Unit 1APHG

Lecture: Diffusion and DistributionCopeland

Diffusion

Diffusion is the spread of some phenomena over space and through time from a limited number of origins.

Two Types:

1) . When items being diffused leave the area of origin and move to new areas.

Ex. Blues music to Chicago from Memphis, TN

2) . When items spread geographically by passing from one person to another while remaining with the first person.

Ex. Spread of Christianity, Spread of Cricket

Relocation Diffusion is often followed by Expansion Diffusion

The Expansion Diffusion Process has three separate regularities/types:

  • -places near the origin are usually affected first. Therefore the farther you are from the point of origin, the later you will be affected.

Ex. Farming techniques, spread of Islam

Diffusion processes do not, however, always follow the rule of distance. Sometimes distance is less important to the spread of an idea or disease than contact with major cities or influential people.

  • -when phenomena spread first to major cities, then to intermediate-size places and later to small towns and rural areas.

Ex. Music fads, Starbucks

Barriers to Diffusion: physical or cultural

Facilitators of Diffusion: cultural acceptance or legalization of factors

  • -this type of diffusion follows an irregular pattern. Ideas are not readily or directly adopted and may be too vague, too different or too impractical for immediate adoption.

Ex. McDonalds hamburgers in India, gang culture, clothing-Middle East

KNOWN FACTS ABOUT AIDS

  • 34 MILLION WORLWIDE HAVE DIED OF AIDS
  • 45 MILLION CURRENTLY INFECTED WITH HIV/AIDS
  • 4.9 MILLION NEW CASES EACH YEAR
  • EACH DAY, 13,000 NEW CASES ARE REPORTED, 50% ARE WOMEN AND CHILDREN, 95% OCCUR IN LESS-DEVELOPED COUNTRIES
  • THE DISEASE ATTACKS THE BODY’S IMMUNE SYSTEM AND THUS MANY AIDS PATIENTS ACTUALLY DIE FROM OPPORTUNISTIC DISEASES (PNEUMONIA, CANCER, TUBERCULOSIS)
  • HIV IS TRANSMITTED VIA BODILY FLUIDS
  • IN THE U.S., HOMOSEXUAL MALES AND INTRAVENOUS DRUG USERS ARE AMONG THOSE MOST COMMONLY INFECTED
  • TWO STRAINS OF HIV EXIST (HIV1 AND HIV2). HIV2 HAS BEEN TRACED BACK TO WILD MONKEY POPULATIONS IN AFRICA
  • WE ARE NOT CERTAIN HOW STRAINS PASSED FROM MONKEYS TO HUMANS
  • HIV1 ORIGINATED IN EAST AFRICA, WHILE HIV2 ORIGINATED IN WEST AFRICA
  • FACTORS CONTRIBUTING TO AFRICAN AIDS EPIDEMIC:
  • AFRICAN MEN LEAVING WIVES TO LIVE IN CITIES WHERE PROSTITUTION THRIVES…THEN RETURNING HOME TO THEIR WIVES
  • POVERTY…LACK OF MEDICINE, VACCINATIONS
  • TRADITIONAL, CULTURAL PRACTICES
  • IN 1996, MIAMI HAD THE MOST REPORTED CASES OF AIDS IN THE UNITED STATES.
  • NEW YORK CITY AND SAN FRANCISCO HAD THE EARLIEST KNOWN MULTIPLE CASES OF AIDS IN THE UNITED STATES.
  • METROPOLITAN AREAS HAVE A HIGHER RATE OF AIDS DIFFUSION THAN RURAL OR SUBURBAN AREAS.

Answer the following…

  • How would you classify the diffusion associated with AIDS? Be sure to support your argument for the given type(s) you have chosen. Consider the above information, as well as other research you may find online. Be prepared to share your argument in class tomorrow.

Distribution

In studying space, geographers must observe distribution-the arrangement of a particular feature in space. There are three ways in which geographers observe distribution:

1) -the frequency with which something occurs in space

A)Arithmetic Density-total # of objects, people, phenomena in a given area

  1. Population Density (Unit 2)-total number of people divided by total land area

Answer the following using any online resource:

Which nation has the highest population?

Which nation has the highest population density?

What is the population density of Cobb County?

*High population density is unrelated to poverty

2) -the extent of a feature’s spread over space

Two types of concentration:

  1. Clustered-objects are close together
  2. Dispersed-objects are relatively far apart

*In order to compare concentration levels, two areas need to have the same number of objects and the same size area

How would you describe the distribution of population in the United States?

3) -how things are arranged, geometrically-speaking

  1. Linear distribution
  2. Grid patterns

What is the difference between density and concentration? To observe this difference, let’s observe…

Starbucks has spread all across the globe with over 16,000 stores in 49 different countries, with over 5,000 of those being outside the United States. These statistics are a testament to how far it has spread over the 30 year period of time. Use the following websites to assist you in answer the questions at the bottom of the page.

Density of Starbucks within the U.S.-

Density of Starbucks within GA-

Where is the concentration of those Starbucks in the state of GA?

What deductions can we make about the concentration of Starbucks in Georgia?