Basics to Human Geography Chapter 1 - Five Themes of Geography
Question
Answer
Five Themes of Geography
Place, Region, Location, Human-Environment Interaction, Spatial Interaction or movement
Place
the description of what and how we see and experience a certain aspect of the Earth's surface
Place
reflects a perception of uniqueness of a location
Sense of Place
infusing a place with meaning and emotion, but remembering important events that occurred in a place
Sense of Place
labeling a place with a certain character
Perception of Places
belief or understanding about a place
Perception of Places
is developed through books, movies, stories, or pictures
Region
links places together through the common threads in the landscape
Region
can be used to pull different places together
Corn Belt
midwestern portion of the United States is characterized by its dependence on agriculture where the main crop is corn.
Bible Belt
southern portion of the US where the presence of evangelical christians is prominent
Three Types of Regions
formal, functional, perceptual/vernacular
Formal Region
region where anything and everything inside has the same characteristic or phenomena - homogeneity
Formal Region
where the people share one or more cultural traits - food, belief system, dress, dances, hair styles, language
Formal Region
Germany = has a defined political boundary with sovereignty in which inside the people share cultural traits that make them all Germans
Formal Region
Corn Belt - has one perdominant crop in the region which is corn
Functional Region
the center is the most intense but it loses the characteristics the farther distance is from the focal point
Functional Region
the product of interactions of movement of various kinds
Functional Region
ex radio station
Functional Region
a city - has a sorrounding region in which the workers commute from the downtown area to subsidiary centers
Distance Decay
sphere of influence is reduced as the distance increases
Distance Decay
mall - people who live closer more often frequent the mall than those who live farther
Perceptual/Vernacular Region
intellectual constructs designed to help us understand the nature and distribution of phenomena in human geography
Perceptual/Vernacular Region
exist primarily in an individual's perception or feelings
Zelinsky's Article
North America's Vernacular regions
Location
theme that geographer's use in their analysis of the Earth
Location
the geographic position of people and things on the Earths surface and how they affect what happens and why
Relative Location
giving their location in reference to another feature on the Earth's surface
Reference Point
the feature that is used in reference to one's location
Absolute Location
the position of a certain item on the surface of the Earth as expressed in degrees, minutes, and seconds of latitude and longitude
Absolute Location
an exact point
Site
the absolute location of a place described by local releif, landforms, and other cultural or physical characteristics
Site
refers to the internal physical characteristics of a place
Poor Site
New Orleans - due to the human habitation is prone to flooding
Situation
the relative location of a place in relation to the physical and cultural characteristics of the sorrounding area and the connections and interdependencies within that system
Good Situation
New Orleans- being on the base of the Mississippi river which has enabled its growth
Human Environment Interaction
theme that describes how people modify or alter the environment to fit individual or societal needs
Human Environment Interaction
Las Vegas, Nevada - uilt in the middle of the desert humans have modified the environment around Las Vegas to provide enough water to meet the needs of the city
Five Toos
when taken to the extreme makes land uninhabitable
Five Toos
too hot, too cold, too wet, too dry, too hilly
Spacial Interaction
how well an area is connected to the world determines its importance
Cardio Block2anatomy
