Three sources of map distortion



Map scale – most maps are smaller than the
reality they represent. Map scales tell us how
much smaller.
Map projection – this occurs because you must
transform the curved surface of the earth on a
flat plane.
Map type – you can display the same
information on different types of maps.
Map scale – tells us relationship between distance on
map and distance on earth’s surface

Ratio scale = ratio of map distance to earth distance.
 1:10,000 means that one inch on the map equals
10,000 inches earth’s surface; one centimeter
represents 10,000 centimeters; or one foot equals
10,000 feet.
 Recall a small fraction has a large denominator so
that 1:100,000 is a smaller scale than 1:25,000.
 A large-scale map depicts a small area with great
detail.
 A small-scale map depicts a larger area with little
detail. Distortion is especially severe here.
A.
B.
C.
D.
Which is
the
largescale
map?
Which map scale shows the most detail?
a. 1:250,000
b. 1:24,000
c. 1:100,000
d. 1:62,500
1.
2.
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
A map with a large scale usually shows
a large amount of land space
a small amount of land space
physical features only of a land space
the local-global continuum
political boundaries between countries only
the other Scale


Refers to at what scale a process occurs –
For example, while the storm didn’t make
the national news, at the local scale it was
a major story.
Distribution
•Density
•Concentration
•Pattern
Distribution definition

The arrangement of something across
earth’s surface
Rank
1
Country
China
Population
1,313,661,696
2
India
1,129,866,154
3
United States
300,535,217
4
Indonesia
241,973,879
5
Brazil
186,112,794
6
Pakistan
162,419,946
7
Bangladesh
144,319,628
8
Russia
143,420,309
Rank
Country
Area – km2
1
Russia
17,098,242
3
China
9,640,821
4
United States
9,629,091
5
Brazil
8,514,877
7
India
3,287,263
16
Indonesia
1,904,569
36
Pakistan
880,254
94
Bangladesh
143,998
Population Density
Population
Density Asia
Density of Population, 2005
Brazil
Australia, 1997
1 dot = 1000 people
India
Population Density
Spatial Distribution

Definition: The regular arrangement of a
phenomenon across Earth’s surface.



Density: The frequency with which something
exists within a given unit of area.
Concentration: The spread of something over
a given study area
Pattern: The geometric or regular
arrangement of something in a study area
Describing Distributions
Describing Distributions
Land Ordinance of 1785
location, direction, distance
site and situation
Toponym

Place Name!
Some Vocab:



Absolute Direction
Absolute Distance
Absolute Location



Relative Direction
Relative Distance
Relative Location
Absolute location
mathematical location

Clemmons is:



36⁰ 01’ 17.30” N (longitude)
80 ⁰ 22’ 55.15” W (latitude)
700 building


36 ⁰ 03’ 48.84” N
80 ⁰ 22’ 55.15“ W
Site
physical attributes


(includes absolute location, but includes the
physical setting; especially in urban geography)
What are the relevant site features of
Clemmons?





Landforms
Climate
Soil quality
Availability of water
Vegetation
Relative location
regional position relative to other places






(general spatial interconnection and
interdependence)
Clemmons is in the northwest piedmont section
of Forsyth County
Davidson County is to the south
Davie County (Advance) is to the west
Winston-Salem is 10 miles to the east
Exit off I-40 & Hwy 421
Situation
location attributes



(external relations, a type of relation location that refers
to items of significance, especially in urban geography)
Suburb of Winston-Salem, a bedroom
community for persons working in the
medical, bio technical/medical and
aeronautical businesses in the Triad
I-40 and US 421, major transportation
Absolute direction
cardinal points N-S-E-W

Clemmons is southwest of Winston-Salem.
Relative direction
culturally based, not necessarily an accurate
cardinal point


Clemmons is in the “South”.
Clemmons is …
Absolute distance
mathematical space between 2 points

Clemmons is 10 miles (16km) from
Winston-Salem.
Relative distance
meaningful space measurement


Clemmons is about 15 minutes from
Winston-Salem.
Clemmons is one hour from Mt. Airy.
“City of
2
Million”
article
Vocabulary



Time-Space Convergence
Distance Decay
Friction of Distance
Use the terms…
1. Describe the absolute location, absolute
direction and absolute distance of a place
of your choice.
2. Describe the relative location, relative
direction and relative distance of the same
place.
3. Describe the site.
4. Describe the situation.
Which of the following is not a measure of
relative distance?
a. 2,339 cm
b. 35 seconds
c. $2.50 cab ride
d. 216 footsteps
e. 15 minutes
1.
2.
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
Relative location is an important geographic
concept mainly because it
locates places according to longitude and
latitude
defines a place in terms of how central or
isolated it is to other places
defines patterns of natural environment
helps cartographers to develop more accurate
maps
illustrates how local, regional and global factors
interact within the local-global continuum
Homework for tonight is Subway
Activity #3
Diffusion
The process by which an idea
or innovation is transmitted
from one individual or group
to another across space Fellman

People move to a new
area and take their
culture with them –
examples include- crops,
culture, farming
techniques, building
styles

Information about an
innovation may spread
through a society –
examples include Hybrid corn, Cd’s, a
religious creed. Possibly
through mass media
advertisement—
Known as
Known as
Relocation Diffusion
Expansion Diffusion
Relocation Diffusion
Type of Expansion Diffusion



Contagious Diffusion
Hierarchical Diffusion
Stimulus Diffusion
Contagious Diffusion



Diffusion that spreads like a disease – but
not necessarily applying only to diseases!
Affects nearly uniformly all individuals and
areas outward from the source region
Examples – influenza, ideas on the world
wide web; agriculture (like hybrid seeds),
Buddhism (but not all religions), breaking
news, Domino Theory
Hierarchical Diffusion


The spread of an idea from persons or
nodes of authority or power to other
persons or places
Examples- Birkenstocks, Christianity,
styles of clothing, music
Stimulus Diffusion


A fundamental idea, though not the trait
itself, stimulates imitative behavior
Examples – creation of a unique Cherokee
written language, Beta vs. VHS, Macs,
Siberians domesticated reindeers (after
seeing domesticated cattle)
Diffusion?

http://www.youtube.com/user/samsungm
obileusa?v=nf5-Prx19ZM
Cultural Hearths
•An
area where cultural traits develop and
from which the cultural traits diffuse.
•Examples – Islam, agriculture,
Time-Distance Decay
•The
farther the place is from the hearth,
the less likely an innovation is to be
adopted.
•The acceptance of an innovation becomes
less likely the longer it takes to reach its
potential adopters.
•Cultural barriers work against diffusion.

Types of Diffusion are not speed specific – no
type of diffusion is particularly fast or slow
S-Curve
Diffusion of innovations
•3% - innovators, 13% early adopters, 68%
majority, 16% laggards
•
•
Which of the following type of diffusion
spreads the quickest?
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
Contagious Diffusion
Hierarchical Diffusion
Stimulus Diffusion
Relocation Diffusion
None of the answers

Rap music first appeared in New York in the 1970’s.
Later, it spread to large cities with vibrant AfricanAmerican populations – such as Los Angeles,
Oakland, Chicago, and Detroit – without being
absorbed by the smaller cities and rural areas in
between. This type of spatial diffusion is called
a. relocation potential
b. hierarchical diffusion
c. contagious diffusion
d. cultural diffusion
e. cascade diffusion

Which of the following is not a good example of
a barrier to spatial diffusion?
a. A mountain range
b. A different language
c. A different dietary preference
d. A highway system
e. A strict religious system
The Spanish-language concentration of Little
Havana in Miami is an example of what type of
diffusion?
a. relocation diffusion
b. expansion diffusion
c. stimulus diffusion
d. hierarchical diffusion
FRQ Practice – NO Notes
Define and Give an example of
•
–
–
–
–
Relocation Diffusion
Hierarchical Diffusion
Stimulus Diffusion
Contagious Diffusion (diseases not allowed)