Human Geography
Jerome D. FellmannMark BjellandArthur GetisJudith Getis
Human Geography
Chapter 1
Introduction
Image Copyright 2003 by Jon Malinowski, All rights reserved.
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© Thinkstock/Masterfile
Human Geography 11e
What Is Geography?
• “Description of the Earth”• Spatial Science• Study of Spatial Variation
Human Geography 11e
Evolution of the Discipline
• Ancient Period– Eratosthenes– Strabo– Herodotus– Ptolemy– Idrisi
• Non-Western Contributions• Modern Period
Human Geography 11e
Focus of Geography
• Areal Variation on the Earth’s Surface• Spatial Systems• Regional Geography
Human Geography 11e
Focus of Geography
– Areal Variation on the Earth’s Surface• Examines relationships between human societies and
the natural environments that they occupy and modify
– Spatial Systems• Link physical phenomena and human activities in one
area of the earth with other areas
– Regional Analysis• Studies human-environmental-”ecological”-
relationships and spatial systems in specific locational settings
Human Geography 11e
Human Geography
• Subfields:– Behavioral– Political– Economic– Cultural– Social– Urban– Medical– Population
Human Geography 11e
Core Geographic Concepts
• The Geographer’s Questions• Space and Place
– Absolute and relative space– Sense of place and “placelessness”
• Spatial Behavior, Relationships, and Processes
• Fundamental Characteristics of Places
Human Geography 11e
Core Geographic Concepts
• Space and Place– Absolute
• Physically real with measureable extent
– Relative space• Perceptual and variable over time
– Sense of place• The attachment we have to specific locations
– Placelessness• Uniformity; elimination of uniqueness
Human Geography 11e
Fundamental Characteristics of Places• Location, Direction, and Distance• Size and Scale• Physical & Cultural Attributes• The Changing Attributes of Place• Interrelations between Places• The Rational Structure of Place
• Density• Dispersion• Pattern
• Place Similarity & Regions• The Characteristics of Regions• Types of Regions
Human Geography 11e
Location
• Absolute Location• Relative Location• Site vs. Situation
Human Geography 11e
• Absolute Location– Identification of place by some precise and
accepted system of coordinates
• Relative Location– The position of a place in relation to that of other
places or activities
• Site – Physical and cultural attributes of a place
• Situation– Expression of relative location with particular
reference to items of significance to the place in question
Human Geography 11e
Location
• Site vs. Situation
Human Geography 11e
Direction
• Absolute Direction• Relative Direction
Human Geography 11e
Distance
• Absolute Distance• Relative Distance
Human Geography 11e
Physical & Cultural Attributes
• Natural Landscape– Climate, soil, water
resources, minerals and terrain features
– Provides the setting within which human actions occurs
• Cultural Landscape– Visible expression of
human activity
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Human Geography 11e
Places
• Changing Attributes of Place• Interrelations between Places
– Accessibility and Connectivity – Spatial Diffusion and Globalization
• The Rational Structure of Place– Density– Dispersion– Pattern
Human Geography 11e
Places• The Rational Structure of Place
– Density• a measure of the number of anything within
a defined unit area• Number of items in relation to the space in
which they are found
– Dispersion• The amount of spread of a phenomenon
over an area
– Pattern• The geometric arrangement of objects
Human Geography 11e
Place Similarity & Regions• The Characteristics of Regions• Types of Regions:
– Formal• Uniform regions; uniformity in one or a
limited combination of physical or cultural features
– Functional• Give an organizational basis
– Perceptual• Reflect feelings and images
Human Geography 11e
Perceptual Regions
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Human Geography 11e
Maps
• Map Scale• The Globe Grid• How Maps Show Data• Geographic Information Systems (GIS)• Mental Maps
Human Geography 11e
Mental Maps• Our understanding of
distributions• Our view of spatial
reality• images about an area
or an environment developed by an individual on the basis of information or impressions received, interpreted, and stored
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Human Geography 11e
Systems, Maps, and Models
• Spatial System– The content of area is interrelated– Component parts ar104e
interdependent
• Model– Simplified abstraction of reality– Clarifies causal relationships