Cultural Geography
Fall 2004
Introduction: Background
Basics
Check out: Geography
at About.com: http://geography.about.com/
Fundamental Question- Does it make a
difference where something is located?
Geographers- interested in how things are
interrelated- look for evidence of spatial systems
Geography-
the spatial science, "description of the earth." The study of spatial variation- in terms of human and physical
space.
It is the study
of relationships and connections between places or events and within space and
systems.
Eratosthenes (275-195 BC)-
Father of geography and director of Library of Alexandria.
The Tribute of Yu: 5th Century
Kangnido: Korean map of the world, 1402
Idrisi
(1099-1154)- Arab geographer working for the Christian
king of
Think about this- Does geography stand alone as a
discipline? Is there anything that geographers study that is not part of another
discipline? Example- Physical Geography
includes geology, meteorology, hydrology, ecology, etc. Consider what discipline
are connected to Cultural Geography.
Dominating interests of Geography:
1. Aerial variation on the Earth's surface
(human and natural environments)
2. Focus on spatial systems
3. Regional analysis
Human Geography- study of the world and environments that
humans have created- the links to the physical world, our impacts and
spatial/regional variations.
Core Geographic Concepts
Basic approach- spatial focus based upon systems and
analysis (identifying and interpreting spatial patterns is fundamental to
understanding human culture and environmental impact.) Dr. Coutu- the "forms" present in
any environment (physical or human) represent "processes" operating
in that environment." Forms are
snapshots of the result of processes. In
your homework you will be asked to give a number of examples (ex- a valley and
stream systems are forms related to the processes of erosion and hydrologic
transport.)
Geographers are concerned with-
1. Spatial behavior
2. Spatial relationships
3. Spatial processes
Basic ways to assess the space around us:
§
Location- (see Map notes
for more discussion)
Absolute- uses a coordinate system to give precise measure
Relative- position of a place relative to other places
§
Direction- based on cardinal points (N,S,E,W) and
cultural/place related
§
Distance- measured between points or related to perceptions/resources
used for movement
Physical/Cultural Attributes- include the physical (natural landscape,
geology, biosphere, etc.) and cultural landscapes (every place can be
interpreted from either point of view.
Human Impact- almost no areas exist that have not been
impacted by humans (try to think of a single place near your home that is not
human impacted.) Human methods of impact
include:
Fire- used to clear forest, drive game and
clear agricultural lands (actually developed the grassland ecosystems)
Agriculture- favored certain species (we have developed
significant monocultures- cropland, plantations, managed forests, lawns,
etc.) Monoculture cultivation is a
severe risk to bio-diversity (above examples could be considered "green
deserts.") Twenty crops make up 90%
of our food supply.)
Industry- pollution, deforestation (early power was wood-based),
mining, etc.
Built landscape- roads, pavement, buildings (alter local
microclimates, runoff and ecosystems) as well as alteration of natural systems
(hydrologic- stream and river channels, riparian- no flooding along controlled
river systems, ecological- build landscape divides habitats and others.)
Interrelations between Places
"Place"
is an important theme of geography- personal and difficult to describe.
Sense of Place- It is an innate faculty- part of all or
environmental experiences. Through a
sense of place we can develop abstract arguments concerning our environment,
economy and politics. It is a learned
skill for understanding the world and how it is changing. “Place” is part of the tradition of
geography. A sense of place is the
thread that ties us to our surroundings.
Places can reveal shared cultural traditions or disguise injustice.
The “sense: of
place is a synthetic faculty that is a combination of all the senses.
The development
of a sense of place is rooted in our ability to travel- a day’s ride or walk
often determined the customs and languages of a place. This also expresses our need to belong
somewhere. External knowledge has been
continuously adapted into and changed local traditions, languages, etc.
Geographical
Sense of Place Teaches:
§
How
to interpret the complex grammar of environment
§
How
to look for elements of a place
§
The
historical development of a place
§
Original
context of a place
§
Understanding
of the interactions of land use and social processes
(from "A
Sense of Place" by Edward Relph in "10 Geographic Ideas that Changed the
World")
QUESTION: How does modern
transportation and communication networks change this?
Processes and Patterns of Spatial
Interaction- accessibility
and connectivity
§
Tobler's
First Law of Geography-
§
Accessibility-
overcoming "friction of distance" (distance decay)
§
Connectivity-
tangible and intangible ways that places are connected (telephone lines, retail
outlets, roads, rivers, language, families, etc.)
Network- routes connecting places- structured and channeled flows
Spatial Diffusion- dispersion of an idea of item from a
central point (hearth)
Globalization-
world-wide interconnection of people and societies- culture, politics, economics,
environmental quality, etc.
Structured Content of Place
Spatial distribution- arrangement of items on earth- analyzed
through attributes of density, dispersion and pattern.
§
Density-
quantity per unit of area
§
Dispersion-
amount of spread over an area (clustered or compact)
§
Pattern-
arrangement of items (linear, random, etc.)
Regions
Regional Concept: Distinct areas within realms based upon
human perception. Regions have area,
boundary and location
Formal Region: Regions with measurable and internal
homogeneity.
Spatial System: Organization and identification of
regions based upon functional integration.
An example is a city with suburbs and farmlands.
Functional Region: A structured (urban-centered) system of
interaction. It has a core and a periphery.
Perceptual (Vernacular) Region: Defined by the perceptions of a people.
Maps
Maps are the
tools we use to show and determine geographic classification. They represent the earth's surface at
different levels of generalization
Reference Map- shows location of objects (no analysis of the data)- road map, city mmap, etc.)
Thematic Map- represents a spatial distribution of a
single category of data Qualitative (class of information- soils, climate) or
Quantitative (numerical data.)
Isometric Maps- uses isolines (lines
created from connecting point data of same value) to create a map theme
(contour maps, isobar (pressure), isotherm (temperature), etc.)
§
Maps
are a source of power
§
Message
and construction fits purpose and effectiveness
§
Maps
transcend culture and language (to a point)
§
Spatial
Hierarchies are easily represented
§
Map
has an aura scientific objectivity and accuracy (True?)
§
Maps
make ideological and political statements
Scale is
omnipresent in all aspects of spatial processes and analysis. It is a component of how and when processes
and forms interact. Scale affects our
ability to examine, compare and understand spatial processes.
Scale is a
time/length of a process, observation or models and refers to the description of
physical features (detail and extent), resolution and the interactions between
form and process. Process scale refers
to the operation of physical processes, inherited from the phenomenon being
studied. Correctly identifying process
scale is the key to determining appropriate observational scale. Scale dependent objects may exist at one
scale but not another. Spatial scale
refers to the extent defining observation limits. Geographic extent and process scales are
inter-related. Resolution scale is related
to the smallest identifiable part of a data set such as the cell size in
raster-based GIS.
§
A large-scale map is one in which a given
part of the Earth is represented by a large area on the map
§
Large-scale maps show more detail than
small-scale maps
§
A small-scale map is one in which a given
part of the Earth is represented by a small area on the map
Small-scale maps
generally show less detail than large-scale maps, but cover large parts of the
Earth.
Coordinate Systems
§
Latitude
§
Longitude
Latitude
§
Latitude lines run horizontally.
§
Latitude lines also known as parallels
(parallel and are an equal distance from each other)
§
Each degree of latitude is approximately
69 miles (111 km) apart
§
Variation is due to the fact that the
earth is not a perfect sphere
§
Imagine as the horizontal rungs of a
ladder ("ladder-tude").
§
Degrees are numbered from 0° to 90° north
and south.
§
Zero degrees is the equator
§
North Pole = 90° north
§
South Pole = 90° south
Longitude
§
Vertical longitude lines are also known as
meridians
§
Converge at the poles, are widest at the
equator (about 69 miles or 111 km apart)
§
Zero degrees longitude is located at Greenwich , England
§
The degrees continue 180° east and 180°
west and meet at the International Date Line in the Pacific Ocean
Geographic Information Systems
Geographic
Information System- computer-based analysis tool that combines digital
maps and database for the production of maps, resource management and
research-based analysis.
GIS Web Sites
The Leading GIS
Software Company- ESRI:
Remote Sensing: acquisition of data about earth’s
surface from space. Image consists of
pixels, each carrying a signal that represents the radiation reflected from the
earth’s surface. Measures
the amount of radiation emanating from the earth’s surface.
Raster GIS: grid based with a spatial extent (rows
and columns). Cells have a size, known
as resolution.
Vector GIS: Based upon measured coordinates.
Features are symbolized as points, lines or polygons