GGH1501 - Learning Unit 1 (39 PAGES)

GGH1501 - Learning Unit 1 (39 PAGES)

Learning Unit 1 (The nature of geography and geographical thinking) Notes regarding LU 1:
Key terms: Introduction to Geography: (Sec A, 33-75) Atmosphere:
Thin layer of gases around Earth. Azimuthal project: Biosphere:
Cartography: Concentration:
Conformal map:
Contiguous/contagious diffusion:
Cultural landscape:
A type of projection that’s well-suited for larger areas and are used for most of the world maps. All living organisms on Earth. The science of making maps.
The spread of something over an area.
Preserving the correct angles between directions within small areas (though distorting distances).
Rapid, widespread diffusion of a characteristic throughout the population.
Cultural landscape – a combination of cultural features such as, language and religion, economic features such as agriculture and industry, and physical features such as climate and vegetation.
Culture: Density: Diffusion: Distance: Distance decay:
Distribution: Ecology:
Ecosystem: Equal-area map: Equator:
Formal region/ uniform / homogeneous region:
Friction of distance:
It refers to the specific ideas, customs, and social behaviour of a particular people or society on Earth. The frequency with which something occurs in space.
Process where a feature or trend from one place gets spread to another over time.
Refers to the length between two points.
The decrease in importance and eventual disappearance of a phenomena with increasing distance from its origin.
The arrangement of a feature in space. The study of ecosystems.
A group of living organisms and the abiotic spheres they interact with.
On a map projection, it’s accurately representing the relative sizes of regions that are of equal area, although distorting shape and direction.
A line drawn on the Earth equidistant from the poles, dividing the Earth into northern and southern hemispheres and constituting the parallel of latitude 0°.
An area which everyone shares and have in common one or more distinctive characteristics.
Based on the notion that distance usually requires some amount of effort (energy) and/or money to overcome.
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Functional region:
Geocoding:
Geographic
Information System
(GIS):
Geography:
Area organized around a node or focal point.
To provide a set of coordinates to a location.
A computer system that stores, organizes, analyses
and displays geographic data.
The study of the interaction of all human and physical
phenomena at individual places and how interactions
among places form patterns and organize larger
spaces.
Global Positioning
System (GPS):
Globalization:
Greenwich Mean Time
(GMT):
Hearth:
System providing the exact position of something on
Earth, through satellites, tracking stations and
receivers.
Actions or processes that involve the entire world and
result in making something worldwide a scope.
The mean solar time at the Greenwich meridian,
adopted as the standard time in a zone that includes
the British Isles.
The place from which an innovation originates.
Hierarchical diffusion: The spread of an idea from persons or nodes of
authority or power to other persons or places.
Human geography:
Hydrosphere:
Studies human groups and their activities, cultural
features – Social Science.
The water realm of the earth and includes the oceans
surface water (in lakes, rivers and streams),
groundwater (in soil and rocks), water vapour (in the
atmosphere) and ice.
International Date Line: An internationally agreed imaginary line running
roughly along the 180º meridian of longitude, to the
east of which the date is one day earlier than to the
west.
Large-scale map:
Latitude:
Lithosphere:
Longitude:
A map made to a scale large enough to show certain
features in detail. (shows a small territory).
The angular distance of a place north or south of the
earth's equator, or of the equator of a celestial object,
usually expressed in degrees and minutes.
The rigid outer part of the earth, consisting of the crust
and upper mantle.
The angular distance of a place east or west of the
Greenwich meridian, or west of the standard meridian
of a celestial object, usually expressed in degrees and
minutes.
Map:
Mercator projection:
A 2D or flat, representation of Earth’s surface or a
portion of it.
A projection of a map of the world on to a cylinder in
such a way that all the parallels of latitude have the
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same length as the equator, used especially for marine
charts and certain climatological maps.
Meridian:
Model:
Natural landscape:
Parallel:
Pattern:
Physical geography:
Prime meridian:
Projection:
Region:
Regional geography:
Relative location:
Relocation diffusion:
Remote sensing:
Scale:
Site:
Situation:
Small-scale map:
An arch drawn between the North and South poles.
A 3D representation of a person or thing or of a
proposed structure, typically on a smaller scale than
the original.
The original landscape that exists before it is acted
upon by human culture.
A circle drawn around the globe parallel to the equator
and at right angles to the meridians.
The regular arrangement of something in a study area.
Studies the characteristics of the physical environment
and concentrate on the distribution of natural features –
Natural Science.
The meridian, designated as 0° longitude, passing the
Royal Observatory at Greenwich, England.
The system used to transfer locations from Earth’s
surface to a flat map.
An area of Earth distinguished by a distinctive
combination of cultural and physical features.
The part of geography that studies the world's regions.
The acquisition of data from Earth’s surface from a
satellite orbiting the planet or other long-distance
methods.
The spread of a feature through bodily movement of
people from places.
The scanning of the earth by satellite or high-flying
aircraft in order to obtain information about it.
The relationship between the portion of Earth being
studied and Earth as a whole.
The physical character of a place.
The location of a place relative to other places.
A map depicting a large area, such as an entire
country, is considered a small scale map. In order to
show the entire country, the map must be scaled down
until it is much smaller. A small scale map shows more
territory, but it is less detailed.
Spatial analysis:
System:
Includes any of the formal techniques which study
entities using their topological, geometric, or
geographic properties.
A set of principles or procedures according to which
something is done; an organized scheme or method.
Systematic geography: The study of geographical phenomena organized by
class or type rather than by region.
Thematic map:
A map created showing a specific theme.
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Something that has happened recently, which has something to do with Geography.
It’s a type of map characterized by large-scale detail and quantitative representation of relief, usually using contour lines, but historically using a variety of methods.
Topography:
Vernacular region or perceptual region:
The arrangement of the natural and artificial physical features of an area.
An area people believe exists as part of their cultural identity.
Making meaning of Geography: The various ways of defining geography:
• Involves the exploration, description and explanation of the world we live in, specifically where natural and human activities occur, why they occur in the specific locations and how they are interacting with each other. • Subject matter is the study of people, places and environments. • The study of the interaction of all human and physical phenomena at individual places and how interactions among places form patterns and organize larger spaces. • Geography is unique in bridging the social sciences (human geography) with the natural sciences (physical geography).
Geographers are interested in:
• Examining the earth’s surface, • The natural and human processes that shape the earth’s surface, • The relationships between people and their environment, and • The interactions between different places.
The difference between physical geography and human geography:
Physical geography: • Studies the characteristics of the physical environment and concentrate on the distribution of natural features • Concentrates on topics such as climate, soil and vegetation, landforms; it is natural science. Human geography: • Studies human groups and their activities, cultural features • Such as language, economic activities, industry, and the building of cities, it’s a social science.
Basic concepts used in geography: To explain why a place is unique, geographers have two basic concepts: Summaries by Marizanne du Plessis
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