INTRODUCTION TO REGIONAL GEOGRAPHY

(Why Study Geography?)

• “To write about the earth”

• The study of place and space

• Studies the location and distribution of features on the earth’s surface

• Studies human activity, the natural environment, and the relationship between the two

• Answers where? and why?

What is Geography?

Geography Matters

• Humans modify the Earth

• Places are interdependent

• This interdependence crosses scales

• “Everything is related to everything else, but near things are more related than distant things.”

Humans as Modifiers of the Earth

• Physical features• Cultural attitudes• Individual action

• Interdependence

Physical Features Includes natural and built environments

Cultural AttitudesReflect many aspects of a society’s relationship to their environment (gender, class, religion). These attitudes change over time and can be contradictory.

Individual actions and choices

Places are interdependent

• What is a “place”?

location+meaning

• Places are nodes• Places combine with

other places to become ‘regions’

Place+Location = Meaning

Place interdependence crosses scales

Glocalization

“Everything is related to everything else, but near things are more

related than distant things.”

• Whether discussing landscapes or regions, ordinary or symbolic places, bodies or states, globalization touches every aspect of our lives. Geographers track the networks and webs of political, social and economic globalization.

Friction of Distance andConnectivity

• More than just absolute distance

• Erasure of distance by technology

Individual Activity Space (where and when we interact)

These are effected by:• Territoriality Mental Maps• Activity space Stage in Life• Mobility Opportunities

Interaction Creates Diffusion

Section Summary

• We live in places.

• Those places (and the people in them) are related in minor and major ways to every other spot on the globe.

• Geographers study how those relationships formed and what they might mean for the future.

The Tools of Geography

1. Our brains and senses

2. The library

3. The ‘Region’

4. Maps

Taxonomy: kingdom, phylum,class, order, family, genus, species

Biologists

Geologists Three major groups, subsidiarygroups, geological time

Historians Eras, ages, periods

GeographersGeographic realms and/or regions based on sets of spatial criteria

Classification Systems

World Geographic Realms

• Realms are– based on spatial criteria

– the largest geographic units into which the world can be divided

– based on both physical (natural) and human (cultural) features

• Where geographic realms meet, transition zones, not sharp boundaries, mark their contact

• These zones are areas of spatial change where peripheries of two adjacent realms or regions join

• Zones are marked by a gradual shift (rather than a sharp break) in the characteristics that distinguish neighboring realms e.g.

Transition Zones

Geographical Classification

The World

RealmsRegions

• Areas of the earth’s surface marked by certain properties

• Based on criteria we establish

• Criteria can be:– Human (cultural) properties

– Physical (natural) characteristics

– or both

• Regions are smaller and more detailed than realms

Regions

Geographers study different kinds of regions to see the patterns and processes of Globalization

• Functional regions

• Formal regions

• Vernacular regions

A region based on its dynamic internal structure

Functional Regions

Example: Los Angeles Metropolitan Area

• A spatial system focused on a central core

• A region formed by a set of places and their functional integration

• Also called a nodal region

Other Examples of Functional Regions

• Marked by a certain degree of homogeneity in one or more phenomena

• Also called uniform regions or homogeneous regions

Formal Regions

Examples:

- Corn Belt

- Megalopolis

Formal culture regions

Formal Culture Regions

• Formal culture regions

Vernacular regions

Another Vernacular region

Maps are a Tool

• Maps are representations of reality, NOT reality

• All maps have an author, patron, and audience

• All maps have bias, omissions, and distortions

Some obvious…

• Some are

Some less obvious…

• Some hidden behind regular use

The most common maps: projections

• World projections are not free from propaganda

Other kinds of maps: Thematic

GIS

• Insert ANY mapquest map here….

Section Summary

• We are our best tool for understanding our world

• Geographers look for patterns in our environment and then try and map them

• The analysis that we do and the maps that we make are necessarily partial. They are representations of the real world they are NOT reality.

The 4 Traditions of Geography

1. Earth Science Tradition

2. Culture-environment Tradition

3. Locational Tradition

4. Area Analysis Tradition