Methods and applications of geographic information technology are emphasized. Finally, how

1 © 2014 Pearson Education, Inc.

CHAPTER 1

Introduction to Geography

Introduction to Geography begins by defining geography, listing its many subfields and tools, tracing geography’s development, and explaining why geography should be studied. The contemporary approaches of area analysis, spatial analysis, and geographic systems analysis of physical and human characteristics are described next. Location, region, distribution, movement, diffusion, Earth’s physical systems, culture, and human environmental interaction are emphasized. The chapter continues by explaining how latitude and longitude, maps, remote sensing, and geographic information systems (GISs) are used to describe Earth and its patterns.Methods and applications of geographic information technology are emphasized. Finally, how geographers can help solve the problems of the twenty-first century is explained.

There is a Rapid Change box describing Monitoring Arctic Sea Ice Extent and a Global and

Local box asking: Is Twitter a Global Network?

Learning Outcomes

After carefully studying this chapter, students should be able to:

· Define the field of geography, describe its scope, and identify the major subfields · Describe the concepts of distance decay and diffusion, and how they apply to the study of geography · Describe the importance of the human-environment tradition in the study of geography · Explain the geographic grid system and its purpose · Describe how maps communicate geographic information · List three technologies that have contributed to the field of geography · List three analytical methods used by geographers to analyze geographic information

Chapter Review

• What Is Geography?

· Geography is the study of the interaction of all physical and human phenomena at individual places and of how interactions among places form patterns and organize space.

· Physical and human geography are the two main branches; cartography, remote sensing, and geographic information systems are three important tools.

(Introduction to Geography People, Places & Environment 6e Carl Dahlman, William Renwick ) (instructor Manual all Chapters) 1 / 4

2 © 2014 Pearson Education, Inc.· Greek, Muslim, Chinese, Korean, and, eventually, additional European scholars contributed to the development of geography.

· Geography is important in understanding the world and helping to solve problems.

• Contemporary Approaches in Geography

· Modern geographers use area analysis, spatial analysis, and geographic systems analysis to investigate geographic issues.

· Area analysis includes site, situation, and regions. Regions are areas defined by one or more distinctive characteristics or features. Improvements in transportation and communication have led to increased globalization.

· Spatial analysis examines patterns of human actions and environmental processes and interactions among and between places or regions. Density, concentration, and pattern describe the distribution of something. Movement includes the effect of distance and processes of diffusion.

· Diffusion is the process of an item or feature spreading across space through time.Relocation, contiguous or contagious, and hierarchical diffusion are the main kinds.

· Geographic systems analysis emphasizes Earth as a set of interrelated physical and human systems. A system is an interdependent group of items that interact in a regular way to form a unified whole.

· Earth’s physical systems are the atmosphere (gases surrounding Earth), hydrosphere (water), lithosphere (the solid Earth), and biosphere (life on Earth). These systems interact with people and their cultures, creating cultural landscapes. Culture is defined as everything about the way people live.

• Mapping Earth

· Parallels of latitude and meridians of longitude make up the geographic grid.

· Maps are representations of some portion of Earth’s surface. Small-scale maps show larger areas and less detail, whereas large-scale maps portray smaller areas and more detail.

· Map projections are designed to transfer information from a spherical Earth to a flat map with minimal distortion. Conformal maps contain accurate shapes, but distort sizes; equal-area maps do the opposite by maintaining sizes, but distorting shapes.Cartography is the design and production of maps. Thematic maps can show patterns about many different topics.

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3 © 2014 Pearson Education, Inc.· Geographic information technologies include use of computers, satellites, automated cartography, remote sensing, global positioning systems, and geographic information systems (GIS).

· GIS are forms of database software in which spatial information is important. Raster and vector are two important types of data used in GIS. Going from paper to mostly digital maps is a major change. GIS are finding many social and environmental applications to help solve problems. The sophistication of mapping systems found on the Internet keeps growing.

• The World in 2050

· Geography provides interdisciplinary approaches, global perspectives, and applied research abilities to confront and help resolve the many challenges of the twenty-first century.

Chapter Outline

• Geography
• Study of the interaction of physical and human phenomena at individual places
• Interaction
• Forms patterns
• Organizes larger spaces
• Subfields
• Physical geography
• Human geography
• Tools
• Cartography
• Remote sensing
• Geographic information systems (GIS)
• Historical development
• Eratosthenes was a Greek scholar
• Earth is round
• Accurate calculation of Earth’s circumference
• Non-European
• Islamic advances
• Chinese writings
• Korean Kangnido world map
• Revival of European geography
• Regional geography
• Topical or systematic geography
• Human environment tradition
• Two-way interaction
• Began by Alexander von Humboldt
• Geography today
• Used to understand the world 3 / 4

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• Solve problems
• Make informed decisions
• Very diverse field

II. Contemporary approaches in geography

• To analyze geographic information
• Three analytical methods are used

III. Area analysis

• Two kinds of location
• Exact (site)
• Specific location and its characteristics
• Measured by latitude and longitude
• Relative (situation)
• Changes as technology changes
• Influences accessibility
• Related to globalization
• Types of regions
• Formal regions are based on some uniformity
• Function regions are based on interaction
• Vernacular regions are based on popular perceptions
• Countries are grouped into various sets of regions

IV. Spatial analysis

• Distribution
• Position, placement, arrangement of phenomena throughout space

2. Measured by:

• Density
• Concentration
• Pattern
• Movement

1. Distance is measured by:

• Units of length (miles)
• Time
• Cost
• Friction of distance
• Distance decay
• Diffusion
• How something spreads over space through time
• Relocation diffusion
• Contiguous or contagious diffusion
• Hierarchical diffusion
• Barriers to diffusion

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