UNIT 1 FRQ PRACTICE 1. The region is a highly contested yet

UNIT 1 FRQ PRACTICE
1. The region is a highly contested yet critical concept in the study of human
geography.
a. Why and how do geographers perform the regionalization process?
b. What is regional geography?
c. Discuss the different types of regions that human geographers
study, and provide an example of each type.
2. Technological innovations have greatly influenced the methods by which
geography can be done today.
a. Describe three technological advances that have dramatically
changed the capabilities of the discipline of geography.
b. List an application for each type of technology.
3. The region is a highly contested yet critical concept in the study of human
geography.
a. Define region.
b. Explain why it is important to human geographers.
c. List three types of regions, define them, and list an example of each.
1.
Main Points:
2) The regionalization process involves grouping similar characteristics of different
places into a more manageable unit of study, which is the region. The region is a
conceptual unit that is bounded based on whatever feature a particular geographer
wants to include within a particular region. These features can be either physical or
cultural.
1) Regional geography is concerned with the study of regions nad the characteristics
of those particular regions that make them different from other places on Earth’s
surface. Generally, regional geography takes an idiographic approach because it looks
at the unique characteristics of particular places without generalizing the processes
occurring within those regions beyond their boundaries.
6)Functional regions are defined by the connections and interactions that occur
between a central place and its surrounding area. An example would be Chicago (or
any other large city) and all the various transportation, economic, cultural and
recreational connections that exist within that area. The boundary of a formal region
contains an area of similar culture or physical characteristics. An example of a
formal region would be Friesland in the northern part of the Netherlands. In this
part of the country, people speak a different language and perceive themselves quite
differently from the other citizens of the country.
2. Main Points:
3) Three technological innovations that have dramatically changed the methods of
geography are remote sensing, the Global Positioning System (GPS), and
Geographical Information Systems (GIS)
6) Remote sensing is mostly used to determine land use. It is one of the
most effective tools for quantifying the amount of tropical rain forest
being deforested. GPS is a tool used by geographers(and the public) for
navigational purposes. Geographical Information Systems (GIS) are an extremely
important tool for geographers today. GIS allow geographers to apply the spatial
perspective to different phenomena more quickly through the overlay of thematic
maps – each containing information about different spatial features. The map overlay
allows geographers to determine quickly whether a spatial relationship exists among
different spatial phenomena. A GIS of New York City with thematic layers of street
systems, fire hydrants, and hospital locations would be a useful tool for determining
evacuation routes and getting people to hospitals as quickly as possible.
3.Main Points:
1) A region is what links places together using any parameter the geographer
choose.
2) The regionalization process allows human geographers to organize
information and people into groups and areal units. Regions give the geographers
specific focuses and even detailed focuses on particular areas.
6)Three types of regions are formal, vernacular, and functional. Formal regions
are uniform. Everyone shares in common one or more distinctive characteristic.
An example would be the Mid West being considered the Corn Belt because corn
is their distinctive characteristic. Vernacular regions are perceptual. They are a
place that people believe exists as part of their cultural identity. An example
would be people thinking of sweet tea when they think of "the south". Functional
regions are nodal. They are an area organized around a focal point. They are tied
to that central point by transportation, economics, or communication systems.
An example would be the area of Tampa that receives the Tampa Tribune.

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