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Chapter Summary Geography is the study of how and why things differ from place to place on the earth’s surface. Geography is the science that studies spatial patterns, culture-environment relations, earth systems, and regions. Geography’s roots date to a classical Greek concern with measuring and mapping the earth, examining its biophysical systems, documenting human-environmental interactions and describing regional differences among its inhabited portions. From the outset, consistent sets of themes, concepts, terms, and questions have guided geographic inquiry. Formal training in the themes, concepts, and techniques of geography is important to informed awareness of current local, national, and world affairs. Geographic knowledge is also the doorway to a host of significant and rewarding career opportunities. Places have location, direction, and distance with respect to other places. Places have both physical and cultural attributes and are imbued with meanings that different cultures attach to them. Location may be expressed in either absolute (e.g., latitude and longitude) or relative terms. Relative location expresses spatial interconnections and interdependencies. Similarly, distance can be expressed as absolute (miles or kilometers) or relative distance which depends on transportation routes, travel time and psychological perceptions. The size of areas and the scale at which they are investigated help determine the permissible degree and kinds of geographic generalization. Geographers attempt to analyze really distinctive complexes of physical and cultural features and are concerned with the human-environmental interfaces they display. The interrelationships between places are revealed through the processes and patterns of spatial interaction and spatial diffusion. Concepts of distance, accessibility, and connectivity help reveal those processes. Geography is rooted in the study of spatial relationships and recognizes that spatial interaction is a fundamental organizing principle of the physical and social environment. ―Globalization‖ is the popular term attached to the increasing interconnection of the world’s social, cultural, political, and economic processes and patterns. Although no two areas can have exactly the same physical and cultural content, sufficient evidence of spatial similarity may exist to permit the recognition and definition of regions, earth areas with significant elements of uniformity. Regions are the geographer’s device of areal generalization; conceptual spatial summaries intended to recognize the underlying order in the diversity of the earth’s surface. Administrative regions have clear boundaries established by laws or treaties and typically laws and policies are applied uniformly within those boundaries. Examples of administrative regions include countries, states, counties, cities, school districts, and more. Four generalized types of regions are administrative, formal,, functional, and perceptual. Although varied in its content
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