Intro to Human Geography
I . Geography: Its Nature and Perspectives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5–10%
A . Geography as a field of inquiry
B . Major geographical concepts underlying the geographical perspective:
location: explains where something is on Earth and the effects that position has on human life.
-Absolute location: an items location on the global grid, the intersection of latitude (parallels, north or south of the
equator) and longitude (meridians, east or west of the prime meridian).
-Relative location: the position of a place relative to the places around it.
-Site: refers to a place's internal physical and cultural characteristics.
-Situation: refers to the location (or context) of a place relative to the physical and cultural characteristics around it.
space: an area, not "outer-space."
place: all of the human and physical attributes in a location.
-Physical Geography: attributes of a place include climate, terrain, and natural resources in a location.
-Human Geography: attributes of a place include elements such as the religions, languages, political organizations, clothing
and artwork present in a location.
scale: the relationship between distance on the map and the actual measurement in the real world. The larger the area of space
being represented on the map, the smaller its scale.
pattern: the design of how a space is organized (scattered or concentrated).
nature and society
regionalization
gender issues
globalization: the idea that the world is becoming increasingly interconnected on a global scale. Technology has greatly impacted
globalization.
C . Key geographical skills
1 . How to use and think about maps and geospatial data
2 . How to understand and interpret the implications of associations among
phenomena in places
3 . How to recognize and interpret at different scales the relationships
among patterns and processes
4 . How to define regions (a spatial unit, or group of places, that share similar characteristics) and evaluate the regionalization process
-Formal region (or uniform region): area that has common cultural or physical features.
-Example: a map displaying where Christianity is practiced.
-Functional region (or nodal region): group of places linked together by some type of movement (or function)
-Example: a map showing a group of places all infected by a type of disease.
-Perceptual region (or vernacular): group of places linked together because of perceptions about those places.
-Example: the region of the United States called "the Midwest."
5 . How to characterize and analyze changing interconnections among places
D . Use of geospatial technologies, such as:
Geographical Information Systems GIS: Computer tools used to capture, store, transform, analyze, and display geographic data.
remote sensing: The observation and mathematical measurement of Earth's surface using aircraft and satellites. The sensors include photographic images, thermal images, and radar images.
global positioning systems (GPS): Satellites used to determine location anywhere on Earth with a portable electronic device.
online maps
E . Sources of geographical information and ideas: the field, census data,
online data, aerial photography, and satellite imagery
F . Identification of major world regions (North America, Central America/South America (Latin America), Europe, Africa, Sub-Saharan Africa, Asia, Oceania)
World Regions- A Big Picture View
World Regions- A closer look
