Unit I Discussion Questions
Remember: the discussion questions draw from several sources. You should be able to answer them regardless of the text you are reading. Thinking about the concepts and including examples are the key to success. Type your answers, include the discussion question (bolded or italicized) with each answer. Your answers should be thorough and use vocabulary and concepts from Unit I. Each discussion question is worth 10 points.
1. Cartography is not simply a technical exercise in penmanship and coloring, nor are decision confined to scale and projection. Mapping is a politically sensitive undertaking. Look at how maps in different books distinguish between the territories of Israel and its neighbors, the locations of borders in South Asia and the Arabian Peninsula, and the relationship of China and Taiwan. Are there other logical ways to draw boundaries and distinguish among territories in these regions? What might they be?
2. What are the common characteristics of regions? How are formal and functional regions different in concept and definition? What is a perceptual region?
3. Imagine that a transportation device (like in Star Trek) would enable all humans to travel instantaneously to any location on Earth’s surface. What would be the impact of that invention on the distribution of peoples and activities across Earth?
4. Describe the site and situation of Tallahassee, Tampa, Orlando, and Lake City.
5. When earthquakes, hurricanes, or other environmental disasters strike, humans tend to “blame” nature and see themselves as innocent victims of a harsh and cruel nature. To what extent do environmental hazards stem from unpredictable nature, and to what extent do they originate from human actions? Should victims blame nature, other humans, or themselves for the disaster? Why?