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Human Geography Unit 2. A branch of geography that focuses on the study of patterns and processes that shape human interaction with the environment. Political Geography. The world is divided into many political regions. Nations of the World.
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Human GeographyUnit 2 • A branch of geography that focuses on the study of patterns and processes that shape human interaction with the environment
Political Geography The world is divided into many political regions
Nations of the World • State(country)- An independent unit that occupies a specific territory and has control of it’s internal and external affairs. • Nation-A group of people living in a territory and having a strong sense of unity. • Nation-state- when a nation and state occupy the same territory. • Stateless nation- when a nation does not have a territory.
Types of Government • Democracy- Citizens hold power, either directly or through elected representatives. Ex. United States. • Monarchy- A ruling family holds power and may or may not share power with the citizens. EX. UK or Saudi Arabia. • Dictatorship- An individual or group holds complete political power. EX. North Korea. • Communism- Economic system, and political power is held by the government in the name of the people. EX. USSR. • Totalitarianism (or totalitarian rule) is a political system where the state, usually under the control of a single political person, faction, or class, recognizes no limits to its authority and strives to regulate every aspect of public and private life wherever feasible
Geographic Characteristics of Nations • Three characteristics in describing country. • Size-A large nation has the potential to be more powerful because of resources and people. • Shape- The shape of a country can have a impact on how easily it can be governed, how goods are moved, and how it relates to neighboring countries. • Location- A landlocked country has to find a way to build connections with the rest of the world and a country surrounded by hostile nations must worry about protection and security.
National Boundaries • Boundaries set the limits of the territory controlled. • Natural Boundaries- Based on a physical feature of the land, such as rivers, lakes, or mountain chains. • Artificial Boundaries- A fixed line generally following latitude or longitude lines.
Regional Political Systems • Countries often divide into smaller political units to make governing more efficient. • National: United States • State\regional: Texas • Local: Burkburnett
Urban Geography Urban geography is the study of how people use space in cities.
Growth of Urban Areas Cities are not just areas of population-they are also centers of business and culture.
Urban Areas • Urban areas develop around the central city. The built up area is called a suburb. • Suburbs may be residential or have other urban activities. • A Metropolitan area includes the central city the suburbs and other areas linked economically. A megalopolis is formed when several metropolitan areas grow together. • The rise in the number of cities and the lifestyle change that resulted is called urbanization.
City Locations • Many cities are found in places that allow good transportation, such as a river, lake, or coast. • Some are found in places with access to natural resources. • Some cities may specialize in a certain economic activity or grow because of economic activities in the city. • Cultural, educational, or military activities may also attract people to a location.
Land Use Patterns • Basic land use patterns found in all cities are: • Residential-single family housing and apartment buildings. • Industrial- areas reserved for manufacturing of goods. • Commercial- used for private business and the buying and selling of retail products.
Urban Area Models • The core of the city is based on commercial activity. This area of the city is called the central business district(CBD). • As you move away from the CBD residential housing begins to dominate. • The value of land generally decreases as you move away from the CBD in a city.
Function of Cities • Types of functions of cities: retail, entertainment, transportation, business, education, government, manufacturing, wholesale, residential, recreation, and religion. • Good transportation is essential for people and goods to get from one place to another.
Economic Support Systems • Infrastructure- Consist of the basic support systems needed to keep an economy going, including power, communications, transportation, water, sanitation, and education systems. The more sophisticated the infrastructure, the more developed the country.
Economic Geography • Economy consist of the production and exchange of goods and services among a group of people. • Economics activities depends on the resources of the land and how people use them. • The level of economic development can be measured in different ways.
Types of Economic Systems • The way people produce and exchange goods is called a economic system. • Traditional- Goods and service are traded without exchanging money. • Command- Production of goods and services is determined by the central government. • Market- Production of goods and service is determined by the consumer. • Mixed- A combination of command and market economies provide goods and service so all people benefit.
Economic Activities • Some groups raise enough food or animals to meet their need to eat and have little left over. This is subsistence agriculture. • In market oriented agriculture crops or animals are produced so that farmers can sell to markets. • Small industry involve a family of crafts persons who produce goods to be sold in a local area. Since this happened in the home it is referred to as a cottage industry. • Commercial industrymeet the needs of people in a large area.
Levels of Economic Activity • Primary activities- involve gathering raw materials such as timber. • Secondary activities- involve adding value to a material by changing it’s form. Manufacturing automobiles is an example. • Tertiary activities- involve providing business or professional service. Ex. Salespersons, teachers or doctors. • Quaternary activities- provide information, management, and research by highly trained professionals.
The Economics of Natural Resources • Natural Resources are materials on or in the earth- such as trees, fish, or coal- that have economic value. • Materials from the earth only become resources when society has the technology to transform those resources into goods. • Natural resources are abundant but not distributed equally around the world.
Renewable Resources • Renewable- These resources can be replaced through natural processes. Examples include trees and seafood.
Non- Renewable Resources • Non- Renewable- These resources can not be replaced once they have been removed from the ground. Examples include metals, such as gold, and silver. Also fossil fuels.
Inexhaustible Energy Resources Inexhaustible energy sources- These resources, which are used for producing power are the result of solar or planetary processes and are unlimited in quantity. They include sunlight, winds, geothermal, and tides.
Measuring Economic Development • Per capita income- the average amount of money earned by each person in a political unit. • Gross national product(GNP)- total value of all goods and services produced by a country over a year. • Gross domestic product(GDP)- total value of all goods and services produced within a country in a given period of time.
Globalization Globalization is the process of increased interconnectedness among countries most notably in the areas of economics, politics, and culture. McDonalds in Japan, French films being played in Minneapolis, and the United Nations, are all representations of globalization.
Globalization cont…… • If you look at the tag on your shirt, chances are you would see that it was made in a country other than the one in which you sit right now. What's more, before it reached your wardrobe, this shirt could have very well been made with Chinese cotton sewed by Thai hands, shipped across the Pacific on a French freighter crewed by Spaniards to a Los Angeles harbor. This international exchange is just one example of globalization, a process that has everything to do with geography. McDonald’s in Japan
Developmental Levels • Countries of the world have different levels of economic development. Developing nations are nations that have a low GDP and limited development on all levels of economic activities. • Developed nations are countries with high per capita income and varied economies.
Demographics: The characteristics of human populations and population segments, especially when used to identify consumer markets
Birth Rate: Crude birth rate is the nativity or childbirths per 1000 people per year
Death Rate: Mortality rate is a measure of the number of deaths (in general, or due to a specific cause) in some population, scaled to the size of that population
Natural Increase: In demographics, the rate of natural increase (RNI) is the crude birth rate minus the crude death rate of a population.
Population Density: Population density is the measure of the number per unit area. It is commonly represented as people per square mile
Population Distribution: Population Distribution is how people (or animals) are distributed on the surface of earth. It shows where they are concentrated and where they are sparse.
Developing Countries: is a term generally used to describe a nation with a low level of material well-being (not to be confused with third world countries).
Developed Countries: are countries that have a high level of development according to some criteria. (ex….economy)
Population Pyramid: A population pyramid is a type of bar graph. It shows the number orpercentage of people that fall into specific age groups. It may also comparethe distribution of age groups by sex, ethnic group, or some other category.
Gross National Product (GNP) is the total value of all goods and services produced by a country over a year or some other specified period of time
GDP - Gross Domestic Product. Which is the total value of all goods and services produced within a country in a given period of time
Standard of Living is The level of wealth, comfort, material goods and necessities available to a certain socioeconomic class in a certain geographic area. Examples are access to certain goods (such as number of refrigerators per 1000 people), or measures of health such as life expectancy. It is the ease by which people living in a time or place are able to satisfy their needs and/or wants.
India, for instance, has a young population; the majority of people are under the age of 30. To show how the population of a country is distributed by age, a population pyramid is a very useful tool.