Geography102
Ptolemy’s First World Map, c. AD 150
What is Geography?
Geography is a representation of the whole known
world together with the phenomena which are
contained therein.
Ptolemy, Geographia 2nd Century A.D.
Geography is the science of place. Its vision is grand,
its view panoramic. It sweeps the surface of the Earth,
charting the physical, organic and cultural terrain, their
areal differentiation, and their ecological dynamics with
humankind. Its foremost tool is the map.
Leonard Krishtalka, Carnegie Museum of Natural
History, 20th Century A.D.
What is Geography?
Geography is the study of what is
where and why it’s there.
Mike Reed
Okay, but what exactly is it?
Well, it’s a way of thinking about intellectual problems, both natural and
societal, which emphasizes the importance of spatial relationships.. Take
any social, environmental, or physical question or problem and ask yourself
whether there is a spatial aspect to it. Chances are that space and place
play a role in the explanation and distribution of that question.
Mike Reed, Making It Up As I Go
For example:
Why are so many plant and animal species becoming extinct at the end of
the twentieth century?
Why do there always seem to be been so many wars in Africa?
Why is corn such an important part of a traditional Mexican diet?
Why are some beers known as India Pale Ales?
Divisions of Geography
Physical Geography
Rocks and Minerals
Landforms
Soils
Animals
Plants
Water
Atmosphere
Rivers and Other Water Bodies
Environment
Climate and Weather
Human Geography
Population
Settlements
Economic Activities
Transportation
Recreational Activities
Religion
Political Systems
Social Traditions
Human Migration
Agricultural Systems
Geography is a bridge between the natural and social sciences.
Geography is a holistic or synthesizing science.
The Five Themes of
Geography
Place
Human features
Physical features
Region united by similar physical conditions
Region
United by common cultural traits
People adapt to the environment
Interaction
People change the environment
Absolute location (latitude and longitude)
Location
Relative location (in relation to another place)
Travel from place to place
Movement
Exchange of goods and ideas
The Geography of Breakfast
a geographic thinking demonstration
Take a minute to write down everything ate for breakfast or lunch today.
COFFEE
 Top Ten Coffee Growing Countries
CHOCOLATE
Chocolate was “discovered” for Europe by Christopher Columbus,
but it’s commercial possibilities were recognized by Hernan Cortez
who was served a drink made from cocoa beans by Moctezuma,
leader of the Aztecs (whom he later executed). The cacao tree, like
coffee, grows only in the tropics. Today it is grown primarily for
export to the U.S. and Europe.
Breakfast Foods
Food
Place of Origin
Current Production
coffee
Ethiopia
Tropics
oranges
South Asia, India
US, Mediterranean
pork
China, South Asia
Worldwide
wheat
Near East
US, Russia, Argentina
tea
China
Asia
oats
Near East
Temperate Climates
pepper
South America
Americas, Asia
Fieldwork: Geographers as
Modern Explorers and Observers
Rarotonga, Cook Islands, 2002
Mt. San Jacinto State Park, Idylwild, CA, 2001
Baja, 1996
Rocky Mountain National
Park, 2003
Taos, New Mexico,
2003
Northern Baja Rest Stop, 1998
National Parks Class
Big Sur, California, 2003
Milford Sound, New Zealand 2002
Franz Joseph Glacier, New Zealand, 2002
Honolua Bay, Maui, Hawaiian Islands, 2003
Taos, New Mexico
Guarding the Great Wall of China
Antelope
Canyon,
Navajo
Nation, 2000
Introduction to Cultural
Geography
Definition of Cultural
Geography
 History of the Discipline
 Fundamental Concepts

What is CULTURE?
What are its elements?
How is it transferred?
How has the meaning of the word changed over
time?
What is CULTURE?
Culture is learned behavior that is passed on
by imitation, instruction, and example.
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Culture is almost entirely relative. Proper
behavior shifts from culture to culture.
U.S. current problems:
1) little shared culture
2) no one is teaching culture.

For example: sex education - Home? School?
Note: experiencing another culture is useful
for gaining perspective on your own.
Candidate for harshest punishment in history?
Banishment in so-called “primitive” cultures.
Geographic Importance of
Culture
Geographers study culture because it
leaves dramatic imprints on the earth,
both physical and cultural.
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Language: a crystal ball into culture.
Religion: strongest determinant of ethics.
Nationalism and Borders
Material Culture: tools, clothes, toys, etc.
Architecture: Suburban garages vs. earlier
porches
Key Concepts
REGION
- an area that shares common
characteristics
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Formal - all members legally share a characteristic (U.S.A.)
Functional - defined by a node of activity and distance decay
from center (i.e. cell phone coverage)
Vernacular – common perception of cultural identity (“Deep
South”)
Functional Regions
Functional Regions
Vernacular Regions
Where
Where
Where
Where
is AIDs?
do we find hunger?
are American blacks?
are cows produced?
Describing Distributions
Describing Distributions
Diffusion
• Relocation
• Hierarchical
• Contagious
• Stimulus
Tobler’s 1st Law of Geography
All things are related. However, all other
things being equal, those things that
are closest together are more related.
Related Concepts:

Distance Decay
Space
Latitude and Longitude - a reference system
designed to provide “absolute” location (as
opposed to relative locations).
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Parallels of Latitude
Meridians of Longitude
Glendale College is located at
34 10 03 N 118 13 41 W
Place and Sense of Place
Every place is unique. Imagine where you
lived as a child. What made that special?
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Sensory
Architecture
Symbolic
Humanistic Geography - values the individual
perspective.
Place and Placelessness (Relph, 1978)
What kinds of
cultural values are
reflected in each of
these American
houses?
Gated community?
The Cultural Landscape
The result of the natural environment and
all of the changes to it as a result of a
particular culture. (Carl Sauer)
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Environmental Determinism: environment
is primary determinant of culture.
Possibilism: humans are primary
determinant of culture.
N.Y.C.
Environmentally Determined?
What about Bali,
Indonesia?
Where are we? What values are reflected
in each? What relation to physical
environment?
Timber House, Switzerland
Mosque in Istanbul, Turkey
Yurt on Mongolian Steppe
Suburban Home, Chicago
Geography and Politics
Ties to Military
Role in Colonization
Role in Imperialism
Role in Cold War
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Ethnocentrism
Masculinism
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Foreign - 4) Situated in an abnormal or
improper place. 5) Not natural: alien.
The American Heritage Dictionary
Key Concepts:
Core-Periphery
Key Concepts:
Core-Periphery
Core
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Periphery
U.S., Europe, Japan,
Australia
Wealthy
Powerful
Controls Media and
Finance
Technologically
advanced
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Less Developed
Poor
Dependent upon
Core countries for:
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Education
Technology
Media
Military Equipment
Globalization
The increasing
interconnectedness of
different parts of the
world through common
processes of economic,
political, and cultural
change. The economic,
cultural, and
environmental effects
of globalization are
highly contested.
Panama, 1997
End of
Slides