The Uniqueness of Places
and
Organization of Regions
WHY IS EACH PLACE ON THE EARTH
UNIQUE?
HOW DO GEOGRAPHERS USE REGIONS TO
SPATIALLY ORGANIZE PLACES ON A MAP?
Adapted from Rubenstein Chapter 1 lecture
Name the Place
How are these related to one another?
Place: Unique Location of a Feature
1) Toponyms- Where do they come
from?
2) Site

Physical character?

Modified by humans?
3) Situation

Location relative to other places?

Importance of location?
4) Mathematical Location

Parallels and Meridians

Latitude and Longitude
Site:
Lower
Manhattan
Island
Fig. 1-6: Site of lower Manhattan
Island, New York City.
There have been many
changes to the area over
the last 200 years.
Situation: Singapore
Fig. 1-7: Singapore is situated at a key location for international trade.
 With a partner… choose a particular place and
describe its


SITE
SITUATION
World Geographic Grid
Fig. 1-8: The world geographic grid consists of meridians of longitude and
parallels of latitude. The prime meridian ( 0º) passes through
Greenwich, England.
World Time Zones
Eastern
Standard (@ 75
degrees
longitude, 5 hours
earlier than GMT)
Central Standard
(6 hours earlier)
Mountain
Standard (7
hours earlier than
GMT)
Pacific Standard
(8 hours earlier
than GMT)
Fig. 1-9: The world’s 24 standard time zones each represent about 15° of longitude.
They are often depicted using the Mercator projection.
Moving eastward—“catching up with
the sun”
Because every place to the east goes
under the sun earlier, the clock goes
ahead every 15 degrees longitude as
you go east.
If you move west 15 degrees,
the clock goes backward
Also called a uniform or homogenous region.
Regions: Areas
of unique
characteristics
Everyone
shares in
common one or more distinctive
characteristics.
 Regions
Cultural landscape
 Types of regions

Formal
 Functional
 Vernacular

(Economic characteristic, cultural value,
environmental property)
Also called a nodal region.
Organized around a node or focal points… influence
of certain defining characteristic diminishes outward.
(Newspaper areas, radio broadcasting areas, etc)
Spatial association
 Regional integration of culture
Also called a perceptual region.
 Cultural ecology

A place that people believe exists as part of their
cultural identity.
AHEAD
Presidential Election 2004
Regional Differences
Fig. 1-10: Presidential election results by county & state illustrate differences in
regional voting patterns.
GO BACK
Formal and Functional Regions
Fig. 1-11: The state of Iowa is an example of a formal region;
the areas of influence of various television stations
are examples of functional regions.
GO BACK
Vernacular Regions
Fig. 1-12: A number of features are often used to define the South as a
vernacular region, each of which identifies somewhat different
boundaries.
GO BACK
World Climate Regions
Fig. 1-14: The modified Köppen system divides the world into five main climate region
CULTURE
 To take care of


To care about
Language, religion, ethnicity
Traditions, values
Food, clothing, shelter
Wealth, material goods,
means of income
Cultural Ecology

The geographic study of human-environment relationships
Environmental
Determinism
Possibilism
The idea that the
physical environment
causes social
development.
The physical
environment may limit
human actions, but
people have the ability to
adjust to the
environment.
A Case Study of
Djibouti
usachppm.apgea.army.mil/hiomtb/content/.../DJIBOUTI_05.06.ppt
Where in the
world is
Djibouti?
Physical Environment
 Topography

Coastal plain and
plateau separated
by central
mountains
 Climate



Desert
Torrid
Dry
Physical Environment
Degrees fahrenheit
Average Max/Min Temperature in Djibouti City
120
100
80
Maximum
60
Minimum
40
20
0
J
F M
A M
J
J
Month
A
S
O N
D
Physical Environment
Average Total Precipitation in Djibouti City
1.2
Inches
1
0.8
0.6
0.4
0.2
0
J
F
M
A
M
J
J
Month
A
S
O
N
D
Environmental Health Risk
 Greatest short-
term health risks

Water contaminated
with raw sewage or
runoff containing fecal
pathogens and water
contaminated with
industrial waste

Extreme heat
Environmental Issues
 Food
 Fecal and chemical contamination
 Soil
 Localized to specific areas surrounding industrial
facilities and waste disposal sites
 Water
 Municipal water treatment and public sanitation services
inadequate
 Persistent discharge of untreated sewage into surface
waters and coastal areas
 Discharges from offshore tanker traffic contribute to
petrochemical contamination of Djibouti's coastline
Infectious Diseases
 Foodborne and Waterborne Diseases
 diarrhea (bacterial & protozoal), hep A/E,
typhoid/paratyphoid fever
 Cholera
 Vector-borne Diseases
 Malaria
 Chickungunya, Leishmaniasis, Crimean-Congo fever,
Dengue, Leishmaniasis, Rickettsioses, Rift Valley fever,
Sand-fly fever, West Nile fever, Yellow fever
Infectious Diseases Cont.
 Sexually Transmitted Diseases
HIV, Hepatitis B
 gonorrhea / chlamydia

 Water-contact Diseases
 leptospirosis, schistosomiasis
 Respiratory Diseases
 meningococcal meningitis, tuberculosis
Economic Issues
 Economy is based on service activities




connected with the country's strategic
location and status as a open or free trade
(imports and exports) zone in the Horn of
Africa
Scarce rainfall limits crop production
Few natural resources and little industry
Heavily dependent on foreign aid
Unemployment figures of nearly 60 per cent
Economic issues
 Per capita consumption dropped an estimated 35 per
cent between 1999 and 2006 because of recession or
slump, civil war, and a high general populace growth
rate (including immigrants and refugees)
Social Issues
 Literacy rate of the population over
15 years of age as 46 percent (males
60 percent; females 33 percent)
 Total enrollment at primary and
secondary schools was equivalent 26
percent of the school-age
population.
 No university in Djibouti--technical
skills are often found lacking.
Social Issues
 Life-expectancy estimates
are 49 years for males and 53
years for females in 2001
 Infant mortality stands at
102 per 1,000, (the U.S. rate
is 7 per 1,000).
 There is a 600-bed hospital
in the capital and a 60-bed
maternity and pediatric
hospital in Balbala.
 Large prostitute
population=high incidence of
sexually transmitted
diseases, including HIV.
“Location Gives Tiny State Prime Access to Big Riches”
by Jeffrey Gettlemen
 Considering this information and the article you read
for homework, let’s consider how Djibouti exhibits

Environmental determinism?

Possibilism?