Chapter 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

Formal regions help explain
broad global or national
patterns such as variations
in religions and levels of
economic development.
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
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?
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 coexist 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


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


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

Allows us to
understand
changing patterns,
processes, and
relationships
among people,
places, and regions
◦ Examples:
 Industrial Revolution
 Introduction of the
Railroad

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