Introduction
Welcome! My name is Samantha Snyder, and I am currently a junior at Strath Haven High School. I am so excited to be taking AP Human Geography this year! I am interested in this course because I love social studies. I really enjoy learning about different people, cultures, and why things are the way they are. I can't wait to learn about the relationship between humans and the natural world around them - how geography has shaped people's lives throughout history.
As far as information about myself, I particpate in many school activities. I run varsity cross-country, am an editor of the school paper, and participate in band front and chorus. I have played the piano for ten years and enjoy reading, boogie boarding, and surfing. Thanks for visiting my site! I hope you won't be disappointed!
As far as information about myself, I particpate in many school activities. I run varsity cross-country, am an editor of the school paper, and participate in band front and chorus. I have played the piano for ten years and enjoy reading, boogie boarding, and surfing. Thanks for visiting my site! I hope you won't be disappointed!
Terms and Ideas
My goal in creating this site is to provide an easy-to-access resource that can provide accurate and helpful information about the study of human geography. Therefore, it is important to define what terms central to this study mean (both their actual definitions and certain concepts associated with them). A list of these terms, along with their definitions and ideas regarding them, is provided below.
geography: the scientific study of the location of people and activities across Earth, and the reasons for their distribution
human geography: the study of where and why human activities are located where they are
The study of human geography is essential to understanding why the world we live in is the way it is today. As you can see above, the defintiions of geography and human geography are qutie similar. This is because there are two types of geography - human geography, which is what this site is concerned with, and physical geography. Physical goegraphy studies where and why natural forces occur as they do. While human geography is, principally, a social science, it is important to also remember that the interactions between humans and their environment affect the cultures and economies of various groups of people. Thus, when studying human geography, one must also think about physical geography. Likewise, geography greatly impacts human behavior. Globalization and local diversity affect the lives of individuals across the world. Geography plays a large part in determing how greatly individuals are affected by these factors. Areas more secluded from the rest of the world, along with poorer regions that don't have a great deal of access to technology, are affected less by globalization and therefore exhibit more local diversity. The opposite is true for wealthier and more accessible regions. Human geography looks at why certain peoples settled these different areas, and why the types of local diversity seen in every region came to be as they are. This is critical in understanding human behavior.
cartography:the science of mapmaking
Cartography has been practiced by humans since the dawn of time. People have always needed to create maps as tools for navigation. As history progressed, these maps evolved from showing a crude path between to mountains to the first depictions of the world. Over time, the accuracy and detail level of maps has progressed, as has their medium and accessibility. While maps were originally drawn painstakingly and often imperfectly by hand, now they can be created with ease and precision on computers, using tools such as geographic information systems (GISs) or global positioning systems (GPSs). These systems play a large role in the modern, 21st century world. For geographers, a GIS can help them decide where to build houses and roads, protect hillsides from development, or determine the impact of farming processes on water pollution. GISs have enabled this because they provide the capacity to view multiple layers of maps at once, allowing geographers to compare different aspects of a certain area to determine important relationships between them. These layers can include boundaries of countries, bodies of water, roads, and names of places. In everyday life, modern mapping technology provides individuals with a plethora of readily available information. One is able to plug a destination into a car GPS system and it will direct the driver on how to reach it. Since a GPS pinpoints exact locations, it can also enable someone to get help in an emergency (such as a car breaking down). But the most amazing progress cartography has made is accessibility. Using map websites such as Google Maps, individuals can search for different attractions in very specific areas, such as certain neighborhoods in a city. One would simply have to type in a search for, say, pizza restaurants within a certain section into Google Maps, and within seconds he or she would have a wealth of options, as well as directions on how to get to the various locations. Clearly, maps have evolved from a world in which only cartographers dealt to an everyday resource easily accessible to the average person.
geography: the scientific study of the location of people and activities across Earth, and the reasons for their distribution
human geography: the study of where and why human activities are located where they are
The study of human geography is essential to understanding why the world we live in is the way it is today. As you can see above, the defintiions of geography and human geography are qutie similar. This is because there are two types of geography - human geography, which is what this site is concerned with, and physical geography. Physical goegraphy studies where and why natural forces occur as they do. While human geography is, principally, a social science, it is important to also remember that the interactions between humans and their environment affect the cultures and economies of various groups of people. Thus, when studying human geography, one must also think about physical geography. Likewise, geography greatly impacts human behavior. Globalization and local diversity affect the lives of individuals across the world. Geography plays a large part in determing how greatly individuals are affected by these factors. Areas more secluded from the rest of the world, along with poorer regions that don't have a great deal of access to technology, are affected less by globalization and therefore exhibit more local diversity. The opposite is true for wealthier and more accessible regions. Human geography looks at why certain peoples settled these different areas, and why the types of local diversity seen in every region came to be as they are. This is critical in understanding human behavior.
cartography:the science of mapmaking
Cartography has been practiced by humans since the dawn of time. People have always needed to create maps as tools for navigation. As history progressed, these maps evolved from showing a crude path between to mountains to the first depictions of the world. Over time, the accuracy and detail level of maps has progressed, as has their medium and accessibility. While maps were originally drawn painstakingly and often imperfectly by hand, now they can be created with ease and precision on computers, using tools such as geographic information systems (GISs) or global positioning systems (GPSs). These systems play a large role in the modern, 21st century world. For geographers, a GIS can help them decide where to build houses and roads, protect hillsides from development, or determine the impact of farming processes on water pollution. GISs have enabled this because they provide the capacity to view multiple layers of maps at once, allowing geographers to compare different aspects of a certain area to determine important relationships between them. These layers can include boundaries of countries, bodies of water, roads, and names of places. In everyday life, modern mapping technology provides individuals with a plethora of readily available information. One is able to plug a destination into a car GPS system and it will direct the driver on how to reach it. Since a GPS pinpoints exact locations, it can also enable someone to get help in an emergency (such as a car breaking down). But the most amazing progress cartography has made is accessibility. Using map websites such as Google Maps, individuals can search for different attractions in very specific areas, such as certain neighborhoods in a city. One would simply have to type in a search for, say, pizza restaurants within a certain section into Google Maps, and within seconds he or she would have a wealth of options, as well as directions on how to get to the various locations. Clearly, maps have evolved from a world in which only cartographers dealt to an everyday resource easily accessible to the average person.
Portfolio Goals
I hope that this website portfolio will provide a database that can answer basic questions about the study of human geography. With the evolution of cartography and today's highly globalized world, geography affects everyone, whether people are aware of this fact or not. So in order to better understand the world in which we now live, I think it is important to understand the different aspects of human geography. While everyone needn't be an expert on the subject, a basic knowledge is important to being a well-rounded, intelligent, and informed individual. I hope that this website will be able to provide that basic knowledge, or at the very least supplement it. I hope it will also demonstrate what I myself am learning about human geography, thus charting my personal growth into a more informed citizen.