GEOG 1001 : GEOG 1001 O Keefe Test 1 Notes
GEOG 1001 9/19/2014 8:37:00 PM
Geography
Geo= “earth” (in greek)
Graphein= “to write”
Geography= “writing earth”
The study of and mapping of phenomenon both physical and human on the
earth’s surface
The “why?” of “where”
Similar to history but refers to space instead of time
Five Themes of Geography
Place- the unique characteristics of a given location, uniquely mixed to
create a place, different sense of qualities, what makes a place valuable?
Space- the distance between two objects, relation in distance to other
things, climate distrabution
Location- the physical, measured presence of phenomena on the earth’s
surface
Environment- the physical setting in which humans exist, physical,
“Everything that isn’t me”- Einstein, not just natural environments, most of
the world mixed of natural and social
Regions- the grouping of similar places by theme, connections between
areas
Types of Geography
1. Human Geography- the study of the distribution of people and their
activities on earth’s surface, humans w/the earth
2. physical geography- the study of non-human (physical environment)
processes across the earth’s surface
“Environment” encompasses:
1. physical geography- the study of natural environments
2. ecosystems-the total environment of a community of plant and animals,
including heat, light and nutriends
3. climate- long term temperature and precipitation patterns
4. human environment interactions- the relationship between people and
their physical geographies, (ex. History of the Mississippi river- changed
over time, canals, levees)
1. distribution of phenomena
2. Characteristics of places
3. change in places over time
Systems: the world can be thought of as an interconnected system
Ex. DDT killed mosquitoes (positive) however it lead to a poisoning of all
other animals (ate the mosquitoes, exposed to DDT, etc.)
Spring mining- easily got coal and minerals out of the ground, but polluted
air.. lead to 1970 clean air act
Everything is connected!
Globalization- the world is getting smaller
Each place is unique some are becoming more globalized and others are
becoming more regionalized
Systems- the world can be thought of as an interconnected system, where
changes in one part of the world lead to changes in another
Interdependence- countries and regions are dependent on other countries
and regions for both natural and social resources
Change- how, why and in what direction are different regions transforming
Globalization- increasing integration of economics, culture. Environmental
governance on a global scale
Regionalization- both the emergence of new regions and the process by
which existing regions retain (or emphasize) their unique features,
economics, culture, or environment
These processes are happening simultaneously
Environment and society
Relationship between the environment and society is crucial to
understanding why things happen
Physical processes affect systems, a reaction with the environment creates
hazardous conditions, provide opportunity (ex. MS River hazardous during
flooding but leave behind sediment that gives minerals to crops)
Physical and biological characteristics: rainfall, temperature, vegetation,
wildfire, landforms
Can be hazardous to society or provide opportunities, or both
Environment is transformed and people adapt, this is cyclical- happening
globally now
Climate, Adaptation, Global Change
Climate and weather are not the same
Climate- the temperature and rainfall patterns for a given region for a long
period of time (>20 years), long term patterns,
Weather- the daily or weekly occurrence of temperature and rainfall
described in events, day to day
Air pressure- the amount of force exerted by air over a particular place on
earth, relatively high or low, associated with climate, High AP= dry, Low AP=
wet
We are always changing.. warming the planet, producing new environments
Anthropocene
the era we live in today
the era of shaping the world
Ex. Dubai- it is a desert environment; however, they have produced A/C,
water importation, labor importation required to make habitable, starting to
build islands, rely on cheap labor, while the CEOs sit in A/C, food, luxury,
while other population builds in 120 degree heat, era where man is dominate
and accepted
Earth-Sun Relations
The earth rotates once on its axis every 24 hours
At an angle of 23.5 degrees from vertical
The earth is tilted therefore we have seasons
• Summer- tilted closer to the sun, more energy, warmer, longer
days
