GEOGRAPHY RAPSODY MITRA

What is geography? Geography: study of the earth and its features and of the distribution of life on earth, including human life and the effects of human activity. Geography has two complementary activities: Physical geography examines climate, landforms, soils, vegetation, and hydrology Human geography explores social, economic and political factors Geography is a spatial science All human events occur in space and in time There are two perspectives in geography: thematic or systematic and regional Thematic or systematic perspective focuses on a specific topic or theme like climate or culture Regional geography synthesizes various topics as they apply to a specific region or area of the world. World regional geography will focus on regions, environments, geopolitics, cultures, and economic and social developments. Globe is divided into 12 separate world regions: Western world: -North America -Latin America -Caribbean -Europe -Russian Domain -Australia and Oceania Eastern world: -Sub-Saharan Africa - Southwest Asia and North Africa - East Asia - South Asia - Southeast Asia Fundamental components of geographic inquiry: -Human-Environment Interaction -Areal Differentiation and Integration -Regions -Landscapes -Global-local scales

Human-Environment Interaction: Balance between human activities and natural environment - Humans: dominion over the earth - Creator or Modifiers: change as needed - Protectors: guardian of earth - Importance of physical environment in determining human activities - Plate tectonics - volcano and earthquake - natural resources Climatic factors - Precipitation or sunlight

Areal Differentiation and Integration Areal Differentiation is explaining the differences that distinguish one piece of the world from another. Areal integration is the study of how areas interact with each other. Regions Geographers examine the world by creating spatial categories based on similar traits. These categories are called regions. - Number and boundaries of regions can change - No region is completely homogeneous Landscapes Human beings transform space into places based on cultural identities. Places possess an emotional significance that contributes profoundly to our identity as individuals and societies. Cultural landscape is the visible, material expression of human settlement, past and present. Indigenous culture versus popular culture - Colonialism - Globalization Global-local scales Flexibility in the scale of analysis, i.e. global to local, is necessary to understand placing regions, places, landscapes, and people into their global context. What is globalization?

Globalization: the increasing interconnectedness of people and places throughout the world through converging processes of economic, political and cultural change. Why do we have globalization? Prime mover behind globalization is economic activities. A result of technological changes in: -Global communication systems: WI-FI, Cell Phone, global transportation systems: product availability and tourism, and new and more flexible forms of capital accumulation: credit and debit systems Globalization also has affect on cultural, environmental, and geopolitical expressions Cultural changes: Spread of global consumer culture which creates a hybridize culture (blend of old and new) around the world Geopolitical changes: Formation of Regional and International Alliances for Economic Growth and Military Protection Example: European Union

Environmental changes: Economic globalization is aggravating worldwide environmental problems, such as climate change, air pollution, water pollution and deforestation. Local landscapes and resources have become global commodities exploited and traded Globalization has lead to an increase in international migration trends propelled by uneven economic development Globalization has also increased: -Terrorism -Drug trade -Pornography -Prostitution -Gambling Globalization: Good or Bad? Supporters believe that globalization will result in greater economic efficiency that will eventually result in rising prosperity for the entire world

Why will Economy become more efficient? - Enhanced competition will lead to geographical specialization or force countries and regions to concentrate on activities for which they are best suited - Encourage the spread of beneficial new technologies and ideas - Capital will flow to areas with greatest opportunities - Lead to economic convergence poor countries match more advanced economies Supporters believe: Bad economic conditions are better than no jobs or incomes. Sweatshops are crude factories in which workers perform labor-intensive task for extremely low wages like sew clothing or assemble sneakers Sweatshops are alternative to even worse economic conditions and will lead to more capital investment and better wage jobs.

Three of multinational organizations have been formulated to facilitate flow of goods and capital across international boundaries. They are: World Trade Organization- (WTO): - oversees trade agreements - encourages open markets - enforces trade rules - and settles trade disputes World Bank- make loans to poor countries to allow building of modern economic foundations International Monetary Fund (IMF) make short-term loans to countries that are in financial difficulties

Critics of Globalization: Critics of globalization think that it will largely benefit those who are already prosperous, leaving most of the world poorer than before while reducing cultural and ecological diversity. Critics argue that globalization is result of explicit economic policy promoted by free-trade advocates, capitalist countries, and multinational firms.

The benefits of globalization have yet to be demonstrated in any economic convergence. According to United Nations, inequity within the world is increasing. In fact, 60 countries are worse off now than 30 years ago. Richest 20 percent of worlds population consumes 86 percent of worlds resources. Poorest 80 percent of worlds population consumes 14 percent of global resources. International Organizations to facilitate trade actually exploit less developed areas. World Bank and International Monetary Fund encourage developing countries to expand resource exports to make payments on foreign debts. IMF also encourages economic policies with substantial reduction in funds for basic public services, including education, health care, and food subsidies. Critics argue that counties that have been successful in economic growth have not followed policies of world organizations. Successful countries have protected their domestic market while expanding their international market. Critics fear that the global economy is inherently unstable and could quickly destabilize. Can globalization be beneficial to everyone? - Need the common goals of social justice and protect of the natural environment - Enforce these goals: will require strong governments and international organizations and global protection groups