Geography
Its Nature and Perspectives
The Basics
(position on Earth’s surface)
Distribution – various locations of a collection of people or objects
Ways to indicate location (position):
1) Maps: best way to show location and demonstrate insights gained through spatial analysis
2) Place-name: a name given to a portion of the Earth’s surface (“Miami”)
3) Site: physical characteristics of a place; climate, water sources, topography, soil, vegetation, latitude, and elevation
4) Absolute location: latitude and longitude (parallels and meridians), mathematical measurements mainly useful in determining exact distances and direction (maps)
5) Relative location: location of a place relative to other places (situation), valuable way to indicate location for two reasons:
a) Finding an unfamiliar place - by comparing its location with a familiar one (“Miami – 35 miles northwest of Cincinnati”)
b) Centrality, understanding its importance (Chicago – hub of sea & air transportation, close to four other states; Singapore – accessible to other countries in Southeast Asia)
6) Distribution: arrangement of something across Earth’s surface
a) Density – frequency with which something occurs in an area. Arithmetic density – total number of objects (people) in an area. Physiologic density – number of people per unit area of agriculturally productive land.
b) Concentration – extent of a feature’s spread over an area. Clustered – relatively close. Dispersed – relatively far apart.
c) Pattern – geometric arrangement of objects.
