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WHAT IS GEOGRAPHY?Dr. East 9/10/2015

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Continental Mapping Activity Used Robinson Projection … 7 Continents standard but

debatable….what a continent contains is based on perspective

Greenland

D.C. and VA below

China

Main Islands of UK

IraqNile

River

NYour Legend

Here

NORTH & CENTRAL AMERICA

SOUTH AMERICA

AFRICA

EUROPE

AUSTRALIA

ANTARCTICA

ASIA

Prime Meridian

Equator

Tropic of Capricorn

Tropic of Cancer

Arctic Circle

Antarctic Circle

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Best & Worst: Which Side? Why?

China?N. Korea?Syria?Sweden?Finland?U.S.?Brazil?Cuba?Guatemala?

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Most Populous Places

http://www.census.gov/popclock/print.php?component=counter

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Armed Conflicts Around the Worldhttp://conflictmap.org/#

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What is Geography? Geography = (literally geo-graphy “earth writing” or

geographica “earth description”) is the study of variation in the world’s human and physical environments

text book def. -“ the study of the distribution and interaction of physical and human features on the earth”.

Geographers examine how people use “space” It is a spatial science (not spelled spacial or special!) Asks what is where, how/why did it get there? & How does

the thing that’s there effect things elsewhere? We will examine both phenomenon (things, people, flows,

etc.) and processes that explain how/why these phenomena (plural version of phenomenon) vary or are spatially distributed across the surface of the earth.

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Five Themes of Geography 1 – Location – Where is it?

Absolute location (think geo - coordinates) Ex. Latitude/Longitude Ex. State Plane Coordinate Systems

Relative location (think, places, etc. as they are situated nearby, adjacent or next to something else…it’s North of here, etc.)

2 – Place – What is it like? A unique type of area, has landmarks,

has something different about it that distinguishes it from elsewhere Give me an example of a place

Places have

special meaning!

Absolute Location of Washington-Lee High

School N 38.89 = Latitude (south latitudes denoted with – sign when no direction noted)

W 77.11 = Longitude (west latitudes denoted with – sign when no direction)

What is the school’s relative location? 8

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3 – Region – How places are similar or different?

Region = collection or grouping of places with similar unifying

characteristics ; may have many similarities that set it apart for other

large areas

Compared to a region, a place is smaller

Regions can be defined in many ways:

Maybe similar geology (Mountainous)

Maybe similar economically (mostly agricultural)

Maybe similar linguistically (all speak Spanish)

Maybe similar ethno-religiously (all Muslim or Arabic ancestry)

Question? What kind of place is Arlington? In which region(s) does it lie?

Question? Describe the three kinds of regions.

1) formal,

2) functional,

3) perceptual

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Examples of Regions

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4 - Human Environment Interaction

Refers to how people relate to their

physical world

Often focus here is human-related

environmental problems

5 – Movement (or flow or mobility

over distances )

Refers to questions about the flow of

goods, ideas, people, things, etc.

between places and regions

What kinds of flows or movements

can you think of?

On a daily basis, what kinds of flows

happen between Stuarts Draft and

other places?

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Study of Geography is Divided into various sub-disciplines

So what kinds of things do you think Geographers study here?

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What work do Geographers do?

Cartographers – make maps (map making)

Work for city governments - city planners use

maps, etc.

plan bus routes,

decide which new neighborhoods should be incorporated

into town,

planning new locations for water and sewer lines,

locating new schools and school bus routes, etc.

determine voting districts

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Environmental and Physical Scientists

Studying plant or animal distributions

Studying weather patterns, like tornados, or forecasting rain

Studying areas at risk for earthquakes

Examining pollutions sources (like how pesticides get into

groundwater)

Locate flood prone portions of towns

Track down the source of diseases

Sociologists

Use geographic data to discuss cultural regions

Identify poverty ridden areas, wealthy areas, locations of

homelessness, etc.

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What these people have is a well-developed Geographical Imagination!

Definition: the capacity to understand changing patterns, changing processes, and changing relationships among people, places, and regions.

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Part II: Mental Maps and Geographer’s Tools

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They also have good Mental Maps

Used to help you through your day by getting you to school, home, etc.

Giving Directions to your house or getting them to go somewhere

Help you understand where things are happening in the world

Rarely are perfect but can be improved on.

Things that are more important, or closer to your heart, mind, pocketbook are typically more prominent in your mental geographical landscape

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Mental Maps Cont.

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Actual Arlington (Google Earth)

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Geographer’s Tools

Globes = 3D models of the world, Model of way the earth looks from space

Maps = visual two-dimensional (2D) representations of portions of the earth Dimensions refers to number of coordinates it takes

to locate something – Location on a line has one dimension, one x coordinate location on a sphere or surface has two dimensions, one

x and one y coordinate, like latitude and longitude location on a cube or object with height and volume like

a point on a mountain needs three, one x, one y, and one z Ex. lat./long./elevation (z) describes exact point on

mountain somewhere on earth

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Map Distortions and Projections (Maps Cont.)

Since maps are only 2D they are generalizations and they are designed to emphasize only certain things Distortions = inaccuracies like compression or

exaggeration, or altered shapes, etc. … are a basic part of maps since no 3D object can be accurately displayed in only 2D Think S.A.D.D.

Shape, Area, Distance, or Direction distortions Cartographers select map projections (a way of

showing the curved earth on a flat map) that display the earth in a manner that distorts the least amount of information about the subject they want to map

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The human face on four different projections

© ODT, Inc. www.odtmaps.org/link.htm#stm

Robinson

Mercator

Sinusoidal

Mollweide

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Maps use geo-coordinates – aka grid systems – to indicate absolute locations

Example: Latitude and Longitude Locations give the EXACT location of a place on earth. Both are described in terms of degrees, minutes, seconds i. Latitude: – aka parallels that go around the earth

i. Aka parallels, go around the earth like cake layers

ii. degrees are either North or South of equator (indicated by N or S or sometimes by “-” before number indicated south of equator location)

ii. Longitude is Long - aka meridians that circle the earth and intersect at the poles like orange wedges

Measured in degrees either east to west of the prime meridian (0 degree line)… places west are typically noted with a W or with a “-” before the number to indicate a western location; Places East with an E

Finding Location on a Map (Maps Cont.)

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• Latitude Lines , >= 90 °• Go all the way around the earth • Important Latitude Lines

• Equator – 0°• North Pole – 90° N• South Pole – 90° S• Tropic of Cancer – 23½° N, • Sun’s most northerly location 6/21

• Tropic of Capricorn – 23½° S,• Sun’s most southerly location 12/21

• Arctic Circle – 66½° N northern polar region• Antarctic Circle – 66½° S southern polar region

Longitude Lines, >=180°

They only go ½ way around the earth.

Important Longitude lines• Prime Meridian

(aka the Greenwich Meridian) – 0°

• International Date Line - 180°

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Hemispheres (Maps Cont.)

Northern, Southern, Western, Eastern

Which two hemispheres describe the location of the US? Australia?

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Using and Reading a Map (Maps Cont.)

Look for the map scale Shows you how the map

relates to real life Bar scales , Ex.

Ratio scales Ex. 1” = 500 miles Ex. 1: 25,000 (unit less,

could be 1” = 25,000 inches; or 1 cm = 25,000 cm.)

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Small VS Large Scale cont.

On a map of the same dimension a• Smaller

ratio scale will mean less detail (you cover more surface area on this map)

• Larger ratio scale will mean more detail (you cover less surface area on this map)

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Elements of a Map (Maps Cont.) Look for the compass rose or

north arrow This will give your direction and

orientation Up is not always North!

Look for magnetic declination (only shown on some maps) This tells you the difference

between actual magnetic north and true north according to map

Examine the map legend Explains how and what real

world things symbols, lines, and colors represent on the map

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Legends convey map information.

1. Symbols (It’s the key to the code)

2. Color can show changes in elevation, vegetation or help you know water from land.

3. Lines can be used to show rivers, roads, railroads, canals, or many other things.

4. Political Boundaries are usually indicated with a bold black line.

5. Contour lines are used to show changes in elevation on a topographic map. Lines that are closer together indicate steeper slopes. Contour lines spaced farther apart indicate gradual slopes.

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Three Types of Maps General Purpose, Reference or Navigational

Maps 1) Political Maps show state or country

boundaries 2) Physical maps show physical features, like

mountains, rivers, lakes, etc. Topographic maps are a type of physical map

2) Thematic Maps Used to convey information about specific

themes (weather, population density, slope, etc.)

3) Mental Maps – unique to individuals, how they mentally organize their surroundings

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Examples of Thematic Maps Choropleth Population Distribution

Downtown LA

Tract Location Quotient Values0.0 to 0.50.5 to 1.51.5 to 2.02.0 & UP

Places of Concentration for White/Mexican Households

- 1990 Urbanized Areas LA CMSA - Ventura

CountyLos Angeles

County San Bernardino

County

Riverside

County

Orange

County

San Diego

County

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White/Mexican Places of Highest Concentration Overlain on Places of Concentration for Mexican Co-Ethnic

Households

- 1990 Urbanized Areas LA CMSA -

Ventura

County

Los Angeles

County San Bernardino

County

Riverside

CountyOrange

County

San Diego

County

Downtown LA

Tract Location Quotient Values

White/Mexican LQ Values, 2.0 & Up (4.03 max.)

Mexican Co-ethnic LQ Values, 1.5 to 2.0Mexican Co-ethnic LQ Values, 2.0 & Up (9.89 max.)

Ex. Thematic Maps (cont. 1)

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Ex. Thematic Maps (cont. 2)

China, Population Density, Dot Map 1 dot = 50,000 people

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Ex. Thematic Maps (cont. 3)

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Ex. Thematic Maps (cont. 4)

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Ex. Thematic Cartograms Mapping based on theme not

location of land area.

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Other Geographic Tools Photographs – pictures of places, things on the planet

… ex. aerial photos from planes GPS – global positioning systems – uses satellites to

help you figure out your absolute location on earth Ex. Onstar technology in vehicles; Tremble GPS used by

hikers and hunters Satellite Imagery (images) – compilations of pixels of

digital data obtained from sensors carried in satellites. It includes collecting data both in the visible (reflectance values) and non-visible (like heat waves) portions of the electromagnetic spectrum. Ex. multispectral scanner carried in Landsat satellites.

Orbits more than 100 miles above the earth’s surface Ex. GOES – Geostationary Operational Environment

Satellite – a weather satellite

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Landsat view of Washington, D.C. (highly urbanized areas shown in blue)

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Primary Sources Interviews with people in the know Surveys – questionnaires given by

researchers to select groups of people

Field work – going someplace, observing, and taking notes

People’s journals and travelogues Ex. Lewis & Clark journals

Secondary sources Census Data – Ex. US Decennial

Census Using other peoples surveys

Diagrams Ex. floodplain diagram below

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Charts & Graphs & Scatter Graphs

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Geographic Information Systems (GIS) databases

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In a GIS database, each mapped information layer here corresponds to a data table (think MS Excel table) Ex. map of customer

layer – table includes names and street addresses of customers

Ex. street layer – names and types of streets

Ex. parcels – maybe tax maps of owned property

Ex. elevation – areas of elevation levels created from aerial photos or satellites

Ex. land use – areas of similar land uses created from satellite images, aerial photos, etc.