Chapter 2 People, Places, and Patterns

1. Chapter 2 People, Places, and Patterns Geography in International Studies

2. What is Geography? • Geography is a core discipline of international studies • Geo meaning “Earth” • Graphyrefers to “writing” • Two main areas of study: • Physical • Examines the environment • Human • Arrangement of Activities of people

3. Development of Geography • The classical Greeks and Chinese were the first to understand and study geography • Arabs continued the study of geography • With the Renaissance, Europe relearned Geography through encounters with the Arabs • Modern geography is said to embody six elements: • Space: patterns of human activity across the Earth • Place & Region: focuses on characteristics of places • Physical: understand processes of the environment • Human: understand human influence on Earth • Environment: interrelationships between people and environment • Uses: past, present, and future

4. Components of Geography • Three main components of a geographical way of thinking: • Space • Location • Spatial interaction • Spatial organization • Region • Formal • Functional • Environment

5. Space • Location: answers the question “where?” • Nominal: Oxford, OH • Relative: Ohio is West of New York • Absolute: Oxford, OH is at 39o30’N Lat, 84o45’W Long • Spatial Interaction: why and how…. • People move • Resources move • Ideas move • Spatial Organization: reveals how people have delineated various territories

6. [Figure 2.1. Hong Kong. The harbor is the reason for Hong Kong. Photo S. Toops]

7. Region • Formal • Human characteristics • Language, religion, etc. • Physical • Climate, landform, etc. • Functional • Defined by network, focal point, or node • River system • Trading system • World Regions: Europe, Africa, etc. • Formal and functional

8. [Figure 2.2. Zurich. The largest city and financial center of Switzerland. Photo S. Toops]

9. [Figure 2.2. Zurich. The largest city and financial center of Switzerland. Photo S. Toops] [Figure 2.3 Istanbul. Asia is in the background, Europe is in the foreground, in between is the Bosporus, the historical divide between Europe and Asia. Photo S. Toops]

10. Environment • Environmental determinism • People acting in a certain way according to their environment • Now considered mutually interactive • Human determinism • People control their environment • Environmental possibilism • Physical environment cannot determine what we can do but it can limit what we can achieve • Resources • Renewable • Recyclable: aluminum, paper • Continuous flow: solar power, hydropower • Short term: timber, soil, water • Non-renewable: fossil fuels ( coal, oil)

11. [Figure 2.4. Hunza. Pakistan. The Hunza Valley is irrigated from the glaciers in the surrounding mountains. Photo: S. Toops]

12. [Figure 2.5. Farm in Iowa. A piece of land, a farm, a home, a place, a geography. Photo S. Toops]

13. Maps: Tools for International Studies • Maps are forms of communication that express ideas about the world • Specialized picture of mathematical precision • Fundamentals • Scale: relationship between length of an object on a map and length in the real world • Centering and Orientation: can be centered anywhere on Earth • Projection: the way the Earth’s surface is distorted in a map • Technological advancements: satellites • Geographic information system (GIS) • Remote sensing

14. [Map 2.1 World Map – Mercator Projection]

15. [Map 2.2 World Map – Robinson Projection]

16. Lying with Maps • Maps are sometimes used for other purposes than just displaying a place • Propaganda • Used during war to influence • Political views • Can you think of any ways in which a map is used for some other purpose than as a means to find a place?

17. Conclusion • Geography is critical in international studies • Analyze space, regions, and environments of Earth • Geographical methods used by businesses, non-profit organizations and governmental organizations • State Department • WHO • WTO • Geography is helpful in everyday life • Geography matters