The History of Geography

...mere names of places...are not geography...know by heart a whole gazetteer full of them would not, in itself, constitute anyone a geographer. Geography has higher aims than this: it seeks to classify phenomena (alike of the natural and of the political world, in so far as it treats of the latter), to compare, to generalize, to ascend from effects to causes, and, in doing so, to trace out the laws of nature and to mark their influences upon man. This is 'a description of the world'—that is Geography. In a word Geography is a Science—a thing not of mere names but of argument and reason, of cause and effect.

— Willian Hughs 1863

Theoretical Geography

Settlement Size• Villages• Small towns• Larger towns • Cities

• How many settlements in each category?• Where will they be located?

Key Questions

So how can we use theory to explain……..

Central Place Theory• Use of a model (simplification of reality)

to test core concepts/theory• This model can then can be tested by

looking for predicted patterns in reality (gathering evidence)

Spatial Mathematical Approach

Core Concepts• People will travel to the nearest place which offers the goods

and services they require.• Range: This is the maximum distance that people are prepared

to go for certain goods/services. This varies according to the nature of the good/service– Low order goods/services: will travel less far / more frequently

(smaller range)– High order goods/services: will travel further / more frequently

(larger range)• Threshold: This is the minimum number of customers required

for a retail outlet selling specific goods to make a profit.– Low order goods/services: don’t need so many customers lower

threshold– High order goods/services: need more customers (higher threshold)

Assumptions• Flat featureless uniform plain (Isotrophic Plain)• an evenly distributed population• similar purchasing power of all consumers• transportation costs equal in all directions and

proportional to distance)

Spheres of Influence

Christaller expected spheres of influence to be hexagonal, so the whole area could access goods and services provided by central settlementsSmaller settlement which provided lower order goods and services (e.g. grocery shops) had smaller spheres of influence than larger settlements with higher order goods and services (e.g furniture shops)So smaller settlements are closer together than larger settlements and this means there are more smaller settlements in an area

Villages

TownsVillages

CityTownsVillages

Video Clips• Central Place Theory 1: Early Industrial Urbani

zation

• Christaller's Theory

• Christaller’s Central Place Theory

Reading

Other Spatial Mathematical Models• Alfred Weber: Industrial Location Theory• Von Thunen: Agricultural Land Use• Burgess: Concentric Ring Theory

See : What is Logical Positivism (TOK Talk.net)

So Geographers should set up theories / hypotheses about factors influencing spatial patterns and then go out and collect data (observable evidence) to test these hypotheses.

Does this Logical Positivism approach work better for Physical Geography?

Behavioural GeographyBehavioural geography is an approach to human geography that attempts to understand human activity in space, place, and environment by studying it at the level of the individual person.

Behavioural geographers analyse data on the uof individual people, recognizing that individuals vary from each other.

For example, behavioural geographers agree with other human geographers that distance (or related factors such as travel time or effort) is an important determinant of human activity, but they maintain that it is subjective rather than objective distance that is typically important.

People’s behaviour affects spatial patterns

It is not reality that effects peoples behaviour, but their perception of reality

So Geographers should study individual perception in order to understand spatial patterns

San Francisco: Mental Maps

Human Geography (Social Science)• Human Geographers seek to explain geographical

patterns resulting from human activities. – Industrial location– Urban Land-Use patterns– Demographic Transition

• To explain these patterns we need to know what causes people to act in a certain way– Reality (what is out there)– People’s perception of reality (what they think is out

there)So what is the best way for geographers to find meaning and reach conclusions?

Follow up tasksCentral Place Theory• Use the hexagon base template to create a hierarchy of settlements, following Christaller’s K= 3 principle.• Repeat using K=4 or K =7 principles• Compare the resultant patterns• Do settlement patterns in reality follow Christaller’s expectations?

Mental Maps• Draw a mental map for Bandar Seri Begawan• Compare different maps drawn by other people in the class• How does your perception of reality affect your behaviour

Geographical Investigations• Should we focus on recording what is actually out there to help explain geographical patterns?• Should we also consider the fact that different people see reality in different ways and so this will affect their

behaviour?• Is it possible to use general theories explain patterns related to human geography if perception plays such a large

role in people’s behaviour??

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