Relative Resource Manager

Location, place, H/E interaction, Movement and Region

"Geography is the science of place. the vision is grand, the view panoramic. It sweeps the surface of the Earth, charting the physical, organic and cultural terrains, their areal differentiation, and their ecological dynamics with humankind. Its foremost tool is the map." Leonard Krishtalka, Carnegie Museum of Natural History

Location, place, H/E interaction, Movement and Region

"The study of the location & distribution of Earthly features and how these features and associated phenomena both affect and are affected by the human factor.” Often called the bridge between human and physical sciences.

…IS NOT just the memorizing place names and …IS NOT just map-making ... IS NOT just for teachers. though all of these activities are important parts. … IS a unique way of studying the world. … IS about spatial relationships – and what is not spatial?

“Everybody is a Closet Geographer” (John Reese 1991)

“Geography is what geographers do” (A.E. Parkinson, 1934)

… Geography: defined by two major perspectives, 1. spatial -

1 where is x relative to x

2. ecological - relationships between organisms & their environment These are complemented by: historical and economic perspectives. What I call the:

“Why is what where questions?”

Site: the actual location of something (a on the earth




settlement)

 the physical characteristics of the landscape specific to the area.  Site factors may include things like landforms (i.e. protected by mountains or a natural harbor?), climate, vegetation, availability of water, soil quality, minerals, and even wildlife.




Situation: the location of a place relative to its surroundings & other places.  Factors may include 1. accessibility of the location, 2. extent of a place's connections with another, 3. closeness to raw materials, transport etc.

Site Does Not Change generally – but the situation can and does. (ex: Erie Canal).

Defining the discipline:

1) spatial tradition, 2)area studies tradition, 3)man-land tradition, and 4)earth science tradition

1. Spatial Tradition (Locational Tradition)  Mapping & Spatial analysis  Boundaries and Densities  Movement & Transportation  Quantitative techniques & methods  Geographic Information Systems (GIS)  Central Place Theory (Christaller) Spatial dimensions of urban centers.

 Areal distribution & Spatial patterns

2. Area Studies Tradition (Regional Tradition)  Description of regions or areas (delineation)  World regional geography (this course)  International trends and relationships (Economics, Politics etc)  How regions are different from one another (aeral differentiation)  The chorographic tradition: (mapping of regions)

3. Man-Land Tradition (Human-Environmental, Human-Land, or Culture-Environment)  Human impact on nature & nature on humans (adaptation)  Natural hazards  Perception of environ

 Environmentalism  Cultural, political, and population geography

4. Earth Science Tradition  Physical geography (& earth science)  The lithos, hydros, atmos, & biosphere  Earth-sun interaction  The study of the earth as the home to humans (and what we do to it)

Physical Systematic or Topical

Regional

Human

1.

Location: Where are things located? 1. 2.

2.

Place: Physical or cultural characteristics 1. 2.

3.

how humans adapt How they change their environment

Region: dividing the earth into regions (Formal, functional & Vernacular) 1. 2. 3.

5.

defining a place explaining what makes it different.

Human Environment Interaction: 1. 2.

4.

Absolute Location: (eg. latitude and longitude or a street address) Relative Location (for example, explained by identifying landmarks, direction, or distance between places).

Making it easier to study. Some level of sameness or homogeneity. Area, vegetation, political divisions, etc.

Movement: People, Goods and Ideas 1. 2. 3.

Transport Mass communication Move and help shape the world.

Formal Region - a region with a defined, predetermined boundary. (Political) A good example might be a school district, a country, a city zoning district, a no-fly-zone, etc.




Vernacular Region - Using language or customs native to a region. (more cultural "Dixie"or "Midwest")


Functional Region - Areas served by business and economic activities. (the local cable or power company or newspaper distribution area)


Formal Region - A region delineated on the basis of one or more identifiable trait which sets it apart from other regions - for example, a region defined by language or dialect or a political region (e.g. Texas)


Formal region of the U.S.Mexico border as defined by the USEPA and SEDUE (1991). U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Secretaria de Desarrollo Urbano y Ecologia

Functional Region delineated by processes occurring in it. A central node around which processes are organized and flow (e.g. ) Newspaper delivery area delineates a functional region as all editorial information flows into a node and newspapers flow out to the hinterland.




Blue Ridge Mountains –

A functional economic region transcending political borders and are connected by factors including commuter and goods movement, business linkages, and cultural commonality. Maybe a retail Store market Area.

Perceptual Region Perceived to exist, usually in the collective imagining of people at large, and possessing an identifiable nickname (i.e. "the Midwest"),


They may not be either formally or functionally coherent as a region. Sometimes called a "vernacular region."


Nine Nations of North America: Joel Garreau 1982



























territory, soil - the geographical area under the jurisdiction of a sovereign state; dependency, colony - a geographical area politically controlled by a distant country semidesert - a region much like a desert but usually located between a desert and the surrounding regions narco-state - an area that has been taken over and is controlled and corrupted by drug cartels – no law place, property - any area set aside for a particular purpose; "who owns this place?"; catchment area, catchment basin, drainage area, basin - the entire geographical area drained by a river purlieu, environs - an outer adjacent area of any place environs, surroundings, environment - the area in which something exists or lives; dust bowl - a region subject to dust storms; especially the central region of United States hemisphere - half of the terrestrial globe hot spot, hotspot - a place of political unrest and potential violence; panhandle - a relatively narrow strip of land projecting from some larger area; WV, TX, FL. region - a large indefinite location on the surface of the Earth; "penguins inhabit the polar regions" rural area, country - an area outside of cities and towns; sphere of influence, sphere - the geographical area in which one nation is very influential settlement - an area where a group of families live together parcel of land, piece of ground, piece of land, tract, parcel - an extended area of land populated area, urban area - a geographical area constituting a city or town wild, wilderness - a wild and uninhabited area left in its natural condition; killing field - an area where many people have died (usually by massacre or genocide during war or violence) northern Europe - the northernmost countries of Europe French region - a geographical subdivision of France Baltic Republic, Baltic State - European countries bordering the Baltic Sea Colony - one of the 13 British colonies that formed the original states of the United States