GEOG 1HB3 Study Guide - Spring 2018, Comprehensive Midterm Notes - Canada, City, Africa
12 Oct 2018
School
Department
Course
Professor
GEOG 1HB3
MIDTERM EXAM
STUDY GUIDE
Fall 2018
Key Concepts in Human Geography
1. SPACE: Areal extent
• Absolute Space: Objective, Physically real with measurable extent and desirable
boundary. It is relatively immovable.
E.g.: McMaster University is an absolute space.
Absolute space is key to map-making, analysis, etc. it is used for Mathematical
projections.
• Relative Space: Subjective, Perceptual and has variable outcome.
Relative Space is used for topological map, sketch maps where scales, distance and
position are guesstimates.
2. LOCATION : refers to a particular position in space
• Absolute (mathematical) Location: Latitude, Longitude, coordinates e.g. 80W 43N. It is
relatively unchanged. Used in Topographic Maps
• Relative (perceived) Location: It is not based on grid coordinates. E.g. Place A is a short
drive from downtown, Place B IS adjacent to Place C.
• Nominal (or toponym) Location: A plae ae e.g. Caada. A loatio of sigifiae
given a name.
3. PLACE: A location with a particular identity or meaning or significance to individuals or
collectively. E.g. Family Home, neighborhood, a favorite bar.
• Sense of Place: the personal significant attachment we associate with certain places e.g.
childhood home (nostalgia). Sense of Place can be positive or negative.
Some places a eoke a sese of plae ee though e hae’t ee there. E.g.
Diseylad a e a sese of plae for ertai people ho hae’t ee there.
Sense of place is reinforced by uniqueness.
• Scared Place: A place that has a particularly strong meaning (often religious) to
individuals and groups. E.g. Church, Mosque, Burial Grounds.
• Placelessness: Opposite of sense of Place. A place that evokes little or no meaning
whatsoever.
Homogeneity or Standardization (nothing special or unique about such placeless place)
e.g. Walmart, gas stations etc.
4. DISTANCE: Space between two or more locations.
• Absolute/Physical distance: 4000KM from A to B
• Travel distance: 5 hours to travel from A to B
• Economic/Communication distance: Plane ticket cost, stamps used for sending mail,
delivery fees.
• Psychological distance: Going to different places of similar distances may feel different.
A night walk in an alley might feel longer than one in daytime.
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
5. DISTRIBUTION: geographic phenomena can often be explained with reference to the distance
between them and their spatial organization.
• Density: the frequency with which something exists in a measured area. E.g. the number
of houses in a mile, the amount of students that attend an evening class.
A place with less people is less dense than the same place with more people.
• Concentration/Dispersion: how something is spread over an area.
Concentrated/Clustered (agglomerated): e.g. students could be concentrated at the
back of the class than at the front of the class.
Dispersed (scattered): e.g. university locations are dispersed.
• Pattern: spatial arrangements of objects.
Linear, rectilinear, random, uniform/ordered.
6. SPATIAL INTERACTION: connects the concept of location and distance. The level of movement
or communication between two locations.
Objects closer to each other have more spatial interaction than objects further apart.
• Distance Decay: the interaction between two locations decreases in intensity and
frequency as distance increases. E.g. you are less likely to interact with a store the
further it is from your home.
• Friction of distance: the inhibiting/ limiting effect of distance on interaction.
• Accessibility & Connectivity: they play a big role in distance decay and friction of
distance. Accessibility is the ease with which distance can be crossed, e.g. bus stops near
your home to go to the mall, increases the accessibility to the mall.
Connectivity involves the tangible & intangible ways that places are connected, e.g. a
road to the mall, increases its connectivity.
Friction of distance can be reduced by increasing accessibility and connectivity.
7. GRAVITY:
• Gravity Models: used to measure the quantity of movement/ interaction between two
places. It involves:
➢ Relative Sizes of places: population.
➢ Distance between places
➢ Distance decay function: accessibility& connectivity, how easy it is to get from
one place to another. E.g. if a place has cheaper bus fares that increases
accessibility which decrease friction of distance.
Formula:
Iij= K *
Iij is the amount of interaction between two places, i & j;
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
Document Summary
Key concepts in human geography: space: areal extent, absolute space: objective, physically real with measurable extent and desirable boundary. Absolute space is key to map-making, analysis, etc. it is used for mathematical projections: relative space: subjective, perceptual and has variable outcome. Relative space is used for topological map, sketch maps where scales, distance and position are guesstimates: location : refers to a particular position in space, absolute (mathematical) location: latitude, longitude, coordinates e. g. 80w 43n. Used in topographic maps: relative (perceived) location: it is not based on grid coordinates. Place a is a short drive from downtown, place b is adjacent to place c: nominal (or toponym) location: a pla(cid:272)e (cid:374)a(cid:373)e e. g. (cid:862)ca(cid:374)ada(cid:863). A lo(cid:272)atio(cid:374) of sig(cid:374)ifi(cid:272)a(cid:374)(cid:272)e given a name: place: a location with a particular identity or meaning or significance to individuals or collectively. Family home, neighborhood, a favorite bar: sense of place: the personal significant attachment we associate with certain places e. g. childhood home (nostalgia).
