –High Housing Could mean what? – •Concentration –The extent of a features spread over space is concentration –Describes changes in distribution •NY concentration decreases as what happens –Concentration and distribution are different •Think of the same amount of houses in a neighborhood with different yard sizes –Baseball teams and expansion teams •How do they change over time compared to concentration and density? •Pattern –Geometric arrangements of objects in space –Grids laid down by the Land ordnance of 1785 •How about Greenville •30 Baseball teams are located in the Metropolitan areas of the north –Page 6 of your book – •Maps –Two dimensional or flat scale model of the earths surface •Most important tool of a Geographer –Cartography the art of map making- one of the oldest professions- 2300 BC- Babylonians – There are two functions- •1- reference material •2- Geographic information •Start on pg 6 and carry over to 8, Write down the people and the differences they brought to map making skills – •Contemporary mapping –Remote Sensing- the acquisition of data from long distance •Satellites can analyze small areas called pixels or picture element –Geographic Information System (GIS) •Analyze many components of a map at once layered on each other, Population and geography etc.. –GPS- •We know this one- Time travel can be proved through this phenomena – •Projection –The process of transferring data from a spherical reference to a flat reference –Four types of distortion can accrue 1.Shape 2.Distance 3.Size 4.Direction –Equal area projections are mostly used •Size of populated areas are more important Key Issue 2- Thinking about Place •Feeling for the feature that contribute to the distinctiveness of a particular place •Location –The position something occupies on earths surface •Names –Toponym- is the name given to a place on earth •Names of places related to figures or objects, Charleston •Religious •Sayings, Eureka •Physical environment –Offensive racial names and slurs are going to be changed –Changes due to political upheaval; Eastern Europe or the Middle East – – •Names and Places –British- N America and Australia –Portuguese- Brazil –Spanish- Latin America –Dutch- S. Africa – •Site –The physical character of a place –Rivers, Hilltops, Islands have been good places to start cities, why? Can they make more? NY •Situation –The location of a place relative to another place •Helps us find an unfamiliar place by locating a familiar one •The situation also allows us to see the importance of a location compared to accessibility to another place • • •Mathematical Situation –Location can be found precisely through the meridians and parallels •Meridian- an arc between north and south poles –Each Meridian is located through the use of longitude –Greenwich, England- Prime Meridian 0 Longitude »All others have numbers between 0 and 180 degrees •Parallel- circle around the globe; right angles to the meridian –Each parallel can be found through latitude –Equator is 0, North and South poles are 90 •Each degree is divided into 60 min and then into 60 sec –Precise location of all features on a map – • •Time from Longitude –Time Zones- 24 zones divided into 15 degrees of Longitude, map on pg 15 •Greenwich Mean Time- or Universal Time is the master reference why? –International Date Line- past 180 degrees either way adjust the time by 24 hours •Determining Longitude –Longitude is man made creation; Longitude act of 1784 established it permanently Key Issue 3- Thinking about Region •Region –An area of earth described by one or more specific characteristic, North East vs. South East –A region gains its uniqueness through human and environmental differences, BBQ vs. Bagels •Formal Region –Also called a formal region- described by homogeneous characteristics; language, economy, crop, government •Problem lies in the minorities of that region •Functional Region –Also known as a nodal region- organized around a node or focal point •Shops, services, newspapers, radio, TV – • •Vernacular region –Perceptual region- cultural identity ,map pg 18, north vs. south, east vs. west •Seen for the south as a place of pride and for others a place to avoid •Regional Integration/ Culture –Culture- customs, traits, beliefs, material belongings, traditions of a particular group •2 traits of culture –What people care about •Language, Religion, Ethnicity define this –What people take care of •Wealth, food, clothing, shelter –MDC- More developed Economically, USA, Japan, made goods –LDC- Less developed Economically, Africa, Middle East, Agriculture – – •Cultural Ecology- Human environment relationship –Environmental determinism- people actions are caused by their environment •Alexander Humbelt, Carl Ritter, Fredrick Ratzel, Ellen Churchhill Semple, Ellsworth Huntington –Possibilism- peoples actions are limited to their environment, Domestication of animals •Resources, food production, buildings etc.. –Wealth and technology influence both of these, how? –Sensitive Land Reclaiming- Polder- land that was covered by water, –Insensitive Land Reclaiming- Disney Land, sand bars, make shift land, levees, canals Key issue- 4 Thinking about Scale •Scale- the scope of a particular idea or function, “ Think globally act locally” •Map Scale –Relation of something's size and its actual size on the earth –Most are scaled down, obviously •Spatial Association –Scaling from a very small portion to a very large portion depending on your need, pg 24 •Globalization –The force or process that involves the entire world •Globalization of Economy –Transitional Corporations- Lead the charge of globalization, GE, BP •All economies are global and effect each other in the manner • • • – – •Globalization of Culture –Uniform culture across the globe, McDonalds, MTV, what fosters this growth? – – Key Issue 5- Thinking about Connections •Space Time connection- the time it takes for something to reach another place, News •Spatial Interaction –In the past people had to move or travel to spread information, what do we rely on now? •Networks –Chains of communication that connect places •ABC, CBS, Airline Hubs •Distance decay- The further one place is from another the less interaction they have to its eventual disappearance • •Cultural Diversity –Spatial diversity is often learned by children, ballet lessons vs. Baseball practice –Often through areas of a neighbor hood, West Greenville vs. Botany Woods •Why do people seclude themselves to these places? •What about homosexuals? Pets? –Self Identification support this thought, look at the lunch room •Diffusion –Process in which characteristics spread across one place to another –Hearth- The place in which an original idea will start •A culture must be willing to try something new, Democracy in Athens •Relocation Diffusion –People movement- AIDS, language •Climate is often classified by German Vladimir Koppen- –Five specific main climates •Tropical Climates •dry Climates •Warm mid-latitude climates •Cold mid-latitude climates •Polar climates •Expansion Diffusion –Spread of feature through snowballing process, 3 types •Hierarchical Diffusion –Spread of an idea through authority, good or bad •Contagious Diffusion –Contagious disease, AIDS, Influenza, Swine Flue •Stimulus Diffusion –Spread of underlying characteristics even though it apparently fails, Computers, Cell Phones – • •Diffusion of Culture and Economy –Outsourcing jobs leads to this diffusion •Uneven Development- the increasing gap between well off and well being of people •Read the Summary on pg 32 –Do the vocabulary in your note book –Questions on pg. 33 1-5 answer completely •Rubenstein, James- Cultural Landscape; An Introduction to Human Geography •http://www.glendale.edu/geo/reed/cultural/cultural_lectures.htm •http://www.quia.com/pages/mrsbellaphg.html •Google •