Unit 1: Thinking Geographically

Overview of Geography

• Definition and Scope: Geography involves the study of the Earth's physical features and the human societies spread across it. It explores the relationships between humans and their environments.

• Map Projections and Geospatial Data: An introduction to various types of map projections and how they help in representing the Earth's surface.

Schools of Thought in Geography

• Physical Geography: Focuses on natural features and phenomena, such as mountains, rivers, deserts, oceans, and climatic conditions. This is the traditional form of geography taught at early education levels.

• Human Geography: Deals with human patterns and landscapes formed by human activity. This includes studies of population, culture, politics, industry, agriculture, and urban environments.

Themes of Human Geography

• Five Main Themes: Movement, Regions, Location, Interaction, Place.

  • Movement: Examines migration patterns and human mobility.

  • Regions: Discusses the reasons behind the formation of different regions.

  • Location: Explores the strategic significance of specific places.

  • Interaction: Looks at how humans interact with each other and with their environments.

  • Place: Focuses on the emotional and cultural attachments people have to specific locations.

Historical Perspective

• Early Contributions:

  • Aristotle: Theorized Earth’s spherical shape.

  • Eratosthenes: Coined the term "geography" and introduced the concepts of latitude and longitude.

  • Ptolemy: Developed early map projections and extended the use of geographical coordinates.

• Carl Sauer: Known as the father of Human Geography, focused on understanding the "why of where" in human patterns and cultural practices. He is an important figure in AP Human Geography.

Types of Maps

• Reference Maps: Used for navigation, featuring landmarks and labels for easy location referencing.

• Thematic Maps: Focus on specific themes using various types of visual representations:

  • Categorical Maps: Use color codes to differentiate between categories (e.g., NBA teams).

• Cartogram: Alters the size of areas based on statistical data like population.

• Isoline Maps: Common in physical geography for depicting elevations and climate data through lines.

• Proportional/Graduated Symbol Maps: Use symbols whose sizes vary according to the magnitude of the mapped feature (e.g., population size, resource consumption).

• Dot Density Maps: Represents frequencies using dots, where each dot equals a certain quantity of a specific feature.

• Choropleth Maps: Utilize shades of one color to represent varying intensities or densities of a phenomenon (e.g., COVID-19 cases).

• Robinson Projection: Attempts to balance size and shape accuracy, leading to minor distortions across the board, aiming to provide a visually pleasing representation.

• Peter's Projection: Focuses on maintaining accurate sizes at the expense of distorting the shapes of countries. This projection aims to address the balance between size and shape, a common challenge in mapmaking.

Geospatial Data

• Importance and Applications: Geospatial data is crucial for modern geographic analysis, utilizing various technologies for collection and analysis.

• Types of Geospatial Data:

  • GIS (Geographic Information Systems): Layers complex data on maps, accessible through devices like smartphones, providing detailed information on various aspects such as public transit, traffic, and more.

  • Remote Sensing: Involves collecting spatial data via remote-controlled devices like satellites, drones, and airplanes.

• Methods of Data Collection: Includes field observation, media analysis, travel narratives, interviews, and photographic analysis. These methods help gather comprehensive data for different uses.

Application of Geospatial Data

• Business and Government Uses: Businesses use geospatial data for market analysis and to enhance customer service, while governments use it for public safety and crisis management.

• Environmental Applications: Companies also use this data to ensure their operations are environmentally sustainable.

Distance Decay Concept

• Definition: Suggests that the likelihood of interaction decreases as the distance between entities increases.

• Example: Choosing a nearby Taco Bell over farther ones due to proximity, demonstrating the influence of geographic closeness on consumer behavior.

Spatial Analysis

• Definition: The examination of geographic patterns to understand the distribution of phenomena in space.

• Types of Spatial Relationships:

  • Clustered: Objects are grouped closely together.

  • Dispersed: Objects are spread out over a larger area.

• Key Concepts:

  • Absolute Location: Specifies the exact geographic coordinates of a location.

  • Relative Location: Describes a location in relation to other landmarks or locations.

Housing and Population Patterns

• Analysis of Settlements: Observing different settlement patterns, such as dispersed, clustered, and linear arrangements in regions.

• Example Using Dot Density Map: Demonstrates varying population distributions across different regions, such as dispersed in Montana, linear in Salt Lake City, and clustered in the Northeast.

Environmental Determinism

• Definition: A theory that suggests human behaviors and cultures are shaped by their physical environment.

• Example with Sahara Desert:

• Choropleth Map Insight: Shows low population density in the Sahara Desert.

• Reason: The harsh, hot, and dry climate makes it a challenging environment for sustaining human life.

Possibilism vs. Environmental Determinism

• Possibilism: Concept that humans are not just passive recipients of environmental limitations but can overcome them through innovation and technology.

  • Example: Ski Dubai Resort in UAE, a ski resort created in the desert, exemplifies humans adapting to and modifying their environment to fulfill desires and needs.

Importance of Scale in Geography

• Scale Variability and Misinterpretation:

  • National Scale Misleading: A national scale map of COVID cases might show uniformly high rates across the U.S.

  • Regional Focus: Zooming in to the Southeast reveals higher rates, with Florida particularly affected.

  • Local Variance: Further zooming in shows varying rates within counties in Florida.

  • Educational Point: Maps can sometimes "lie," emphasizing the importance of scale in accurate geographical analysis.

Types of Regions

• Formal Regions: Defined by a homogeneous characteristic or a measurement that is consistent throughout the area. Examples include governmental boundaries like those of Texas or natural features like the Rocky Mountains.

• Functional Regions: Organized around a focal point and are marked by the operational connections that define them. Common examples include transportation networks where Paris or Downtown Los Angeles (Union Station) serve as central hubs.

• Perceptual Regions: Informal senses of place that are defined by people’s feelings and attitudes towards an area. Southern California (SoCal) is an example, where perceptions might include images of beaches and surf culture but lack clearly defined boundaries.