Regional AnalysisChapter 1, section 3

Regions are the equivalent of scientific classification for geographers

Regions are determined through the cultural landscape

Three types of regions:◦ Formal◦ Functional (nodal)◦ Perceptual

Regional studies: each region has its own distinctive landscape that results from a unique combination of social relationships and physical processes.◦ important to the

principle: people are the most important agents of change of Earth’s surface

Regions

Formal regions help explain broad global or national patterns such as variations in religions and levels of economic development.

Formal Regions

Also a uniform or homogenous region. Shares one or more distinctive characteristics

Could be cultural, economic, environmental

Example: Montana

Has recognized boundaries and shares a common set of laws

nodal region, it is organized around a node or focal point.

Used to display information about economic areas Example: circulation

of a newspaper

Functional Regions

Formal and Functional Regions

The state of Iowa is an example of a formal region; the areas of influence of various television stations are examples of

functional regions.

vernacular region, is a place that people believe exists as part of their cultural identity.

◦ Example: the “south”How do you know you are

in the south?

-driving from New York down I-95

-waffle house?-grits?-sweet tea?

Perceptual region

Vernacular Regions

A number of factors are often used to define the South as a vernacular region, each of which identifies somewhat different boundaries.

Regionalism◦ Used to describe situations

in which different religious or ethnic groups with distinctive identities co-exist within the same state boundaries, often concentrated within a particular region and sharing strong feelings of collective identity. Often ethnic groups who aims

for autonomy from a national state Ex. Serbs in Croatia

Sectionalism◦ Feelings that develop into

an extreme devotion to regional interests and customs

Irredentism◦ Assertion by the

government of a country that a minority living outside its formal border belongs to it historically and culturally. Often leads to war Ex. Serbs in Croatia

Regionalization

Ordinary Landscapes◦ Vernacular landscapes◦ Everyday landscapes that

people create in the course of their lives together

Symbolic Landscapes◦ Represent particular values

or aspirations that builders and financiers want to impart to a larger public Ex. Washington, D.C. Some landscapes become

powerful sense of national identity Ex. West Irelend

Landscapes reflect people’s dreams and ideas as well as their material lives◦ Messages embedded in

the landscape can be read as signs about values, beliefs, and practices

◦ One task of geographers is to interpret the meaning of landscapes

Landscapes

Refers to the feelings evoked among people as a result of the experiences and memories they associate with a place and to the symbolism they attach to that place.

Can also refer to the character of a place as seen by outsiders

For insiders:◦ Sense of place develops

through shared dress codes, speech patterns, and public comportment. lifeworld

◦ Intersubjectivity Shared meanings that are

derived from everyday practice

◦ For outsiders: A sense of place can be

evoked only if local landmarks, ways of life, etc. are distinctive enough to evoke a significant common meaning for people who have no direct experience of them

Sense of Place

Allows us to understand changing patterns, processes, and relationships among people, places, and regions◦ Examples:

Industrial Revolution Introduction of the

Railroad

Geographical Imagination

Places and regions are in constant state of change◦ Today, because of a

globalized economy and globalized telecommunications and transportation networks, places have become more interdependent

Future Geographies