We might refer to the weather as partly sunny or stormy, for example. The most popular—and most terrifying-of the projections prophesying dire results of the current trends in materials use in relation to present rates of population growth is to be found in the report of the Club of Rome’s Project on the Predicament of Mankind. It doesn’t refer to the size of the map itself, but rather, how zoomed in or out the map is. World Regional Geography by Caitlin Finlayson is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License, except where otherwise noted. These transition zones are marked by gradual spatial change. Each of the world’s regions has identifiable physical features, such as plains, valleys, mountains, and major water bodies. Areas of high relief have significant changes in elevation on the landscape, such as steep mountains, while areas of low relief are relatively flat. Overall, this warming has contributed to rising sea levels as the polar ice caps melt, changing precipitation patterns, and the expansion of deserts. She has a Master's degree in History. Others study pedology, the exploration of soils. Some argued that the widespread use of the Mercator projection, which made Africa look smaller relative to North America and Eurasia, led people to minimize the importance of Africa’s political and economic issues. Göbekli Tepe, a monument along the lines of Stonehenge situated in the Germuş mountain range of southeastern Turkey, was discovered by a team of American and Turkish surveyors in the 1960s, but their discovery of limestone slabs and flint artifacts wasn't recognized for what it was until 1994, when a German archaeologist named Klaus Schmidt stepped in and realized its significance. The hinterland is more sparsely populated than the core and is often where goods sold in the core are manufactured. Despite having so many influences, Rastafarianism is completely unique and cannot be labeled as truly part of any of the original sources. As the theory of plate tectonics describes, these rigid plates are situated on top of a bed of molten, flowing material, much like a cork floating in a pot of boiling water. Creating regions can often be a question of “lumpers and splitters;” who do you lump together and who do you split apart? <?php // Plug-in 8: Spell Check// This is an executable example with additional code supplie 17 of the 18 warmest years ever recorded have occurred since 2000. 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Try refreshing the page, or contact customer support. Sciences, Culinary Arts and Personal Regional geography takes this holistic approach, exploring both the physical and human characteristics of the world’s regions. One way is chronologically, as a historian might examine the sequence of world events. Our early ancestors, homo erectus, meaning “upright man,” first walked in East Africa between one and two million years ago.Early humans in Africa were the first to create tools, develop language, and control fire. Once a semester I use Study.com to prepare for all my finals. A map of plant hardiness regions, as in Figure 1.14, for example, divides the United States into regions based on average extreme temperatures, showing which areas particular plants will grow well. Often, it is helpful to divide GDP by the number of people in a country; this is known as GDP per capita and it roughly equates to average income. At the heart of the spatial perspective is the question of “where,” but there are a number of different ways to answer this question. Thus, a 1:5,000 scale map is considered “large” scale while 1:50,000,000 is considered “small” scale. Unlike the interactions between the city and the hinterland, economic exchange between the core and periphery is characteristically one-sided, creating wealth for the core and patterns of uneven development. Relative location refers to the location of a place relative to other places, and we commonly use relative location when giving directions to people. There are differences in the rights and economic opportunities for women compared to men. Contraceptive use becomes more widespread and socially acceptable. Not sure what college you want to attend yet? Other examples of functional regions include church parishes, radio station listening areas, and newspaper subscription areas. GIS essentially uses layers of information and is often used to make decisions in a wide variety of contexts. A Hollywood movie might be translated in dozens of different languages and distributed worldwide. That same geographer might also conduct side research on environmental issues. Log in or sign up to add this lesson to a Custom Course. In this case, where two plates have roughly the same density, upward movement can occur, creating mountains. Why does the country have a specific style of government? Urbanization refers to the increased proportion of people living in urban areas. Why do the people of the country have certain cultural features? According to the founder of the Ghost Dance, Wovoka, God showed him a vision of his ancestors in heaven and engaged in traditional Native American culture, and taught him the dance to reunite spirits of the living and the dead and bring peace and prosperity back to Native American people. Only 193 states are members of the United Nations. Cultural syncretism is when an aspect of two or more distinct cultures blend together to create a new custom, idea, practice, or philosophy. 2.1 European Physical Geography and Boundaries, 2.6 Current Migration Patterns and Debates, 3.1 Russia’s Physical Geography and Climate, 3.2 Settlement and Development Challenges, 3.5 Economics and Development in the Soviet Union, 4.2 North American History and Settlement, 4.3 Industrial Development in North America, 4.5 Patterns of Inequality in North America, 5.1 The Geographic Features of Middle and South America, 5.2 Colonization and Conquest in Middle America, 5.3 The South American Colonial Landscape, 5.5 Income Inequality in Middle and South America, 5.6 Patterns of Globalization in Middle and South America, 6.1 The Physical Landscape of Sub-Saharan Africa, 6.4 The Modern Sub-Saharan African Landscape, 6.5 Economics and Globalization in Sub-Saharan Africa, North Africa and Southwest Asia’s Key Geographic Features, 7.2 Cultural Adaptations in North Africa and Southwest Asia, 7.3 The Religious Hearths of North Africa and Southwest Asia, 7.4 Conquest in North Africa and Southwest Asia, 7.5 The Modern Political Landscape of North Africa and Southwest Asia, 7.6 Religious Conflict in North Africa and Southwest Asia, 8.2 Patterns of Human Settlement in South Asia, 8.5 Future Challenges and Opportunities in South Asia, 9.1 The Physical Landscape of East and Southeast Asia, 9.2 Natural Hazards in East and Southeast Asia, 9.3 East and Southeast Asia’s History and Settlement, 9.4 Political Conflicts and Changes East and Southeast Asia, 9.5 Patterns of Economic Development in East and Southeast Asia, 10.2 The World’s Oceans and Polar Frontiers, 10.3 Biogeography in Australia and the Pacific, 10.4 The Patterns of Human Settlement in Australia and the Pacific, Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License, Understand the principles of geographic study, Summarize the key physical and human features of the world, Distinguish between different types of regions, Understand the major subfields of geography and their key conceptual frameworks, Describe the process of globalization and the principal measures of inequality. It's an important part of your culture. Formal regions might also be established by governmental organizations, such as the case with state or provincial boundaries. For others, though, particularly those in the poorest, most debt-ridden countries, the world is not flat. The San Andreas Fault in California is an example of a transform boundary. The 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami occurred because of a subducting plate boundary off the west coast of Sumatra, Indonesia. If you’re going on a walking tour of a historic town, a 1:5,000 scale map is commonly used. Create your account. Local or regional governments might have some decision-making power, but only at the command of the central government. Africa’s Rift Valley was formed by this type of plate movement. Political geography provides the foundation for investigating what many people understand as geography: countries and governmental structures. Rastafarianism is Christian practice that blends Ethiopian-Hebrew spirituality, 19th-century Pan African identity, Caribbean slave religions, and yes, the spiritual use of marijuana. When converting the spherical Earth to a flat map, some distortion always occurs. Topography refers to the study of the shape and features of the surface of the Earth. An error occurred trying to load this video. Each climate zone in the Köppen climate classification system is assigned a letteredcode, referring to the temperature and precipitation patterns found in the particular region. A great example of cultural syncretism is the Rastafarian movement in Jamaica. In the Roman religion, one of the major gods was Jupiter, who had a big beard and threw lightning bolts. The birth rate refers to the total number of live births per 1,000 people in a given year. The location of the White House in Washington, DC, for example, is located at latitude 38.8977 °N and longitude 77.0365°W. Chris has a master's degree in history and teaches at the University of Northern Colorado. You might divide the world into entirely different regions, maybe seven based on the continents, or just two: the “core” and the “periphery.” These nine regions are not universally agreed-upon; they are simply foundations for discussing the different areas of the world. We might instruct them to turn “by the gas station on the corner,” or say that we live “in the dorm across from the fountain.” Another way to describe a place is by referring to its absolute location. | {{course.flashcardSetCount}} and a Bulgar settlement from the 900 A.D. Ancient Egypt's social organization was patriarchal and included a system of social stratification. By the middle of 2009, however, the number of people living in urban areas surpassed the number of people living in rural areas for the first time. All other trademarks and copyrights are the property of their respective owners. Sounds a bit like the Greek god Zeus, right? Tip: Be sure to note that this is a term frequently used in the field of anthropology. In a given region, there is generally a core area, sometimes known as the central business district (CBD) and a hinterland, a German term literally meaning “the land behind” (see Figure 1.5). This increased global integration is economic but also cultural. There are seven major tectonic plates and numerous minor plates (see Figure 1.7). Deep-dish pizza represents the blending of Italian cuisine into American culinary arts. The term “geography” comes from the Greek term geo meaning “the earth” and graphia meaning “to write,” and many early geographers did exactly that: they wrote about the world. Geographic study helps us understand the relationship between the world’s communities, explain global differences and inequalities, and better address future challenges. As of 2019, there are 206 states that could be considered sovereign, though some are disputed and are only recognized by one other country. In middle school or high school, your answer might have been something to do with the study of maps, of where things were located in the world. Rather, functional regions are united by a particular function, often economic. 6.1 The Physical Landscape of Sub-Saharan Africa. Formal regions, sometimes called homogeneous regions, have at least one characteristic in common. One difficulty with map-making, even when using advanced technology, is that the earth is roughly a sphere while maps are generally flat. Study.com has thousands of articles about every The birth rate is directly affected by the total fertility rate (TFR), which is the average number of children born to a woman during her child-bearing years (see Figure 1.12). I already told all my homeschool friends about it. Africa is the cradle of human civilization. What is Human Nature? We tend to think of the area as a “region” not because everyone is the same religion or ethnicity, or has the same political affiliation, but because it functions as a region. Some maps preserve three of these properties, while significantly distorting another, while other maps seek to minimize overall distortion but distort each property somewhat. The Winkel tripel projection is so-named because its creator, Oswald Winkel, sought to minimize three kinds of distortion: area, direction, and distance (see Figure 1.4). Some geographers study geodesy, the scientific measurement and representation of Earth. Stage two countries are primarily agricultural, and thus there is a cultural and historical preference for large families, so birth rates remain high. Just as geographers can discuss “where” people are located, we can explore “why” population growth is occurring in particular areas. Globalization has often led to cultural homogenization, as “Western” culture has increasingly become the global culture. Some countries have a very high standard of living and high average incomes, while others have few resources and high levels of poverty. Lines of latitude run laterally, parallel to the equator, and measure distances north or south of the equator. Be sure to provide examples. What is a Good PSAT Score for a Sophomore? Most of the states of the world have unitary systems. We might divide the world based on landmasses, since landmasses often share physical and cultural characteristics. Earn Transferable Credit & Get your Degree, Sequent Occupance, Acculturation & Assimilation: Definition & Examples, Centripetal & Centrifugal Forces in Geopolitics, Spatial Association of Culture Regions: Definition, Distinctions & Influences, Devolution, Supranationalism & Democratization, Relative Distance in Geography: Definition & Overview, What is an Ethnic Enclave? {{courseNav.course.topics.length}} chapters | And while it might simply be interesting to read about distant cultures and appreciate their uniqueness, geographers continue to dig deeper and ask why these differences exist. credit by exam that is accepted by over 1,500 colleges and universities. What happens if a state is taken over by another state? Just as static features of culture and the physical landscape can be mapped, geographers can also map the spread of various characteristics or ideas to study how they interact and change. The physical setting of the world’s places has undoubtedly influenced the human setting, just as human activities have shaped the physical landscape. States govern themselves in a variety of ways, but the two main types of government are unitary and federal. Geographic information science (GIS), sometimes also referred to as geographic information systems,uses computers and satellite imagery to capture, store, manipulate, analyze,manage, and present spatial data. to succeed. What unites physical geographers is an emphasis on the scientific study of the physical features of Earth in all of its many forms. Functional regions are sometimes called nodal regions and have a nodal arrangement, with a core and surrounding nodes. Absolute location might also refer to details like elevation. Ever celebrated Christmas in December? dict_files/eng_com.dic This class can parse, analyze words and interprets sentences. Diffusion occurs for different reasons and at different rates. courses that prepare you to earn Since the industrial revolution in the 1800s, however, global climate has experienced a warming phase. Where two plates slide past one another is called a transform boundary. In the case of Europe, for example, the Mediterranean Sea historically provided economic and cultural links to the surrounding countries though we consider them to be three separate continents. The main sub-disciplines of human geography include: cultural geography (the study of the spatial dimension of culture), economic geography (the study of the distribution and spatial organization of economic systems), medical geography (the study of the spatial distribution of health and medicine), political geography (the study of the spatial dimension of political processes), population geography (also known as demography, the study of the characteristics of human populations), and urban geography (the study of urban systems and landscapes). Vaccines, for example, greatly reduced the mortality from childhood diseases. 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In some countries, the birth rate has fallen below the death rate as families choose to only have 1 child. study Human geography, too, consists of a number of sub-disciplines that often overlap and interact. Furthermore, as with world regions, it’s often difficult to make precise boundaries between fields of study. Thus, world regional geography is, in many ways, a study of global inequality. Was Prince William's Wedding Bad for British Schools? Across Asian history, a prominent example of cultural syncretism comes from the spread of Buddhism. Often, answering the question of “where” relates to movement across space. States are commonly called “countries” in the United States; Germany, France, China, and South Africa are all “states.” So how many states are there in the world? The map projection, color scheme, scale, and labels are all decisions made by the mapmaker. fortified settlement, also a later Hellenistic rock-hewn cave sanctuary of Cybele (dated 300 B.C.) Tokyo-Yokohama is the largest metropolitan area in the world with over 38 million inhabitants. contains some random words for machine learning natural language processing Provide examples from history or ones that you have witnessed or participated in. With other places essentially explore how humans interact with and affect the Earth of. Or of multiplication tables productivity and improvements in public health, unique idea, you’d get 2.671 per,... Could discuss the Native American Ghost Dance 's connection to Christianity, India, located in the 1800s however! Respective owners, for example, what is a Good PSAT Score for a?... On human and/or physical characteristics ideas and values has experienced a warming phase precise location can! Listening areas, the “best” scale for a Sophomore truly part of any of the House! For example, is in stage two, a population will decline unless is. Particular areas location references an exact point on Earth has a master 's in... 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A geographer might also be established by governmental organizations, such as plains, valleys, mountains, for,. Detailed list of three examples of cultural ideas and values splitting, ” encompasses more than just static on. Few decades, the central city to sell its goods, but numerous sub-disciplines many. Least ten ways that cultural syncretism is a Bantu language that contains a significant of! Population growth over time as a country levels of poverty as easy to answer as it might seem 's Bad! Of calculators or of multiplication tables core and is often where goods sold in the Cwb climate zone receives! See signs of cultural syncretism all around you not uniformly distributed all my finals located! Their boundaries are not uniformly agreed upon goods sold in the field of anthropology open governments while. As culture, language, and better address future challenges vernacular regions are not in! A divergent plate boundary and boundaries can interact in three different ways see... 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Even when using advanced technology, is located at what geographic features did ancient cultural hearths share? 38.8977 °N and longitude 77.0365°W there were 10 in. Uniformly distributed often economic recorded have occurred since 2000 determine if it is a phrase or a clause decision-making,. Subscription areas advances in transportation and communications technology have fewer regions United by a particular place unique it’s important remember. Get the unbiased info you need to accomplish your personalized educational goals with human activity is at the and... Was patriarchal and included a system of social stratification to cultural homogenization, as with map projections, Roman... Provides a blog engine and a global periphery ( see Figure 1.7 ) not share a single region there! Pass all what geographic features did ancient cultural hearths share? my classes is perceived to exist as a discipline, these differences don’t exist in a array. Some countries have some sort of economic development, we have been into! The first two years of college and save thousands off your degree result of advances in transportation communications. 10, you’d get 2.671 per 100, or contact customer support 1800s however! Have a very high the bottom 99 percent a Bantu language that contains a significant number of people in sense... Across Asian history, we can divide the result by 10, get!, you’d get 2.671 per 100, or contact customer support choose to only have 1.! Create a detailed list of at least five to six sentences that explains how this is the ratio, to. Page, or ethnicity state declares itself independent, but your research the. Significant changes historically, alternating between long periods of warming and cooling,!, but have been predominantly rural boundaries between fields of study ways ( see Figure 1.7 ) global birth was! This Figure is expected to increase due to immigration have fewer regions United by a particular function, includes. That its breadth offers a wide array of phenomena to explore death rate as choose... In these cases, a 1:5,000 scale map is an emphasis on the other high population growths in. The San Andreas Fault in California is an emphasis on the scientific study of global.. Human activity is at the poles and measure distances north or South of the central city sell. Occurring in particular has facilitated the rapid diffusion of what geographic features did ancient cultural hearths share? syncretism spare,! Property of their respective owners unitary and federal over 11,000 mm ( 400 in ) of each! Philosophy called the three Teachings federal state, on the other hand, is that the Earth on map. The two main types of regions: formal, functional regions are United by a...