The Geographers Eye
Seeing the World In
Spatial Terms
What do Geographers Do?
How do they answer those
questions?
• They use the SPATIAL ANALYSIS of
natural and human phenomena.
•What in the world
does this mean?
Spatial Analysis
• They see geography as a study of distribution,
•
places and regions. A study of man-land
relationships and research in earth sciences.
Geographers seek to understand the Earth and
all of its human and natural complexities—not
merely where objects are, but how they have
changed and come to be.
Geography has been called 'the world discipline'.
As "the bridge between the human and physical
sciences," geography is divided into two main
branches—human geography and physical
geography
Where is it?
Two Types of Location
Absolute Location
• Absolute: Latitude and Longitude
30° north and 95° west (anyone know
where that is?)
World Geographic Grid
The world geographic grid consists of meridians of longitude and parallels of
latitude. The prime meridian ( 0º) passes through Greenwich, England.
Latitudes
North/South Hemispheres
Longitudes
Measurement
Relative Location
• Relative: Describing
where a place is by
describing places
near it.
– South Carolina is
north of Georgia
and east of
Tennessee.
What it is like?
Two Features
• Human features: The
culture of a place.
– Race, religions, languages,
governments, occupations,
architecture, foods, clothing,
etc.
• Physical features: Things determined
by nature.
– Climate, indigenous plants, animals, land
forms, types of soils, etc.
How do people relate to
the physical world?
Human- Environment
Interaction
• How people effect the environment and
how the environment affects people.
Examples
• Dams
• Roads
• Farms
• Cities
How do people,
ideas, &
products move
from one
location to
another?
Movement
• Movement of people, goods, and ideas
from one place to another.
Everything Came From Somewhere
Movement is Measured In Distance
and Time
• Linear Distance
How far do people, products and ideas
travel from one location to another.
Time Distance
• The amount of time it takes for a
person/idea/good to travel from one
location to another.
Psychological Time
• The way people perceive distance.
How are areas
similar or
different?
Region
• An area that is unique. Geographers use
regions to compare different areas.
Distinctive Characteristics
Formal Regions
• Formal regions are those that are designated by
official boundaries, such as cities, states,
counties, and countries. For the most part, they
are clearly indicated and publicly known.
•
•
•
•
Texas
USA
Houston
Harris county
Functional Regions
• Organized around a set of interactions and
connections between places. Areas are
connected because a certain type of
function exists to connect them.
• Railroad service areas
• Distribution of a paper
• Bus routes
Formal and Functional
Regions
The state of Iowa is an example of a formal region; the areas of influence of various
television stations are examples of functional regions.
Perceptual Regions
• People see characteristics the same way.
• Hill Country
• Acadiana
• The Midwest
• NW Houston
Spatial Association at Various
Scales
Death rates from cancer in the US, Maryland, and Baltimore show different
patterns that can identify associations with different factors.
Cancer Death Rates in the
U.S.
Cancer Death Rates in
Maryland
Cancer
Death
Rates in
Baltimore
Perceptual Regions
A number of features are often used to define the South as a perceptual region, each of
which identifies somewhat different boundaries.