Chapter 1

Spatial association

When two spatial distributions are closely related, they are said to have a spatial association.

connectivity

a broader concept implying all the tangible and intangible ways in which places are connected

A place's __________ is precisely determined by the use of an accepted system of coordinates

absolute location

A core concept in geography is that of __________: understanding how natural and human phenomena are distributed on the Earth's surface

spatial

Relative distance

transforms those linear measurements into other units more meaningful to human experience or decision making.

What can relative location express?

Relative location expresses spatial interconnection and interdependence and may carry social (neighborhood character) and economic (assessed valuations of vacant land) implications.

relative directions

(a.k.a. relational direction) A culturally based locational reference, such as the Far West, the Old South, or the Middle East

human interaction

The communication and interdependencies between people.

Examples of spatial associations

-Higher crime rates in areas with high population density -Incidences of asthma attacks in major cities compared to rural areas -The vegetation found in a particular climatic region

The following are examples of the cultural landscape of a place

-Land use -Character of a neighborhood -A street pattern around a building

The following are examples of the physical characteristics that describe the natural landscape of a place

-Slope steepness -Climate -Mineral resources

What are the systems used in geography to pinpoint positions?

-latitude and longitude -the township, range and section description of property -street address

3 reasons why people study geography

1) First, it is the only discipline concerned with understanding why and how both physical and cultural phenomena differ from place to place on the surface of the Earth. 2) a grasp of the broad concerns and topics of geography is vital to an understanding of the national and international problems that dominate daily news reports. 3) because geography is such a broad field of study, a great diversity of job opportunities await those who pursue college training in the discipline.

What are the three dominating interests that characterize Geography?

1) Geography examines relationships between human societies and the natural environments that they occupy and modify. 2) A focus on the systems that link physical phenomena and human activities in one area of the Earth with other areas. 3) Regional analysis: geography studies human-environmental (or "ecological") relationships and spatial systems in specific locational settings

What are the two major branches of geography and their main focus of study?

1) Physical: Focus on the natural environment: landforms, climate, vegetation, etc. 2) Human: Focus on people, culture, religion, cities, etc.

Administrative region

A region created by laws, treaties, or regulations

____________ direction is based on the cardinal points of north, south, east, and west.

Absolute

cultural landscape

The natural landscape as modified as modified by human activities and bearing the imprint of a culture group or society; the BUILT environment

natural landscape

The physical environment unaffected by human activities.

Define the concept of relative location

The position of a place or thing given in terms of its relation to that of other places or things

accessibility

The relative ease with which a destination may be reached from other locations

Scale

The size of the area studied, from local to global

Geography

The study of spatial variation, of how and why things differ from place to place on the surface of the Earth.

An area of essential uniformity for a single physical or cultural feature or a limited combination of physical and cultural features is called a(n) ______________ region

formal

Name the five fundamental themes

location: the meaning of relative and absolute position on the Earth's surface; place: the distinctive and distinguishing physical and human characteristics of locales; relationships within places: the development and consequences of human-environmental interactions; movement: patterns and change in human spatial interaction on the Earth; regions: how they form and change.

What does geography focus on?

on the physical structure of the Earth and on the nature and activities of the people who inhabited the various lands of the known world.

The absolute location as well as the precise mix of ________________ and _______________ characteristics of a place are unique, meaning that no two places on the surface of the Earth can be exactly the same

physical and cultural

Situation

refers to the relations between a place and other places. It is an expression of relative location with particular reference to items of significance to the place in question.

________________ is a measure of how easy it is to cover a distance and get from one place to another

Accessibility

What is true about geography?

Although geography consists of a number of distinct fields of study, they are in fact closely related and interconnected

Name the techniques of geographic analysis

Basic cartography, Geographic information systems, and global positioning systems

What is the name of the concept that describes the ways in which places are connected?

Connectivity

Absolute direction

Direction with respect to cardinal east, west, north, and south reference points.

regions

Earth areas that display significant elements of internal uniformity and external differences from surrounding territories.

Where does the word "geography" come from?

Geography's name was reputedly coined by the Greek scientist Eratosthenes over 2200 years ago from the words geo, "the Earth," and graphein, "to write.

Name the four types of regions

administrative, formal, functional, or perceptual

Absolute location

also known as mathematical location, absolute location is the identification of place by a precise and accepted system of coordinates

Site

an absolute location concept, refers to the physical and cultural characteristics and attributes of the place itself

Formal (or uniform) region

an area of essential uniformity for a single physical or cultural feature or a limited combination of physical or cultural features.

Absolute distance

refers to the spatial separation between two points on the Earth's surface, measured by an accepted standard unit—such as miles or kilometers for widely separated locales, feet or meters for more closely spaced points

An area that displays internal uniformity and external differences from surrounding territories is referred to as a(n)

region

Perceptual (or vernacular or popular) regions

regions that exist and have reality in the perceptions of their inhabitants and the general society (i.e. the south)

Globalization

the increasing interconnection of more and more peoples and parts of the world as the full range of social, cultural, political, economic, and environmental processes becomes international in scale and effect.

networks

the patterns of routes connecting sets of place

Relative location

the position of a place or thing in relation to that of other places or things

Spatial diffusion

the process of dispersion of an idea or a thing (a new consumer product or a new song, for example) from a center of origin to more distant points.