WebText- GEOGRAPHY OF
Chapter 5 – REGIONS and
DRAFT webtext by G. Atwood,
2012
Use with professional
courtesy and attribution including attribution of original sources where
indicated.
LINK to printable version… it
may differ a bit from this web-posted version.
LINK to The 15 Themes of Utah Geography
Subtitle:
5, 4, 3, 2, 1, --
1 Great State with 29
Counties
2 Regions based on
3 Regions based on
4 Regions based on
5 Regions based on
BIG CONCEPTS
1.
REGIONS have
internal similarity with respect to a specific characteristic.
2.
REGIONS are
relatively large and relatively cohesive.
3.
REGIONS have
boundaries… based on geography. Boundaries indicate regional contrasts.
4.
Cartography is
the art of map making.
5.
Maps capture the
status of knowledge at the time of their making.
6.
Regional maps
encourage efficient recognition of spatial contrasts based on a single
attribute or combination of attributes
EVIDENCE.
Examine these images in the context of REGIONS
UT-Region-UT-geo-physprov
UT-Region-UT-hydro-basins LINK physprov-vs-hydro LINK
JW Powell's map revisited
UT-Region-UT-atmos-climatezones
UT-Region-UT-bios-biozones
Not a map of regions... but could become one. IHC-1990-HospitalsAndFacilities- LINK used with permission
Not a map of regions... UT-Region-UT-NightSky
County map... political regions Sterner-Fermi-DEM of Utah with Counties in color, used with permission, a map of political regions.
Quotation:
This chapter needs A GREAT QUOTATION…
Fradkin?.
CASES:
Fradkin… Seven States of
New Yorkers' view of regions... LINK LINK.
Topics… Questions to Ponder –
After this chapter students: should be able to discuss
"what" questions such as:
· What is meant by a region?
And... should wonder about causality and correlation... regions and regional differences, such as, how do they matter.
And should be able to
articulate "why" questions about regions… although students are not
expected to know
Here are a couple “why”
questions students might happily ponder:
(a) Why do regions based on
politics differ from based on the hydrosphere (drainage basins/watersheds)? Why are they sometimes similar?
(b) Why do geographers draw
boundaries?
Overarching Goal of the Chapter:
Appreciate that the “power
and beauty of geography is seeing… and appreciating the web of relationships
among people, places and environment”… and the power and beauty of Geography of
Utah is to do so for
MAJOR CONCEPT:
REGION is the fifth of the
“five themes of geography” the others being (1) location, (2) place, (3)
interaction, and (4) migration / movement. A region is a relatively sizable
area that is has more similarities within its borders than to areas beyond its
borders … based on a specific characteristic, usually a single specific characteristic but it can be a composite. Geographers see, understand and appreciate
spatial patterns. We draw boundaries and create regions to better see,
understand, and appreciate… webs of relationships.
Addendum / clarification /
expansion on the “major concept”…
Old school (pre-1990)
geography seemed to be all about regions… regional geography of North America…
regional geography of Europe… geography of
Specifics: by the end of this chapter… you should:
Know what is meant by a
region?
Understand how there can be
the 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, 29 “regions” of
Coaching for students of UofU GEOG3600-Geography of
Have you taken a class in
drawing? I recommend it, not just to be able to draw, but to see the world
differently, to be able to take scenes apart and put them back together. That
is the mission of Geography of
Terms to understand with respect to REGIONS
Mastery of these terms is a
sign of understanding. Can you define them using your own words, use them with
examples, and say how they are important… with respect to others of The 15 Words.
REGION
Regions of
Physiographic province
Hydrologic basin
Climate zone
Bioregion
County
THEORY / CONCEPTS towards an understanding or REGION
and geography of
1. Region…
definition… REGIONS have internal similarity with respect to a specific
characteristic.
REGION from Merriam-Webster, on line
dictionary (eb.com)
noun
Middle English regioun, from
Anglo-French regiun, from Latin region-, regio line, direction,
area, from regere to direct
Date:14th century
1: an administrative area, division, or
district; especially the basic administrative unit for local government
in Scotland
2 a: an indefinite area of the world or universe b:
a broad geographic area distinguished by similar features c (1):
a major world area that supports a characteristic fauna (2): an
area characterized by the prevalence of one or more vegetational climax types
3 a: any of the major subdivisions into which the body or one of
its parts is divisible ban indefinite area surrounding a specified body part <a pain in the ∼ of the
heart>
4: a sphere of activity or interest : field
5: any of the zones into which the atmosphere is divided
according to height or the sea according to depth
6: an open connected set together with none, some, or all of the
points on its boundarey <a simple closed curve divides a plane into two -s >
Think nuances...
2. REGIONS are…
relatively large, with relative internal similarity. Boundaries mark regions, and indicate regional
contrasts.
LINK to Sterner-Fermi-UT-DEM showing county boundaries in color, used with permission.
Relatively HOMOGENEOUS with
respect to some attribute
Regions for different reasons
– so some attributes will be RELEVANT versus IRRELEVANT for a regional map ... context.
Can be based on an attribute of human geography... name the five ... imagine the regions... Anthropology - WSU-BYU-Greer p75; Demographics; Economics; Political Science; Sociology (via JSTOR, Meinig, Mormon Culture Regions)
INTERACTIONS... within and beyond...
Examples: a county, state or a region.
New Yorker’s view of regions
... two images... LINK
Geographic terminology e.g.
GIS. Regions are polygons (areas... not lines or points). They are based on an
attribute that can be subjectively or objectively differentiated across the
region... meaning the attribute has different patterns of value across the
terrain, and terrain that shares the same general values are lumped as regions
so long as they are ... continuous, contiguous, and cohesive.
3. Regions have
boundaries
Geographers and others define
boundaries… determining what is within and what is outside a region is often done by an individual or a committee. Sometimes
it’s easy… and sometimes it’s hotly debated… and sometimes its political… and
sometimes a boundary is left ambiguous... deliberately or not.
The end game is not just to
draw the boundary, but to define the basis for drawing what is included and
excluded. Thus, as students of Geography of Utah, what matters just as much as where a boundary has been placed is its logic and purpose.
Coaching for students of
GEOG3600: Geography of Utah: yes, it is helpful to memorize the 5, 4, 3, 2, 1,
29 boundaries… but first think... where would you have drawn the boundaries. Each line should have meaning.
Revisit:
Brigham Young and territorial boundaries of five Utah
John Wesley Powell’s map of
Present map of
4. Cartography
is the art of map making… including digital maps.
Brewer – map design – cover
page
What is a map… a model of
reality.
Review: reference maps versus
thematic maps
Maps of regions are thematic
maps… based on a theme.
But to have a thematic map…
there has to be a base of a reference map (to refer to).
5. Maps capture
the status of knowledge at their creation… The evolution of geographic
knowledge of
Note… these are primarily
reference maps… maps of location.
Constructs... Meaning... Context... Discourse.
What was their purpose, their audience, their impact?
Miera’s map – of 1776
Evolution of geographic
knowledge of
What did the early explorers
know? How did their knowledge expand?
Miera1778 map of
Escalante-Dominguez route -Bienecke=source for "
Interpret features... remember concepts of LOCATION... with respect to something.
Arrowsmith 1802 LINK and
DETAIL
Arrowsmith 1804 LINK and
DETAIL
6. Regional maps
allow efficient recognition of spatial contrasts based on a single attribute or
combination of attributes.
That's what makes them so useful! For example:
National Atlas --- conterminous
USGS hydrologic regions based
on watersheds.
Part II of this web-text
discusses five attributes of
REGIONS based on an
attribute... 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 ... to be understood and embraced, even memorized,
hopefully with meaning. These are in the Utah Atlas by Craig and Carr… Here they are shown
on a map base of the relief map of
Craig and Carr Utah Atlas.
5 REGIONS based on biosphere,
LINK
4 REGIONS based on
atmosphere, LINK
3 REGIONS based on geosphere,
LINK RIDD
2 REGIONS based on
hydrosphere, LINK
1 GREAT STATE ... with 29
counties, LINK to colored DEM with Counties, Sterner-Fermi, used with permission... Bagley cartoon.
5 regions called ecoregions based on the biosphere... most difficult to picture... biosystems... life and
habitats. You don't have to memorize these and their boundaries but you should
be able to discuss them. Note there are 5 plus small portions of two others.
Also note that they are named for classic locations rather than for characteristic
species.
4 regions called climate
zones based on atmosphere (weather and climate, specifically the amount of
precipitation for life, note the interconnection between bio and atmo)
desert
steppe
montane
humid continental.
3 regions, called physiographic
provinces, based on the geosphere, specifically, based on landforms. NOTE - Craig and Carr annotation of regions -- what basis?
Colorado Plateau
physiographic province,
Basin and Range physiographic
province.
2 regions, called drainage
basins or drainage areas, based on surface-water characteristics of the
hydrosphere (plus a tiny bit of a third hydrologic basin) Greer Atlas of Utah p 48.
The
The
1 great State with 29
counties.
FINAL SECTION OF THIS CHAPTER…
So What?
How REGION matters to the
physical and human geographies of
Recognition regional
contrasts empowers:
When… you compare where you
are to where you aren’t… you better…
Know where you are, know who
you are.
And be empowered to lead a
good life… that’s the underlying assumption of UofU GEOG3600-Geography of
Regions allow us to rapidly
compare and contrast.
You’ve now completed 5/5 (all
of) of the first part of GEOG3600-Geography of
Chapter 06 – the geosphere
Chapter 07 – the hydrosphere
Chapter 08 – the atmosphere
(weather and climate)
Chapter 09 – the biosphere
Part III of the course and of
this text explores cultural patterns within and beyond
Every box of the matrix of
The 15 Themes of Utah Geography can be explored from the perspective of regions
/ spatial diversity of
Examples: do regional boundaries impact ... politics (yes); some transportation patterns (movement); hydrosphere (yes, water law but probably not water flows directly); location (yes, real estate location); sociology (yes, liquor laws Utah vs Nevada).
LIST of “The 15 Words” (three
columns)
Loc
Place
Interaction
Migration
Region
Geo
Hydro
Atmo
Bio
Anthro
Econ
Demog
PoliSci
Sociol
QLife
SELF QUIZ
By the end of this chapter…
you should:
Know that the fifth theme of
geography is REGION. The others are (1) Location, (2) Place, (3) Migration /
Movement, and (4) Interaction
SUMMARY:
REGION is the fifth of five
recurrent themes of geography. Region is inherently special.
Maps showing REGIONS are
meant to display broad, contiguous areas with internal similarities with
respect to a particular characteristic.
Regions have boundaries. One
would expect boundaries based on politics to differ from those based on climate
(the atmosphere), or the biosphere.
Regions based on landforms
(geosphere) are called physiographic provinces.
Regions based on watersheds
(hydrosphere) are called drainage basins.
Regions based on weather /
climate (atmosphere) climate zones.
Regions based on ecosystems (biosphere) are called eco regions.
Know who you are, know where you are, know where you aren't, know better who you are. LINK .
