Notes from “The Cultural Landscape”—Chapter 1
Why is each place on earth unique?
a. Each place is a specific point on earth with a particular character
b. A location lies within a region often explained by physical geography, e.g., climate and landforms
c. Culture helps answer the question as well--and helps define region
1. Spatial interaction helps explain why people are connected. i.e., their relationships
2. Diffusion helps explain the means by which they interact. [See slide show on “diffusion.”]
Location answers the question “where”
a. Absolute location uses the grid system; mathematical locations are measured in degrees,
minutes, and seconds
b. Relative location uses references to other places
c. Tools for answering “Where?”
1. Maps store information and communicate, usually via 2 dimensions
(A relief map—using texture—would have 3 dimensions)
2. Cartographers must decide on scale and projection.
(See pages in Appendix, p. 511, 513 better to understand “scale.”) What is fractional
scale?
3. Types of distortion in projection include shape, distance, size and direction.
a. Equal area projections mean that relative size is least distorted, as is shape,
except at the poles.
b. What are two major distortions on the map on p. 7?
c. What is the distortion on the map on p. 9? [common on Mercator maps].
4. Uses for remote sensors via satellites, including GPS
5. Uses for GIS
Who was Eratosthenes?
· He came up with the word ‘geography.” He also predicted an almost precise circumference, came up with climate/latitude zones and one of earliest maps.
Hipparchus (circa 190-125 BCE.) invented concept of latitude and longitude
Ptolemy, Greek—some of his maps were not improved upon for a thousand years; Phei Hsiu was the father of Chinese cartography.
During the Middle Ages in Europe, geography as a science almost disappeared except for in the Muslim world and with the Vikings.
European reemergence:
· Columbus 4 voyages
· Balboa saw the Pacific in Panama
· Magellan Around the world (almost), 1521, his crew made it in 1522.
Modern Geography (mid 1700s):
a. Germans Alexander Humboldt and Carl Ritter said that the physical environment caused social development [environmental determinism]. [Beware of typo in book, p. 25.]
b. One step further: American Ellsworth Huntington (1876-1947) said climate was a major determinant of civilization.
c. Counter to this is possibilism, that says that physical geography may influence or limit some activities, but that humans adapt.
d. Cultural ecology. Cultural ecology ties culture and environment; why do we have grass in front yards, in Arizona they don’t?
Toponyms
a. Sources of toponyms?
b. Causes of confusion, pp. 15-16
c. When confusion arises in U.S. the U.S. Board of Geographical Names looks into it. Most recently they have dealt with removing offensive place names.
Location/Site
a. Site factors considered... [Examples. p. 16]
b. Site factors may change out of preference or modification... [Example, Battery Park, NYC, p. 16]
Location/Situation:
a. The location of a place relative to other places.
b. Important for finding a place and understanding a place.
c. Strategic locations, e.g., Gibraltar, Singapore
U.S. Land Ordinance of 1785:
a. Township System devised—6 miles X 6 miles using principal meridians, some as base lines [p. 12]
b. Each section has a township and a range number. [smaller to larger]
c. One can see this pattern looking out of an airplane flying over the Midwest.
d. This ordinance was a major accomplishment of the Articles of Confederation.
Why is each place unique?
a. Cultural landscape: ideas, beliefs, values; includes religion and ethnicity. What else?
b. Language is a medium of transfer
c. Region usually ties like cultures together
d. Similar cultures may be found in different physical environments. [a Buddhist temple…in Keller?]
Concept of distribution: How things are arranged across the earth’s surface or in a particular area.
Concept of regional studies: Note the case study on cancer rates in Maryland, p. 24.
Other factors for place:
a. There are five main climate regions delineated by Koppen, page 27
b. Soil, landforms make a difference
d. Geomorphology: what people do because of lay of the land (topography)
e. Environmental modification [Human-environmental interaction]
a. sensitive--e.g., the Netherlands; “God made the earth, but the Dutch made the Netherlands.”
b. not-so-sensitive—Kissimmee River in Florida; “God made the earth and the Corps of Engineers has been tinkering with it ever since.” See p. 30.
c. Another example, Barrier Islands along the East Coast and lost of wetlands in Louisiana
The conflict between globalization and local diversity (local traditions) sets up tensions and may help explain political conflicts, economic uncertainties and environmental damage. E.g., there are heightened differences economically between places, even ones that trade with each other. Transnational corporations look out for whom?
· How may a time zone map illustrate a tension found in globalization? [p. 19]
· Results from globalization can be assimilation (social blending) or acculturation (social dominance by the
stronger, larger group).
Why are different places similar? People in different places are displaying fewer differences?
· Space-time compressions: The world is becoming smaller.
· Types of diffusion
A. Relocation diffusion; may include international trade. The Amish are another example. When
immigrants relocate, they take their languages with them.
B. Expansion diffusion
1. Hierarchical diffusion
2. Contagious diffusion
3. Stimulus diffusion