Lecture Notes For The Cultural Landscape: An Introduction to Human Geography, 11th Edition

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INSTRUCTOR’SRESOURCEMANUALMichael PretesChandler S. White, IVUniversity of North AlabamaThe Cultural LandscapeAn Introduction to Human GeographyTwelfth EditionJames Rubenstein

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iiContentsPreface........................................................................................................................................... iiiSample Syllabus ........................................................................................................................... ivChapter 1: Basic Concepts ............................................................................................................1Chapter 2: Population and Health .............................................................................................21Chapter 3: Migration...................................................................................................................40Chapter 4: Folk and Popular Culture........................................................................................57Chapter 5: Languages..................................................................................................................77Chapter 6: Religions ....................................................................................................................98Chapter 7: Ethnicities................................................................................................................124Chapter 8: Political Geography................................................................................................144Chapter 9: Food and Agriculture.............................................................................................167Chapter 10: Development..........................................................................................................187Chapter 11: Industry and Energy ............................................................................................205Chapter 12: Services and Settlements......................................................................................229Chapter 13: Urban Patterns .....................................................................................................243

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iiiPrefaceThisInstructor’s Resource ManualforThe Cultural Landscape: An Introduction to Human Geographyfeatures a detailed outline of each chapter which highlights the key terms and core learning objectives.TheInstructor’s Resource Manualincludes Icebreakers to start classroom discussion, Challenges toComprehension exercises, and Review/Reflection Questions. The answers to the Pause and Reflect andThinking Geographically questions found in the text are also included in theInstructor’s ResourceManual.Additional resources to utilize during classroom instruction and to assign to the students are alsofound in theInstructor’s Resource Manual.

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ivGeography 002: Cultural Elements of GeographySample SyllabusInstructor:E-Mail:Tuesday 6:50–10:00P.M.Phone:Classroom:Course DescriptionThis is an introductory course in Cultural Geography.Topics included as part of the curriculum for thiscourse are the global distribution of population, health and nutrition, religions, races, geopolitics,settlement patterns, urbanization, and economic systems.Course Outline and Reading AssignmentsDateTopic (s)Reading (s)August 28Course IntroductionSeptember 4Geographic ConceptsHandoutsSeptember 11Time & WeatherHandoutsSeptember 18Quiz #1/Climate Zones & Plate TectonicsHandoutsSeptember 25Quiz #2/BiomesHandoutsOctober 2Quiz #3/Folk and Popular CultureChapter 4October 9PopulationChapter 2October 16Quiz #4/MigrationChapter 3October 23ReligionChapter 6October 30MidtermNovember 6Political GeographyChapter 8November 13DevelopmentChapter 9November 20IndustryChapter 11November 27ServicesChapter 12December 4CitiesChapter 13December 11Final Exam (7:30-9:30pm)

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vTextThe Cultural Landscape: An Introduction to Human Geography,12th Editionby James Rubenstein. Youmay use a copy of an earlier edition, but when you use an earlier edition, you do so at your own risk!ExamsThere will be two noncumulative examinations.Each will be worth 100 points. Bring Scantron form #882-E to class each time there is an exam. You are not allowed to leave the class during an exam unlessyou have completed it.QuizzesThere will be four quizzes during this course. Each quiz is worth 25 points. Each quiz covers a veryspecific topic. You are not allowed to leave the class during a quiz unless you have completed it. You donotneed to bring a scantron for the quizzes.Term Paper and AssignmentsA hands-on paper that will require students to do research in the field will be assigned early in thesemester. The paper will be due on the last day of class. A few smaller assignments will be randomlyhanded out throughout the semester and their due dates will vary. That is why it is critical that you attendclass regularly.Course GradingExams (2)100 points per exam=200 pointsQuizzes (4)25 points per quiz=100 pointsTerm Paper (1)50 points=50 pointsAssignments (?)50 points=50 pointsTotal=400 pointsSemester Grades Are Determined Using This Scale400-360100-90%=A359-32089-80%=B319-28079-70%=C279-24069-60%=D239 or less59% or less=F

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viAttendance and Withdrawals:Attendance is your responsibility. Students are expected to attend classmeetings and an attendance roster is maintained. This is a fast-paced course and failure to attend classresults in your missing valuable information and material. All students are solely responsible for thematerial missed as a result of absences. In other words, it is your responsibility to find out what youmissed from your classmates. If you do not drop prior to the deadline to receive a “W”, students mayreceive an “F” for the semester. I am permitted to drop students after three absences and will do so when Iam confident that these absences indicate that a student is no longer participating in the course.Drop with a refund bySeptember 9Drop without a “W” grade bySeptember 9Elect C/NC grading byOctober 5Drop with a “W” grade byNovember 18Incompletes:Must be approved by the Geography Department Chair. Taking an incomplete is verystrongly discouraged and even more rarely granted. Only in extreme cases of emergency beyond thestudent’s control will the Geography Department Chair consider an incomplete.Make up Work: No exams or quizzes may be made up without my consent and all workMUSTbecompletedPRIORto the time that I return exams or quizzes to the class.Classroom Policies:I expect you to behave decently towards your fellow students. That means, amongother things, carry on personal conversations outside of class instead of during the lecture,turn off yourcell phones, and don’t read magazines or do work for other classes in my class. Students are not permittedto wear an iPod or Walkman in the classroom. Don’t chronically arrive late or leave early unless you havea special circumstance and get my permission ahead of time. If you do arrive late or have to leave early,sit near the door and don’t create a distraction for everyone else in the room. Disruptive students will beasked to leave the classroom.No Food or Drinks are permitted in the classroom.Cheating:Cheating is a serious offense and will not be tolerated. It is also a violation of the East LosAngeles College Academic Honesty/Dishonesty Policy and will be subject to all appropriate disciplinaryaction. All students enrolled in my class should carefully read this policy found in the East Los AngelesCollege General Catalog. Furthermore, students caught cheating during any quiz or exam in this class willreceive a zero for that activity and the offense will be reported to the Vice President of Student Services.Students are expected to refrain from engaging in the following behaviors:1.Using, receiving, or providing unauthorized information during quizzes or exams.2.Changing the answers on assignments after the work has been graded.3.Using unauthorized electronic devices, such as cell phones, PDAs, electronic dictionaries, etc.4.Plagiarizing or presenting someone else’s work as your own.

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viiTips for Being Successful in Geography 002Attend class regularly.Take notes in class and follow along in your textbook.Partner up with another student in the class.Read the assigned readings. For every one hour of class you should spend two hours outside ofthe class reading the textbook and reviewing your notes.Review your notes on a daily basis. Research indicates that you forget 80 percent of what youread after two weeks time.Grading mistakes can happen. It is your responsibility to save all graded quizzes and exams untilthe end of the semester when grades are completed.Speak to me if you have any language difficulties or disabilities.Communicate with me if you need help in class or if you have any issues or concerns. I will bemore than happy to help you.

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1Basic ConceptsLearning OutcomesAfter reading, studying, and discussing the chapter, students should be able to:Learning Outcome 1.1.1:Summarize differences between geography and history.Learning Outcome 1.1.2:Understand how cartography developed as science.Learning Outcome 1.1.3:Identify geography’s contemporary analytic mapping tools.Learning Outcome 1.1.4:Understand the role of map scale and projection in reading maps.Learning Outcome 1.1.5:Explain how latitude and longitude are used to locate points on Earth’ssurface.Learning Outcome 1.2.1:Identify the distinctive features of a place, including toponym, site, andsituation.Learning Outcome 1.2.2:Identify the three types of regions.Learning Outcome 1.2.3:Describe two geographic definitions of culture.Learning Outcome 1.3.1:Understand global- and local-scale changes in economy and culture.Learning Outcome 1.3.2:Identify the three properties of distribution across space.Learning Outcome 1.3.3:Describedifferentwaysinwhichgeographersapproachaspectsofcultural identity such as gender, ethnicity, and sexuality.Learning Outcome 1.3.4:Summarize geographic thought, with application to the geography ofinequality.Learning Outcome 1.3.5:Describe the various ways that features can spread through diffusion.Learning Outcome 1.3.6:Explain how places are connected through networks, though inequalitycan hinder connections.Learning Outcome 1.4.1:Describe the three pillars of sustainability.Learning Outcome 1.4.2:Describe Earth’s three abiotic physical systems.Learning Outcome 1.4.3:Explain how the biosphere interacts with abiotic systems.Learning Outcome 1.4.4:Compare ecosystems in the Netherlands and California.1

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The Cultural Landscape: An Introduction to Human Geography2Chapter OutlineIntroductionGeography is more than rote memorization: Geographers ask where things are and whythey are where they are. What are the defining elements of geography, and how have they developed overthe course of human history?Cartographyis the science of map making, and has evolved fromprehistoric humans making rudimentary maps of their local environment, to today’s societies utilizingelectronic devices to make high-quality, precise maps. Geographers use the concepts ofspace,place, andregionto describe unique characteristics of locations on Earth as they happen across differentscales.They study of theconnectionsbetween human activities and the physical environment, the how theseconnections impact sustainability, are integral to the discipline of Geography.Key Issue 1: Why Is Geography a Science?Although the earliest humans were practicing Geography, it wasn’t until the ancient Greek philosopherEratosthenes that the discipline was bestowed the name it is known by today—geo, from the Greek,meaning “Earth,” and the Greek wordgraphy, meaning “to write,” were combined to describe the studyof where things are found on Earth’s surface and the reasons for the locations. To contrast history withgeography, one could view history as posing questions ofwhenandwhy, while geographers ask questionsofwhereandwhy.Two features of human activity encompass the field of human geography as it is covered in this text:culture and economy. Two basic concepts are used by geographers to explain what makes a certain placeunique: place and region. Aplaceis a specific point on Earth, distinguished by a set of particular traits.Every place occupies a unique geographic location, or position, on Earth’s surface. Aregionis an area ofEarth defined by one or more defining features. The Earth is partitioned into a number of regions byGeographers, such as the Midwest and Latin America.To explain the relationships between places, geographers employ three basic concepts: scale, space,and connection.Scaleis the relationship between the portion of Earth being studied and Earth as awhole. Geographers study a variety of scales, from local to global.Spacerefers to the physical gap orinterval between two objects.Connectionrefers to relationships among people and objects across thebarrier of space.Amapis a two-dimensional or flat-scale model of the real world, made small enough to work with on adesk or computer.Cartographyis the science of making maps. Maps are used for reference (wherethings are located) and for communication of the distribution of some feature or features.Geography in the Ancient WorldMaps have been created for thousands of years. The earliest mapswere used as reference tools—simple navigation devices designed to show a traveler how to get fromPoint A to Point B. Following the mapmakers of the ancient eastern Mediterranean world, Europeanmapmaking and geographic thought became less mathematical and more fanciful, displaying Earth as aflat disk surrounded by mythical figures and fierce animals.

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Chapter 1: Basic Concepts3Geography’s RevivalMapmaking as a reference tool was revived during the Age of Exploration andDiscovery. Explorers who sailed across the oceans in search of trade routes and resources in thefifteenth and sixteenth centuries required accurate maps to reach their desired destinations withoutwrecking their ships.Contemporary MappingMaps are used by geographers primarily for displaying geographic informationand for offering geographic explanation. Maps are the geographer’s most essential tool.Pinpointing Location: GPSTheGlobal Positioning System (GPS)uses satellites to reference locationson the ground.GPS is most commonly used for navigation. Pilots of aircraft and ships stay on course withGPS. On land, GPS detects a vehicle’s current position, the motorist programs the desired destination intoa GPS device, and the device provides instructions on how to reach the destination. GPS can also be usedto find the precise location of a vehicle or person. Geographers find GPS to be particularly useful incoding the precise location of objects collected in fieldwork.Analyzing Data: GI-Science Geographic Information Science (GIScience)is the examination of datarelating to Earth acquired through satellite and other electronic information technologies. Ageographicinformation system (GIS)is a complex computer system which stores and presents geographicallyreferenced data. GIS is more efficient than pen and ink for making a map: Objects can be added orremoved, colors brightened or toned town, and mistakes corrected without having to tear up the paper andstart from scratch. Each type of information can be stored in a layer. Separate layers could be created forboundaries of countries, bodies of water, roads, and names of places. Most maps combine several layersand GIS maps permits construction of much more complex maps than can be drawn by hand.The acquisition of data about Earth’s surface from a satellite orbiting Earth or from airplanes is known asremote sensing. At any moment a satellite sensor records the image of a tiny area called a pictureelement, or pixel. A map created by remote sensing is essentially a grid that contains many rows of pixels.Geographers use remote sensing to map the changing distribution of a wide variety of features, such asagriculture, drought, and sprawl.Collecting and Sharing Data: VGIElectronic devices such as smart phones, tablets, and computers areubiquitous parts of culture the world over today. These electronic devices allow individuals to producemaps and share them with others.Volunteered geographic information (VGI)is the creation anddissemination of geographic data contributed voluntarily and for free by individuals utilizing theseelectronic devices. VGI is part of the wider trends ofcitizen science, which is scientific researchconducted by amateur scientists, andparticipatory GIS (PGIS),which is community-based mapping.The termmashuprefers to the practice of overlaying data from one source on top of one of the mappingservices. Computer users have the ability to do their own GIS because mapping services provide access tothe application programming interface, which is the language that links a database such as an address listwith software such as mapping. A mashup map can show the locations of businesses and activities withina neighborhood in a city. The requested information could be all pizza parlors within a mile of a certainaddress. Mapping software can also show the precise locations of gas stations with the lowest prices orcurrent traffic tie-ups on highways.

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The Cultural Landscape: An Introduction to Human Geography4Map ScaleThe map’sscaleis the relationship between map units and the actual distance on Earth.Ratioor fractionscale gives the relationship as a ratio, for example, 1:100,000 is that 1 unit on the mapequals 100,000 units on the ground. In a written scale units are expressed in a convenient way, forexample, “1 centimeter equals 1 kilometer.” A graphic scale is given by a scale bar showing thedistance represented on Earth’s surface.ProjectionMaps are a planar (flat) representation of Earth’s curved surface. Earth is nearly a sphere andis therefore only accurately represented on a globe. Thus, some distortion must result when using maps,especially at small scales (continental or whole-Earth maps). Cartographers must choose aprojectionthatresults in some set of distortions between shape, distance, relative size, and direction.Latitude and LongitudeMathematical location describes a place’s location using a coordinate systemsuch aslatitudeandlongitude. Longitude is culturally defined as starting at Greenwich, England, andmeasures degrees of east and west of that line of longitude, ormeridian. The zero degree longitude linein Greenwich, England, is known as theprime meridian.Latitude measures north and south distancewith theequator(0° latitude) being the line of latitude halfway between the North Pole (90° northlatitude) and the South Pole (90° south latitude). A latitude line is known as aparallelbecause all latitudelines are parallel to the equator. The equator is the parallel with the greatest circumference and is thebaseline for measuring latitude.Telling TimeLongitude plays an important role in calculating time. If we let every fifteenth degree oflongitude represent one time zone, and divide 360 degrees by 15 degrees, we get 24 time zones. As theEarth rotates eastward, any place to the east of you always passes under the Sun earlier. Thus as youtravel eastward from the prime meridian you are catching up with the Sun, so you must turn your clockahead 1 hour by each 15 degrees. If you travel westward from the prime meridian, you are falling behindthe Sun, so you turn your clock back by 1 hour for each 15 degrees. During the summer, many places inthe world, including most of North America, move the clocks ahead 1 hour.Greenwich Mean Time(GMT), or Universal Time (UT), is the master reference time for all points on Earth.When you cross theInternational Date Lineyou move the clock back one entire day, if you are headingeastward, toward America. You turn the clock ahead 24 hours if you are heading westward, toward Asia.The International Date Line for the most part follows 180 degrees longitude. However, several islands inthe Pacific Ocean belonging to the countries of Kiribati and Samoa, as well as to New Zealand’s Tokelauterritory, moved the International Date Line several thousand kilometers to the east.Key Issue 2: Why Is Each Point on Earth Unique?Place: A Unique LocationAn essential aspect of geography is the process of describing the features of aplace. Through these descriptions, similarities, differences, and changes across Earth may be explained bygeographers. The component parts, or features, that make each place on Earth distinct may be examinedto assist in these descriptions. A feature’s place on the Earth may be identified by itslocation, theposition that something occupies on Earth’s surface.

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Chapter 1: Basic Concepts5Place NamesA place name, ortoponym, is the most common way of describing a location. Manyuninhabited places are even named. Place names sometimes reflect the cultural history of a place, and achange in place name is often culturally motivated. Examining changes in place name geography is auseful insight into the changing cultural context of a place. The Board of Geographical Names wasestablished in the late nineteenth century to be the final arbiter of names on U.S. maps. In recent years theboard has been especially concerned with removing offensive place names.SiteThe termsitemakes reference to the physical characteristics of a place. Important site characteristicsinclude climate, water sources, topography, soil, vegetation, latitude, and elevation. The combination ofphysical features gives each place a distinctive character. People disagree on the attributes of a goodlocation for settlement. What is considered a good site depends on cultural values.SituationThe termsituationdescribes a place in terms of its location relative to other places.Understanding situation can help locate an unfamiliar place in terms of known places, or it can helpexplain the significance of a place. We give directions to people by referring to the situation of a place.We identify important buildings, streets, and other landmarks to direct people to the desired location.Region: A Unique AreaAn area of Earth defined by one or more distinctive characteristics is aregion.A particular place can be included in more than one region, depending on how the region is defined.A region gains uniqueness from possessing not a single human or environmental characteristic but acombination of them. Thecultural landscapeis a recurrent theme throughout this text. It representsthe total sum of cultural, economic, and environmental forces combining to make distinctive landscapesacross Earth.Formal RegionAformal region,also called auniform region, is a region with a predominant oruniversal characteristic. Formal regions commonly have well-defined boundaries. The shared featurecould be a cultural value such as a common language or an environmental property such as climate. In aformal region, the selected characteristic is present throughout the region. Some formal regions are easyto identify, such as countries or local government units. A characteristic may just be predominant ratherthan universal. For example, the North American wheat belt is a formal region in which wheat is the mostcommonly grown crop, but other crops are grown there as well.Functional RegionAfunctional region,also known as anodal region,is defined by an area of use orinfluenceofsomefeature.Oftenusedineconomicgeography,functionalregionshave“fuzzy”boundaries as the influence of the central feature decreases over distance. The functional region isorganized around a focal point. A good example of a functional region is the reception area of a televisionstation. A television station’s signal is strongest at the center of its service area and becomes weaker at theedge and eventually can no longer be distinguished. At some distance from the center, more people arewatching a station originating in another city. That place is the boundary between functional regions oftwo TV market areas.Vernacular RegionAvernacular region,orperceptual region, is the most ambiguously defined asthey rely on a mental conception of a place as belonging to a common region for complex culturalreasons. Such regions emerge from people’s informal sense of place rather than scientific models

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The Cultural Landscape: An Introduction to Human Geography6developed through geographic thought. A vernacular region is an individual’smental map, which is aninternal representation of a portion of Earth’s surface. A mental map depicts what an individual knowsabout a place, containing personal impressions of what is in the place and where the place is located.Culture RegionsOne of the defining characteristics of a region that helps geographers identify regions isculture. Culture is a body of customary beliefs, material traits, and social forms that together constitutesthe distinct tradition of a group of people. The word culture originates from the Latincultus, meaning “tocare for.” Culture is a complex concept, comprising two different meanings: to care about (to adore orworship something) and to take care of (to nurse or look after something). Region is analyzed bygeographers using both of these aspects of the concept of culture.Culture: What People Care AboutImportant cultural values derive from a group’s language, religion,and ethnicity. These three cultural traits are both an excellent way of identifying the location of a cultureand the principle means by which cultural values become distributed around the world. These culturaltraits are covered in detail in chapters 5, 6, and 7.Culture: What People Take Care OfAnother element of culture of interest to geographers is productionof material wealth—the food, clothing, and shelter that humans need to survive and thrive. All peopleconsume food, wear clothing, and build shelter, but different cultural groups obtain their wealth indifferent ways. Various characteristics—such as per capita income, literacy rates, and TVs per capita—distinguish developed regions and developing ones. Most people in developing countries are engaged inagriculture, whereas most people in developed countries earn their living through performing services inexchange for wages. These concepts are discussed in chapters 9, 10, 11, 12, and 13.SpatialAssociationDifferentlevelsofregionalanalysiscandemonstratedramaticallydifferentcharacteristics. Geographers attempt to explain regional differences by looking for factors with similardistributions.Spatial associationarises if the distribution of one feature located in a region is related tothe distribution of another feature.Key Issue 3: Why Are Different Places Similar?Scale: Global and LocalScale is an integral element of geographical analysis, especially as it concernsissues of globalization.Globalizationis a force or process that engages the world as a whole and resultsin making something worldwide in scope.Economic Globalization and Local DiversityTheglobalization of economic activities has come as aresult of increasing connections between places and the rapid movement of goods and information aroundthe world. Every place in the world is part of the global economy.Transnational corporationsare oftenseen as emblematic of this globalization. Transnational corporations conduct research, operate factories,and sell products in many countries, not just where its headquarters and principle shareholders arelocated. Each place in the world plays a distinctive role in the global economy based on its local assets, asassessed by transnational corporations.

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Chapter 1: Basic Concepts7Cultural Globalization and Local DiversityEconomic globalization is matched with an increasingglobal influence and spread of some cultures, resulting in more uniform cultural landscapes across theworld. Groups with distinctive local cultures may feel threatened by the globalization of culture, causingconflict or a sense of loss. The survival of a local culture’s distinctive beliefs, forms, and traits may bethreatened by interaction with social customs as wearing jeans and Nike shoes, consuming Coca-Cola andMcDonald’s hamburgers, and communicating using cell phones and computers. Yet despite globalization,cultural differences among places not only persist but actually flourish in many places.Space: Distribution of FeaturesGeographers think about the arrangement of people and activities foundin space and try to understand why those people and activities are distributed across space as they are.Geographers use the concept ofdistributionto describe the spatial arrangement of objects across Earth’ssurface. Three aspects of spatial arrangement may be used to further describe distribution: density,concentration, and pattern.Distribution Properties: Density Densitymeasures the number of features per area of land. Othermeasures, such as physiological or agricultural density, are based on a subgroup of people or a subtype ofland.Distribution Properties: ConcentrationThe extent of a feature’s spread over space is itsconcentration.If the objects in an area are close together, they areclustered; if they are far apart they aredispersed.Geographers use concentration to explain distribution. In a dispersed neighborhood, each house has alarge private yard, whereas in a clustered neighborhood, the houses are close together and open space isshared as a community park.Distribution Properties: PatternThe termpatterndescribes whether features are arranged alonggeometric or other predictable arrangements. Geographers observe that many objects form a lineardistribution, such as the arrangement of houses along a street or stations along a subway line. ManyAmerican cities contain a regular pattern of streets, known as a grid pattern, which intersect at rightangles at uniform intervals to form square or rectangular blocks.Cultural Identity and Distribution across SpaceHumans often arrange their activities in spaceaccording to gender, ethnicity, and sexuality. Most concepts of difference among humans are culturallyconstructedandchangesinculturalconceptsofdifferencearesometimesreflectedinchangingarrangements. People sharing a common ethnic identity tend to cluster in urban areas. Openly homosexualmen and lesbian women may be attracted to some locations to reinforce spatial interactions with otherLGBTQQIAAP (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Questions, Intersex, Asexual, Allies, andPansexual)-identifying people. Inequality remains a focus for geographers studying distribution by gender.Space: InequalityCultural traits, such as gender, ethnicity, and sexuality, impact the distribution andmovement of people across space.Cultural Identity and Contemporary Geography ThoughtThe experiences of women differ fromthose of men, blacks from whites, gays from straights, and boys from girls. Geographers employ a variety

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The Cultural Landscape: An Introduction to Human Geography8of methods to understand cultural identity and space, including those of poststructuralist, humanistic, andbehavioral geography.Poststructuralist geographyexamines how the powerful in a society dominate, or seek to control, lesspowerful group, how the dominated groups occupy space, and confrontations that result from thedomination. Poststructuralist geographers conceptualize space as the product of ideologies or valuesystems of ruling elites.Humanistic geographyis a branch of human geography that emphasizes the different ways thatindividuals perceive their surrounding environment.Behavioralgeographyemphasizestheimportanceofunderstandingthepsychologicalbasisforindividual human actions in space. Distinctive spatial patterns by gender, race, and sexual orientation areconstructed by the attitudes and actions of others. Although it is illegal to discriminate against people ofcolor, spatial segregation persists. In many places in the world, it is legal to discriminate against gays. Forgeographers, concern for cultural diversity in not merely a political expediency; it lies at the heart ofgeography’s spatial tradition.Unequal AccessIn the modern world, barriers to interaction are more likely to derive from unequalaccess to electronics. Internet access depends on availability of electricity to power the computer and aservice provider. A person must be able to afford to pay for the communications equipment and service.Countries in Africa, Asia, and Latin America find themselves on a periphery with respect to wealthiercore regions of North America, Europe, and Japan. The increasing gap in economic conditions betweenregions in the core and periphery that results from globalization is known asuneven development. In aglobal culture and economy, every area of the world plays some role intertwined with the roles playedby other regions.Connections: DiffusionRecalling the concept of connections from the beginning of the chapter,geographers may analyze three different outcomes of these relationships between people and objects thatcross the barrier of space: assimilation, acculturation, and syncretism.Assimilationis the process bywhich a group’s cultural features are altered to resemble those of another group. The cultural features ofone group may come to dominate the culture of the assimilated group.Acculturationis the process ofchanges in culture that result from the meeting of two groups. Changes may be experienced by both of theinteracting cultural groups, but the two groups retain two distinct culture features.Syncretismis thecombination of elements of two groups into a new cultural feature. The two cultural groups come togetherto form a new culture.Diffusion Diffusionis the process by which a feature spreads across space from one place to another overtime. A feature originates at a hearth and diffuses from there to other places. Ahearthis a place fromwhich an innovation emerges.Relocation DiffusionThe term connection refers to the relationships among people and objects across thebarrier of space.Diffusionrefers to the spread of anything from a cultural trait, people, things, or ideasfrom some point of origin (ahearth). Geographers document the location of hearths and the processes by

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Chapter 1: Basic Concepts9which diffusion carries things elsewhere over time. The spread of an idea through the physical movementof people from one place to another is termedrelocation diffusion. When people move, they carry withthem their culture, including language, religion, and ethnicity.Expansion DiffusionThe spread of a feature from one place to another in an additive process isexpansion diffusion. Expansion diffusion refers to the growth of an idea to new areas through a hierarchy(hierarchical diffusion), popular notions or even contact (contagious diffusion), or the spread of anunderlying idea divorced from its original context (stimulus diffusion).Connections: Spatial InteractionSome places are well-connected by communications or transportationnetworks, other are not as much. Contact diminishes with increasing distance and eventually disappears.This trailing-off phenomenon is calleddistance decay.In the contemporary world, distance decay ismuch less severe because connection between places takes less time. Geographers apply the termspace-time compressionto describe the reduction in time it takes for something to reach another place.Interaction takes place through anetwork,which is a chain of communication that connects places. Ideasthat originate in a hearth are now able to diffuse rapidly to other areas through communication networks.Distant places seem less remote and more accessible to us.Key Issue 4: Why Are Some Actions Not Sustainable?Aresourceis a substance in the environment that is useful to people, economically and technologicallyfeasible to access, and socially acceptable to use. Arenewable resourceis produced in nature morerapidly than it is consumed by humans. Anonrenewable resourceis produced in nature more slowlythan it is consumed by humans. The use of Earth’s renewable and nonrenewable natural resources in waysthat ensure resource availability in the future issustainability.Three Pillars of SustainabilityAccording to the United Nations, sustainability rests on three pillars:environment, economy, and society. Sustainability requires curtailing the use of nonrenewable resourcesand limiting the use of renewable resources to the level at which the environment can continue to supplythem indefinitely. The sustainable use and management of Earth’s natural resources to meet human needssuch as food, medicine, and recreation isconservation. Conservation differs frompreservation, which isthe maintenance of resources in their present condition, with as little human impact as possible.Preservation does not regard nature as a resource for human use.Sustainability’s CriticsBiologically productive land is defined as the amount of land required toproduce the resources currently consumed and handle the wastes currently generated by the world’s 7billion people at current levels of technology. The Earth has only 11.4 billion hectares of biologicallyproductive land, so humans are already using all of the productive land and none is left for future growth.Others have said that resource availability has no maximum, and Earth’s resources have no absolute limitbecause the definition of resources changes drastically and unpredictably over time.Sustainability and Earth’s Physical SystemsAbioticsystem is composed of living organisms. Anabioticsystem is composed of nonliving or inorganic matter. Three of Earth’s four systems are abiotic.Theatmosphereis a thin layer of gases surrounding Earth. Thehydrosphereis all the water on Earth or

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The Cultural Landscape: An Introduction to Human Geography10near Earth’s surface. Thelithosphereis Earth’s crust and a portion of upper mantle directly above thecrust. Only one of Earth’s systems is biotic. Thebiosphereis all living organisms on Earth, includingplants and animals, as well as microorganisms.The long-term average weather condition at a particular location isclimate. Climate may be classifiedinto one of five main climate regions, devised by the German climatologist Wladimir Köppen:A: Humid low-latitude climates.B: Dry climates.C: Warm mid-latitude climates.D: Cold mid-latitude climates.E: Polar climates.These five main climate regions may be further subdivided, based on the amount of precipitation and theseason in which it falls.Ecology and the BiosphereA group of living organisms and abiotic spheres with which they interact isanecosystem. The scientific study of ecosystems isecology. Living organisms in the biosphere interactwith each of the three abiotic systems. Human geographers are especially interested in ecosystemsinvolving the interaction of humans with the rest of the biosphere and the three abiotic spheres. If theatmosphere contains pollutants or its oxygen level is reduced, humans have trouble breathing. Withoutwater, humans waste away and die. A stable lithosphere provides humans with materials for buildings andfuel for energy. The rest of the biosphere provides humans with food.Cultural Ecology: Integrating Culture and EcologyHuman geographers are especially interested inthe fact that different cultural groups modifythe natural environment in distinctive ways. Thegeographic study of human-environmental relationships is known ascultural ecology.Environmentaldeterminism, largely dismissed by modern geographers, states that physical factors cause cultures todevelop and behave as they do.Environmental determinists believe that human geographers shouldapply laws from the natural sciences to understanding relationships between the physical environmentand human actions.Possibilismrecognizes the constraints of the physical environment while alsocrediting human cultures with the ability to adapt to the environment in many ways—including bychanging it.Sustainable Ecosystem: The NetherlandsApolderis a piece of land that is created by draining waterfrom an area. All together, the Netherlands has 2600 square miles of polders. The Dutch government hasreserved most of the polders for agriculture to reduce the country’s dependence on imported food. TheDutch have also constructed massive dikes to prevent the North Sea from flooding much of the country. Asecond ambitious project in the Netherlands is the Delta Plan. The low-lying delta in the southwesternpart of the country is very vulnerable to flooding. The Delta Plan called for the construction of severaldams to close off most of the waterways from the North Sea.The lowlands in South Florida are environmentally sensitive areas, but have been modified lesssensitively than those in the Netherlands. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers built a levee around LakeOkeechobee during the 1930s, drained the northern one-third of the Everglades during the 1940s, and

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Chapter 1: Basic Concepts11diverted the Kissimmee River into canals during the 1950s. These modifications opened up hundreds ofthousands of hectares of land for growing sugarcane and protecting farmland as well as the land occupiedby the growing South Florida population from flooding. Polluted water, mainly from cattle grazing alongthe banks on the canals, flowed into Lake Okeechobee. The modification of barrier islands along SouthFlorida’s coast by humans has caused a lot of damage.IcebreakerThis chapter may seem superficial to many instructors, but keep in mind it is new ground for manystudents. For example, a 2006 National Geographic/Roper poll of Americans aged 18–24 found thefollowing: “48% of young Americans believe the majority population in India is Muslim. . . . Half ofyoung Americans can’t find New York on a map.”This illustrates the challenge you face as a geography educator. Instead of calling attention to thesestatistics to your students, consider being positive in your introduction, as introducing this chapter will setthe tone for the remainder of the course. This is your chance to emphasize the importance of geographicknowledge of all of your students, regardless of their eventual fields of study.What is geography? Why is it important?A class discussion of what geography is, and why it is important, is always a useful place to start with anygeography course. Reasons for the importance of geography will vary by instructor, but a useful exampleof inquiry is provided in this chapter’s presentation of the ways in which the Dutch have altered theirenvironment. Here are some other events to use as examples of geographic relevance at your owndiscretion:The Japanese earthquake and tsunami of 2011. This example is another great one, like theNetherlands, to show the interrelatedness of human and physical geography.The September 11, 2001, attack on the World Trade Center (and other targets).Askyourstudentswheretheirfootwear,clothing,orcarscomefrom.Isthereanythinggeographic about this?What is the name of your town? Where is that? What is it like?The terminology associated with place and region may be difficult for students to grasp. Explaining howwe describe places every day will help build an understanding of how geographers think about place.Try this method in class: Ask the students individually where they are from until a place name not inthe immediate area is encountered. If you are not familiar with the place (or even if you are), ask,“Where is that?”Explain that the students are using place names, or toponyms, to describe where they are from, but theplace name is only useful as long as everyone knows where the place name is referring to.

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The Cultural Landscape: An Introduction to Human Geography12When a place name is unfamiliar, we need to refer to situation factors (and sometimes site factors) to tellpeople where a place is.Mathematical location might seem quite abstract to students, but ask how many can list their addressesand zip codes. While not mathematical in the same way as latitude and longitude or UTM coordinates,the street address does represent a unique description of a discrete place. An Internet mapping program(e.g., Google Maps) can be used to demonstrate these concepts.Challenges to ComprehensionScaleMany, including professional geographers, confuse large and small scales. The smaller the scale, thelarger the area covered. For example a globe is a very small-scale representation of Earth. Yet manypersist in referring to global issues as occurring at a “large scale.”To avoid confusion, consider referring to scales as “local”, “regional”, or “global.” This also helpsemphasize the text’s themes of global vs. local contrasts.These concepts are reinforced in Chapter 1’s Key Issue 3, Why Are Different Places Similar?Understanding Geographic Information Systems (GIS)Students often confuse a geographic information system (GIS) with the Global Positioning System (GPS).Students rarely understand the importance of GIS to many processes that we take for granted in society.However, there are a variety of Internet resources which demonstrate how much a part of our everydaylives GIS are becoming. Some online examples include:Zillow (see “Resources” section)Real property databases managed by county or city governments (e.g., the King County parcelviewer at www.kingcounty.gov/operations/GIS/PropResearch/ParcelViewer.aspxNumerous “mashups” available on an ever-changing basis (try googlemapsmania.blogspot.com)Vernacular RegionsSome have a difficult time with the idea of a vernacular region. The example in the textbook uses anumber of overlapping formal regions in an attempt to describe the vernacular region of the South.Consider using another example, especially one without a direction, as these examples can be confusing(students think that a vernacular region must contain compass direction).

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Chapter 1: Basic Concepts13Cultural LandscapesThe concept of a cultural landscape can be misunderstood as a principally environmental landscape. Helpstudents learn about how pervasive cultural landscapes are by showing them some examples from aroundthe world. Note that an Internet search for “cultural landscape” returns a number of results aboutextraordinary, famous, or unique landscapes; but cultural landscapes are pervasive and students willbenefit from being able to interpret the cultural landscape of everyday places like their home towns.The Great Mirror: Dr. Bret Wallach of the University of Oklahoma has posted a remarkable collection ofphotographsforthepurposeofdisplayingculturallandscapesathiswebsiteTheGreatMirror,www.greatmirror.com.Another great option is the user-generated content featured on Panoramio (www.panoramio.com), whichis also on Google Maps (maps.google.com), indexed under the “More . . . Photos” option. These photosare usually “scenic” features, but it’s possible to find more mundane cultural landscapes, too.AssignmentsReview/Reflection QuestionsThese questions can be used in addition to the “thinking geographically” questions at the end of eachchapter. Students can be assigned these questions as homework, they can be given as essay questions onexams, or they can serve as focus questions for in-class discussions.Describe the site, situation, and mathematical location of our school (alternative—your hometown).Name three formal regions that this school is located within and give a reason for each. Do thesame for functional and vernacular regions.Describe an element of your culture that appears to be environmentally determined (caused by thenatural environment). Can you now provide evidence that this cultural element is only one ofmany possibilities in the given environment?Give a local example of not-so-sensitive environmental modification, as demonstrated in thebook’s discussion of the Everglades. Are there multiple ways to achieve the desired result of anenvironmental modification? Discuss.For additional review and test prep materials, have your students visitMasteringGeography™to accessa variety of resources, including interactive maps, videos, GoogleEarth activities, RSS feeds, flashcards,web links, and self-study quizzes.Thinking Geographically Questions1. Using geographic tools such as maps and GIS is not simply a mechanical exercise. Nor are decisionsconfined to scale, projection, and layers. For example, should the European country be labeled CzechRepublic or Czechia? Czech authorities and citizens do not agree on the proper translation of thecountry’s Czech nameČesky into English.

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The Cultural Landscape: An Introduction to Human Geography14Well, I can see how Czech Republic is a sensible solution, as it is a compromise between both parties on thetranslation ofČesky into English. It would also depend on the language used in the rendering of a map – forEnglish maps, Czech Republic may make sense, whereas Czechia orČesky may be better suited for otherlanguages.2. What criteria should geographers use to label maps?Geographers must use critical thinking skills to best label features on a map. For example, geographersmust consider the origin of place names (toponyms), and examine whether the site of a place played a rolein it receiving its name, or if cultural factors impacted its naming.3. What are elements of the site and situation of your hometown?A couple elements of site of my hometown, Chicago, IL, are the Chicago River and Lake Michigan. TheChicago River runs through the city and is dyed green every year for St. Patrick’s Day. Chicago is locatedon the banks of Lake Michigan and significantly influences local weather patterns, producing lake-effectwind and snow. Relative to the rest of Illinois, the situation of my hometown is unique – it is the largestcity in the state and is a major hub of economic, political, and cultural activity.4. Can you name another place to which your hometown has strong connections?My hometown has strong connections to Northwest Indiana, known affectionately as ‘The Region.’ TheSouth Shore Line runs into another town that I lived in in the area, Chesterton, Indiana, providing publicrail access to Chicago. It was also a neat place, as Chesterton was also located on the banks of LakeMichigan, and the skyline of the city was visible from the beach on clear days.5. What is an example of a feature that connects your town to another?Site: My hometown is located in the northern and western hemisphere. It is located in the midlatitudes.My hometown is in the Mediterranean climatic zone dominated by chaparral vegetation. My hometownborders the Pacific Ocean. I live on a coastal plain with alfisol soils.Situation: My hometown is about 45 miles from Disneyland and 75 miles from Downtown Los Angelesand Hollywood. Interstate 5 and Pacific Coast Highway run through my hometown and these are veryimportant roads on the West Coast of the United States. My hometown is 5 miles from the San OnofreNuclear Generating Station, which is one of the major sources of electricity in Southern California. TheCamp Pendleton Marine Base is located two miles away from my hometown and is one of the largestmilitary bases on the West Coast of the United States.6. If you could live anyplace on Earth, where would it be? Why?If I could live any place on Earth, I would live in Talkeetna, Alaska. I first learned of Talkeetna afterreading that it was based on Cicely, Alaska, the town featured in the 1990s television dramaNorthernExposure. After researching more about the town, I learned that they have a vibrant community, with anexcellent public radio affiliate. I worked in a radio station for 6 years; ideally, I would have a job at theiraffiliate and explore the surrounding outdoors during my free time.

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Chapter 1: Basic Concepts157. How might your choice be altered if you had access to a transportation device (such as available toHarry Potter) that enabled you to travel instantaneously to any place on Earth?If this transportation device existed, a lot fewer people would live in urban areas. Many people in thedeveloped world live in an urban area because they need to live near their place of employment. Workersdon’t want the expense and hassle of very long commutes so they choose to live near their job. If theycould instantaneously commute, many workers with families would choose to live in somewhat ruralareas. Living in a less congested area is appealing to many people, but rural areas rarely offer many well-paying jobs.More people would live in temperate climates. Imagine if you could work a well-paying job in Fairbanks,Alaska, but not actually have to move to Fairbanks. You could live in Hawaii, but instantaneouslycommute to Fairbanks every day during the week. Many people live in the severe climates because theyhave a good job and family and friends in the area, not because they like subzero temperatures. Withinstantaneous travel, they could still see family and friends and continue to work their job, but not have toshovel snow to get out of their driveway most mornings.8. What activities in your community appear to promote sustainability?Southern California has numerous Recycling Centers. Recycling Centers are usually located in the backof large grocery stores. People get money for used plastic and glass bottles at these Recycling Centers.Some of these Recycling Centers will also pay people for their aluminum cans too. There was a tax creditprogram in California recently that essentially gave money to homeowners who installed solar panels onthe roofs of their homes. Wind turbines have recently been built in the nearby desert areas. Californiapromotes sustainability more than a lot of states.Pause and Reflect Questions1.1.1: What are the principal connections from your hometown to other places?The principal connections from my hometown, Chicago, IL, to other places is Lake Michigan and theInterstate Highway System.1.1.2: What is one main difference between the world maps of Ptolemy (Figure 1-7) and of Ortelius(Figure 1-9)?The shapes of the continents are much more developed in the Ortelius map as compared to those in thePtolemy map.1.1.3: State a question you have about the area where you live. Describe a mashup that you could createusing GIS that would answer your question.Where are all of the grocery stores located in my town, within a 5-mile radius of my home address? Icould find out latitude/ longitude coordinates of all of the grocery stores in my town, upload thecoordinates to ArcGIS Online, and run the geoprocessing tool ‘Near’ to determine the answer.

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The Cultural Landscape: An Introduction to Human Geography161.1.4: Compare the sizes of Greenland and South America on the three maps in Figure 1-13. Which of thetwo landmasses is actually larger? How do you know?South America is much larger in area than Greenland. I know this, because in Figure 1-13(a) the world isprojected in an equal area manner, and area can be accurately examined.1.1.5: Where in the world, other than Newfoundland, is standard time on the half-hour rather than thehour? Why might that country prefer not to be on the hour?Iran and the central region of Australia observe standard time on the half-hour. In Australia’s case, theymay prefer to observe multiple time zones (with one occurring on the half-hour) because their countryencompasses such a large area and the half-hour happens to be when the sun is at its highest point duringthe day.1.2.1: What is the origin of the toponym of your hometown?My hometown, Chicago, IL, is rooted in the French translation of a Native American word, ‘shikaakwa’,referring to a wild onion plant that grows in the area.1.2.2: What environmental and cultural features might help to define the region of the U.S. Midwest?The physical region of the U.S. Midwest is noted for its plains landscape, along with the presence of theGreat Lakes. The cultural features of the U.S. Midwest can be noted from the National Public RadioprogramA Prairie Home Companion– the region is known for its Scandinavian immigrant history,prowess in college basketball, and industrial economic history.1.2.3: Describe differences that you see between U.S. and South Africa suburbs in Figure 1-23.U.S. suburbs appear to be solidly-built homes with years and access for motor vehicles, while suburbs inSouth Africa are compact, with homes built right next to one another, with no access for motor vehicles.1.3.1: Give examples of changes in economy and culture occurring at global and local scales.One recent change in the global economy is the exit of the United Kingdom from the European Union –this change signaled significant shifts in economic policy and trade relations between states in the E.U.and the U.K. At the local scale, the state government of Alabama is proposing a state lottery so thatdeficits can be reduced. Culturally, we are seeing a growing dependence on mobile communications – thischangeisevidentinplacesallovertheworldwherepoliticalunrestispresent,andmobilecommunications are used for organizing purposes. At the local scale, the arrival of Latino/ Latinamigrants to the U.S. South over the past thirty years is becoming more apparent, with locally-ownedbusinesses geared toward this population growing in number.1.3.2: How would you describe the density, concentration, and pattern of chairs in your classroom?In my classroom, the distribution of the chairs is spread throughout the room somewhat evenly – 10chairs around a central meeting table, and eight office chairs at the perimeter of the room with computerslocated at each station.

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Chapter 1: Basic Concepts171.3.3: Using your own campus or school as the example, describe how movement across space variesduring the day for students and faculty.Depending on whether you’re an undergraduate student, graduate student, or faculty member, one’smovement across space will vary during a regular day. If you are an undergraduate, movement acrosswide spaces of campus is regular, as your classes are typically held in multiple buildings. As a graduatestudent, your classes and office are generally confined to a single building. As a faculty member, you mayonly split your time between your office and one or two classrooms.1.3.4: How does region where you live compare in the percentage of children in poverty?Referring to Figure 1-37, the income compared to national average (age 26) is more than 5% below formy region.1.3.5: U.S. coins are minted in either Denver or Philadelphia. Take a look at your coins. Do you havemore from the mint closer to you?Actually, I have more coins from Denver than from Philadelphia, and Denver is located farther away fromme than Philadelphia.1.3.6: Is your nearest airport a hub? If not, to what hub do most flights go from you nearest airport?The nearest airport to me is the Northwest Alabama Regional Airport, which is not a hub. Flights fromthis airport go to either Nashville, TN or Atlanta, GA – both major hubs.1.4.1: What do you think might be the reaction of the men in Figure 1-46b to tourists such as those inFigure 1-46c?As the caption of the photo indicates, the men in Figure 1-46b are watching tourists pass by, so I canimagine based on their reaction in that photo that they are not especially excited when tourists such asthose featured in Figure 1-46c pass by.1.4.2: Why would maps of Earth’s hydrosphere, lithosphere, and biosphere be important in the quest forsustainability?These types of maps help illustrate the distribution and density of features contained in these maps,allowing for pertinent analysis to be undertaken such that resources are responsibly and sustainablymanaged.1.4.3: How might a bird interact with each of the four spheres?A bird, such as a seagull, may fly through the atmosphere, fish for food in the hydrosphere, search forother sustenance in the biosphere, and nest in the lithosphere.1.4.4: Which is better positioned to face future threats to sustainability, the Netherlands or California?Why?It appears as if the Netherlands is better suited to face future threats to sustainability, as they are morecommitted financially and socially to combat resource depletion and the effects of climate change (despite16 percent of the country’s land area being reclaimed from the sea as polders!).

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The Cultural Landscape: An Introduction to Human Geography18ExploreUse Google Earth to explore the Netherlands coast.Fly toOuddorp, Netherlands.1.Using the ruler, what is the distance (in kilometers or miles) from the pin marking Ouddorp to thecoast?The distance from the pin making Ouddorp to the coast is approximately 1.5 miles (I measured1.64 miles).2.How many damns do you see in the image?At eye alt 11.85 mi, I see one dam.3.Drag to enter street view on the dam to the north of the image. What occupies the top of the dam?A small wind farm is located at the top of the dam.4.Which side of the dam is the open sea, and which side is the protected inland waterway? Whichside of the dam contains the marinas filled with boats? Why would the boats be on that side?The open sea is to the northwest, and the protected inland waterway is to the southeast. Themarina is on the southeastern-facing side of the dam. These boats would not have to deal with thetide everyday – if they wanted access to the open sea, they could go through the lock in the dam.5.What is the elevation of Ouddorp? What is the elevation of Visschershoek to the west of Ouddorpright on the coast? What is the elevation of Melissant to the east of Ouddorp further inland?Based on these observations, is the elevation further inland higher or lower than on the coast?Why is that the case?Ouddorp has an elevation of 5 feet above sea level. Visschershoek has an elevation of 3 feetabove sea level. Melissant has an elevation of 2 feet above sea level. The elevation is relativelylower in Visschershoek and Melissant, with Melissant being the lowest elevation. This is the casebecause this land was reclaimed from the sea (they are polders).GeoVideo Questions1.Describe the infrastructure that supports GPS devices.The infrastructure that supports GPS devices is made up of a network of 27 satellites in mediumEarth orbit. Four of these satellites transmit information to a device on the Earth, determining thedevice’s location by triangulation.2.According to the video, how accurate is the current GPS system? What are the limits of GPStechnology?The current GPS system is accurate, considering that it is operating on technology that is overthirty years old. Accuracy of these systems is dependent on Rubidium atomic clocks that areonboard satellite platforms. These clocks may limit the accuracy of GPS technology; the Galileoproject, developed by scientists in the European Union, will send up satellites with clocks that areten times more accurate than current technology.

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Chapter 1: Basic Concepts193.Based on what you learned in the video, why do you think the U.S. Navy has decided to reinstatecelestial navigation? Explain.The U.S. Navy is reinstating celestial navigation as a means to diversify its navigation techniquesfor its officers, in the event that GPS systems are compromised by a security threat or atechnological failure. This is wise, as technology is always being undermined, whether it be byhackers or obsolescence of technology.Google Earth QuestionsGOOGLE EARTH 1.1What are the precise latitude and longitude of the U.S. Capitol building?38o53’ 22.73” N 77o00’ 31.79” WGOOGLE EARTH 1.2What characteristics of site and situation are visible in an aerial view of NewOrleans?Site is low-lying area along the Mississippi River. Situation is near the mouth of the river where it flowsinto the Gulf of Mexico.GOOGLE EARTH 1.3Fly to Spring Valley, Nevada. Click on the time slider to view historical imagery.How have the properties of distribution of Spring Valley, Nevada, changed over time?Density: the site was undeveloped desert in the 1950s and 1960s, and density started to increase in the1970s. Concentration: housing is clustered on the north side of the image. Pattern: subdivisions haverectangular shapes inside curved shapes.GOOGLE EARTH 1.4How many dams do you see along the southwestern coast of the Netherlands, inthe vicinity of the town of Stellendam?Three.ResourcesZillow (www.zillow.com)Zillow’s mapping interface demonstrates some of the increasingly sophisticated geographic informationavailable over the Internet. Zillow uses data from property records, street addresses, and sales histories tocreate estimates of property values. This site can be used to demonstrate a number of geographic conceptsin addition to the uses of GIS. For example, amenities and/or disamenities are shown to have an influenceon property values.Not all locations are available on this service, but a view of the United States as a whole is animmediatelyengagingdemonstrationofhowgeographymatters,asmedianpricesonhousesinMidwestern states are significantly lower than east or west coast states.

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The Cultural Landscape: An Introduction to Human Geography20Connections between ChaptersChapter 1 does not spend much time introducing the structure and organization of the book, which allowsfor your own organization. Emphasizing the overarching structure of the book may help your students toapproach the subject as holistic rather than just one chapter at a time.The concepts in Chapter 1 lay the foundations for the remainder of the text. Especially important inChapter 1 is the vocabulary associated with key geographic concepts, as the concepts associated withdistribution, spatial association, and regions recur throughout the text.Another fundamental concepts introduced with culture is the division between more and less developedcountries. This idea is continued in the first paragraphs of Chapter 2. You can reinforce these concepts byproviding previews for future chapters. You can also emphasize these concepts by explicitly referringback to the definition when they occur in subsequent chapters.An overarching theme throughout the text and frequently referenced in the beginning of each chapter isthe tension between forces of globalization and attempts to preserve local diversity. Each chapterintroductionalsoreferencesplaces,regions,whereandwhyquestionsofgeography,andspatialconnections.

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21Population and HealthLearning OutcomesAfter reading, studying, and discussing the chapter, students should be able to:Learning Outcome 2.1.1:Understand the distribution of the world’s people.Learning Outcome 2.1.2:Understand why some regions have clustered populations and otherregions are sparsely inhabited.Learning Outcome 2.1.3:Define three types of density used in population geography.Learning Outcome 2.2.1:Understand historical and recent rates of natural increase.Learning Outcome 2.2.2:Recognize regional variations in fertility and mortality.Learning Outcome 2.2.3:Describe the stages of the demographic transition.Learning Outcome 2.3.1:Understand reasons for varying sex ratios and for reduced birth rates.Learning Outcome 2.3.2:Understand the impact of the demographic transition on the percentagesof young and old.Learning Outcome 2.3.3:Understand variations in health-care services between developed anddeveloping nations.Learning Outcome 2.3.4:Summarize the four stages of the epidemiologic transition.Learning Outcome 2.4.1:Summarize arguments supporting and opposing Malthus’s theory of theconnection between population and resources.Learning Outcome 2.4.2:Understand the future population of the world’s most populous countriesand elements of a possible stage 5 of the demographic transition.Learning Outcome 2.4.3:Understandreasonsforapossiblestage5oftheepidemoiologictransition.Learning Outcome 2.4.4:Understand reasons for declining birth rates.2

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The Cultural Landscape: An Introduction to Human Geography22Chapter OutlineIntroductionMore people are presently alive than at any other point in Earth’s history, with populationgrowth mostly concentrated in developing countries. Can Earth sustain more than the 7 billion people thatcurrently call it home, let alone the added billions in the future? Geographers have unique perspectives onthe ability of people to live on Earth. Population growth in developing countries, such as Indonesia (thefourth most populous country in the world), will greatly affect the future population of the world as a whole.Key Issue 1: Where Are the World’s People Distributed?Introducing Population and HealthGeographers examine population problems by first identifyingwhere people are found across the Earth. The location of Earth’s 7 billion people forms a regulardistribution. Chapter 2 explains the spatial variation in population growth rates. With the rate of worldpopulation growth slowing in the twenty-first century, geographers have turned their attention to theglobal differences in access to health-care. The study of population geography is especially important forthree reasons:More people are alive at this time than at any other point in Earth’s long history.Virtually all global population growth is concentrated in developing countries.The world’s population increased at a faster rate during the second half of the twentieth centurythan ever before in history; the rate has slowed in the twenty-first century but is still high byhistorical standards.Overpopulationoccurs when the number of people in an area surpasses the ability of the environment tosupport life at an adequate standard of living. The capacity of the Earth to sustain appreciable populationgrowth differs at varying scales; some regions may feature a favorable balance between people andresources, whereas others may not. Thecensusis the data source most readily used for analysis inpopulation geography. Despite its importance, two issues relating to the census have been identified:Nonparticipation.Homeless(unsheltered)people,ethnicminorities,andcitizensofothercountries who do not possess proper immigration documentation may be less likely to participatein the census.Sampling. Statistical sampling techniques can be used to get a more accurate count, as well as toidentify detailed characteristics of people, housing, and businesses. People sympathetic to theneeds of the homeless and immigrants have been in support of sampling in contrast to peoplefrom more rural areas.Distribution of the World’s PeopleThe world’s population is not distributed uniformly; two propertiesmay be employed by Geographers to understand this distribution: concentration and density. Theseconcepts can be displayed cartographically many ways, such as looking at concentration using acartogram.Population ConcentrationsTwo-thirds of the Earth’s population are clustered in four regions. Thesefour regions are characterized by low-lying terrain, with fertile soil and temperate climate. Concentrationsof people are found near oceans (or rivers with easy access to an ocean) rather than in the interior ofmajor landmasses.

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Lecture Notes For The Cultural Landscape: An Introduction to Human Geography, 11th Edition - Page 31 preview image

Chapter 2: Population and Health23Four ClustersThe four aforementioned population clusters – East Asia, South Asia, Europe, andSoutheast Asia, exhibit differences in the pattern of the occupancy of the land.East AsiaNearly a quarter of the Earth’s population is centered in East Asia. East Asia’s population ismostly concentrated in China, but also Japan, North and South Korea, and Taiwan. Population is clusterednear fertile river valleys and the Pacific Coast. About half of China’s population reside in urban areas.South AsiaRoughly a quarter of the world population lives in South Asia, comprising the countries ofIndia, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka. Population is concentrated along the Indus and Ganges rivers,and also along the two coasts of India (the Arabian Sea to the west and the Bay of Bengal to the east).EuropeFour dozen countries constitute Europe, ranging from Monaco (with 1 square kilometer in landarea) to Russia (the world’s largest country by land area, including its Asian part). People occupy mostlycities, with three-quarters of Europe’s inhabitants living in urban areas.Southeast AsiaApproximately 600 million people live in Southeast Asia, with population concentratedon a series of islands that lie between the Indian and Pacific oceans. This concentration is distinguishedby a high percentage of people working as farmers in rural areas.Other ClustersAfrica’s two largest population clusters amount to roughly 300 million people, arelocated along the west coast between Senegal and Mogeroa and along the east coast between Eritrea andSouth Africa. Most Africans work as farmers. In the Western Hemisphere, northeastern United States, andsoutheastern Canada make up the largest population cluster, with 100 million people.Sparsely Populated RegionsTheecumenedescribes the areas of permanent human habitation. Examiningthe changes in ecumene reveal some areas where humans do not live in large numbers. The ecumenes that aresparsely populated are very dry areas, very wet areas, very cold areas, and mountains. There are large cities inthe mountains of Mexico and along the Andes because the climate is more temperate in the mountains inLatin America than in the lowlands. Africa also has some populations living at higher altitudes.Dry LandsTwenty percent of Earth’s land surface is covered by areas too dry for farming. While desertscannot support agricultural activity due to insufficient water supplies, some populations have adapted tothese circumstances, raising animals that are tolerant to the climate.Wet LandsPoor soil conditions, caused by very high levels of precipitation and extreme heat, hinderhuman occupation near the equator.Cold LandsFew humans live near the North and South poles, as much of the land is permanently frozen(permafrost) and few animals capable of domestication are tolerant to the extreme cold temperatures.High LandsMany high elevation areas in the world are inhospitable to human settlement due to themountains dominating these landscapes being steep and snow covered. Some plateau and mountainregions can support human settlement, especially those at low altitudes (near the equator) whereagriculture is possible at high elevations.

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