Space: Distribution of Features

Space was defined at the beginning of the chapter as the physical gap or interval between two objects. The arrangement of a feature in space is known as its distribution. Geographers observe that many objects are distributed across space in a regular manner, for discernible reasons. Spatial thinking is the most fundamental skill that geographers possess to understand the arrangement of objects across Earth. When geographers observe the arrangements of people and activities found in space, they investigate why and how those distributions come to be.

Geographers explain how features such as buildings and communities are arranged across Earth. On Earth as a whole, or within an area of Earth, features may be numerous or scarce, close together or far apart. Geographers studying the arrangement of a feature in space are observing its distribution. Geographers identify three main properties of features as they are distributed across Earth—density, concentration, and pattern.

Distribution Properties: Density

Density is the frequency with which something occurs in space. The feature being measured could be people, houses, cars, trees, or anything else. The area could be measured in square kilometers, square miles, hectares, acres, or any other unit of area.

Remember that a large number of a feature does not necessarily lead to a high density. Density involves two measures—the number of a feature and the size of the land area. China is the country with the largest number of people—approximately 1.4 billion—but it does not have the world’s highest density. The Netherlands, for example, has only 17 million people, but its density of around 511 persons per square kilometer is much higher than China’s 148 persons per square kilometer. The reason is that the land area of China is 9.6 million square kilometers, compared to only 42,000 square kilometers for the Netherlands.

High population density is also unrelated to poverty. The Netherlands is one of the world’s wealthiest countries, and Mali one of the world’s poorest. Yet the Netherlands’ density of around 511 persons per square kilometer is much higher than Mali’s density of 16 persons per square kilometer (see Chapter 2 for more about density).

Distribution Properties: Concentration

The extent of a feature’s spread over space is its concentration. If the objects in an area are close together, they are clustered; if relatively far apart, they are dispersed. To compare the level of concentration most clearly, two areas need to have the same number of objects and the same size area.

Geographers use concentration to describe changes in distribution. For example, the distribution of people across the United States is increasingly dispersed. The total number of people living in the United States is growing slowly—less than 1 percent per year—and the land area is essentially unchanged. But the population distribution is changing from relatively clustered in the Northeast to more evenly dispersed across the country.

Distribution Properties: Pattern

The third property of distribution is pattern, which is the geometric arrangement of objects in space. Some features are organized in a geometric pattern, whereas others are distributed irregularly. Geographers observe that many objects form a linear distribution, such as the arrangement of houses along a street or stations along a subway line. In geography, a pattern can be classified as regular, irregular, geometric.

Some objects are purposefully arranged in a square or rectangular pattern. Many American cities contain a regular pattern of streets, known as a grid pattern, that intersect at right angles at uniform intervals to form square or rectangular blocks. The system of townships, ranges, and sections established by the Land Ordinance of 1785 is another example of a square or grid pattern

Pattern: Township and Range

The U.S. Land Ordinance of 1785 divided much of the United States into a checkerboard pattern, which is still visible in agricultural areas, including parts of California.

Distribution Properties: Your Space

Look around your classroom. How many people are in the room? That number divided by the size of the room is the density. Are the people spread evenly through the classroom, or are they bunched together in one part of the room? That’s the concentration—either clustered or dispersed. Are the desks lined up in rows or distributed randomly around the room? That’s the pattern

Density and Distribution of Chairs In A Classroom

Classroom (a) has a higher density than classroom (b)—18 desks and chairs compared to 9 desks and chairs in the same size room—but both have clustered concentrations. Classrooms (b) and (c) have the same density (9 desks and chairs in the same size room), but the distribution of chairs and desks is more clustered in (b) and more dispersed in (c).

Concentration is not the same as density. Two neighborhoods could have the same density of housing but different concentrations. In a dispersed neighborhood, each house has a large private yard, whereas in a clustered neighborhood, the houses are close together and the open space might be shared as a community park.

The distribution of major-league baseball teams illustrates the difference between density and concentration. After remaining unchanged during the first half of the twentieth century, the distribution of major league baseball teams changed during the second half of the twentieth century. The major leagues expanded from 16 to 30 teams in North America between 1960 and 1998, thus increasing the density. At the same time, 6 of the 16 original teams moved to other locations. In 1952, every team was clustered in the Northeast United States, but the moves dispersed several teams to the West Coast and Southeast. These moves, as well as the locations occupied by the expansion teams, resulted in a more dispersed distribution.

Distribution of Baseball Teams, 1950-2018

The changing distribution of North American baseball teams illustrates the difference between density and concentration. As a result of these relocations and additions, the density of teams increased, and the distribution became more dispersed.

These 6 teams moved to other cities during the 1950s and 1960s:

• Braves—Boston to Milwaukee in 1953, then to Atlanta in 1966

• Browns—St. Louis to Baltimore (Orioles) in 1954

• Athletics—Philadelphia to Kansas City in 1955, then to Oakland in 1968

• Dodgers—Brooklyn to Los Angeles in 1958

• Giants—New York to San Francisco in 1958

• Senators—Washington to Minneapolis (Minnesota Twins) in 1961

These 14 teams have been added since 1961:

• Angels—Los Angeles in 1961, then to Anaheim (California) in 1965

• Senators—Washington in 1961, then to Dallas (Texas Rangers) in 1971

• Mets—New York in 1962

• Astros—Houston (originally Colt .45s) in 1962

• Royals—Kansas City in 1969

• Padres—San Diego in 1969

• Nationals—Montreal (Expos) in 1969, then to Washington (Nationals) in 2005

• Brewers—Seattle (Pilots) in 1969, then to Milwaukee (Brewers) in 1970

• Blue Jays—Toronto in 1977

• Mariners—Seattle (Pilots) in 1977

• Marlins—Miami (originally Florida) in 1993

• Rockies—Denver (Colorado) in 1993

• Rays—Tampa Bay (originally Devil Rays) in 1998

• Diamondbacks—Phoenix (Arizona) in 1998