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W HAT IS G EOGRAPHY ?. What is geography ?. Try to define it in 10 words or less. Why what is where. Why what is where. Can be anything. Why what is where. tallest buildings fast food restaurants slums volcanoes hurricanes. tallest buildings in a city. fast food restaurants.
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What is geography ? Try to define it in 10 words or less.
Why what is where. Can be anything
Why what is where. tallest buildings fast food restaurants slums volcanoes hurricanes
Why what is where. Spatial component
Why what is where. tallest buildings fast food restaurants slums volcanoes hurricanes centre of city grouped together close to downtown edge of plates Caribbean region
Where (the spatial component) place or location is critical in geography Where is one of the 1st questions usually asked when people hear about an interesting event – fire, car accident, party, etc.
Think of geography as more of an approach than a set of specific topics
What is involved in the geographic approach ?
Six Key Components of the Geographic Approach Location (2 types) Region Spatial pattern Spatial Interaction Human/Environment Interaction Culture
Location Absolute (a specific address) 1 Ivy Street, Greenwood 45˚ 53' 26" N 65˚ 42' 17" W
Location Relative (a general description compared to someplace else) just behind Tim Horton’s approx. 1 km after the stop lights
Regions we group areas together into regions for convenience Atlantic Provinces, North America, Western Europe, the Annapolis Valley, the French Shore, MDCs, LDCs, etc.
Regions defined by homogeneity: physical geog. – Interior Lowlands economics - Less Developed Countries language - the French Shore religion - the Protestant area of Belfast etc.
Spatial Pattern how things are positioned some possible patterns: grouped clustered linear concentric rings sectors distance decay pattern
Spatial Pattern people tend to live with others similar to themselves (wealth, colour, religion… Religious neighbourhoods in Belfast
Spatial Pattern grain elevators on the Prairies were originally very regularly spaces, (apple warehouses in the Annapolis Valley)
Spatial Pattern the concentration of pollution usually decreases as the distance from the source increases (distance decay)
Spatial Interaction an action or change in 1 location causes a change in another location
Spatial Interaction a hurricane in the Gulf of Mexico causes a change in the price of gas/oil in Nova Scotia
Spatial Interaction a new fashion trend that originates in Japan becomes popular in N.S. a few weeks later
Human/Environment Interaction actions by humans result in environmental change or environmental activity results in changes for humans
Human/Environment Interaction Human activity changing nature Exxon Valdez oil spill off of Alaska
Human/Environment Interaction Environmental activity cause changes for humans Hurricane Andrew in Florida
Culture people from different cultures may have very different views on many topics (environment, demographics, food, etc.)
Culture many native groups live(d) in harmony with nature while many people of European descent, do not (did not)
Culture large numbers of children are accepted and expected in many societies, while in others, very few children are the norm
Culture eating beef products are accepted by many religions but not by all
Any topic can be geography if some of the previous 6 ideas are used to aid in the description, analysis, and/or synthesis of the topic, you are using a geographic approach Geographers think spatially (where, patterns, connections)
Examples of great geography ‘topics’ How can these topics be approached geographically ?
It is an holistic discipline Science and/or Arts BA Bachelor of Arts in Geography BSc Bachelor of Science in Geography BES Bachelor of Environmental Science in Geography Geography connects extremelywell with many other courses.
Environmental Science Biology Math Economics Art /Design Geography Surveying Geology History Sociology Music FamilyStudies
Geography provides the links or connections necessary to understand the complex world we live in
Uses of geography in everyday life Now: hunting, fishing, other forms of recreation – interpreting maps creating a summer or permanent employment opportunity for yourself (demographics – lawn care for an aging population) (economic opportunities – where are the most potential customers for your new business) understanding the benefits of urban or small town university life
Uses in your everyday life Future: Where are you going to buy or build your house ? (price, conflicting land use, proximity to … ) planning travel – business/vacation understanding what is happening in the world – being a globally literate person
A Future inGeography Careers Land Use Planning (urban, rural, recreational) Cartography Survey Engineering Navigation Architecture Geographic Information Systems Real Estate / Appraisals Oil industry Transportation System Design Business Location Analysis Remote Sensing (satellite imagery) Environmental Science Wildlife Management Resource Management Travel Industry Education Researcher Disease Control Wilderness Guide Meteorology / Weather Criminology Regional Economic Dev. and others http://www.horton.ednet.ns.ca/jptrites/future
Wildlife Biology: use of GPS & GIS for tracking various animals & birds and mapping their habitats
Criminology: the analysis and mapping capabilities of GIS have replaced the push pins and paper maps of days past