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Chapter 4: Geographic Distribution (Population Density: Concepts and…
Chapter 4: Geographic Distribution
How Territory is Divided: Administrative and Statistical Areas
The 3rd feature of human is important in several ways.
Territorial Imperative
Most populations gain their territories informally
Argued that property, nationality, and stratification stem from this aspect
Official units are also established by law
Robert Ardrey
Geographic Units
Counties, villages, towns, cities, subunits such as wards, crosscutting units at the interurban, intercountry, or interstate level
Statistical Areas
Geographic units are created by census bureaus
They sometimes coincide with preexisting units
They are often established anew for the convenience of collecting data
Boundaries are more artificial and especially prone to ecological fallacy
Data collection occurs at the combination of two types of levels
Metropolitan Statistical Areas: MSA
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Consolidated Metropolitan Statistical Areas: CMSA
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Administrative & Political Areas
Have legal standing, hold charters, and are administered by public officials
All individuals are held accountable for obeying laws
Individuals are entitled to service rendered by the unit
Includes nations, states, provinces, and counties
Population data at these levels are usually available
Population Density: Concepts and Consequences
Does Density Make a Difference?
Related to level of urbanization
Cities are more dense that nations
Measuring Density
Density is the distribution of quantity per unit, usually of space
Includes galaxies in outer space, particles in the nucleus of an atom, and strands of yarn in a carpet
The # of objects per unit has practical consequences
Demographic density is the # of persons per areal unit
D = Q/A
Density: Points of Interest
Lack of a connection between density and urbanization
Lack of a relationship between population density and wealth
Density should have advantages in the concentration of resources and the workforce
Central Place Theory
High density could mean overcrowding, psychological problems & economic shortages
Theory of Behavior Sink
Density and Behavior
Density may be inconsequential at the national level
Behavioral sink: The pathological condition of population collapse as the result of crowding; from the work of behavioral psychologist John Calhoun
The Urbanization of the Human Population
Characteristics and dynamics of a population are strongly influenced by the locations and sizes of its urban centers.
Economic and political life are dominated by the urban sector
Primacy: Phenomenon where poorer, rural counties have large cities
Correlation found between urbanization and other factors
A Historical Overview of Urban Growth
City Culture: The story of the development of human civilization
For hundreds of thousands of years people lived in types of settlements
Based on extended kin relations
Also on economics: hunting, gathering, herding, and horticulture
Temporary encampments of nomadic groups
Ten thousand years ago the first cities were established in the Middle East
They served as trading centers
Conditions for the Development of Cities
A large portion of their populations worked at occupations that did not involve food or raw material production
New groups developed that were based on political and occupational specialization and which went beyond pure kinship relations
Had a separate political system
The prevalence of fortress-type walls
A marketplace
Central Place Theory
Walther Christaller expressed the advantages of central location
The center of an area is the most efficient point to gain access
A business at the center of its market is more likely to profit
The first cities took advantage and capitalized on this principle
Urban dwellers could coordinate the activities of many more nonresidents
May be becoming obsolete as the suburbs dominate the core today
Geographic Information Systems
Could be the most impactful innovation in social science research technology
Scope extends to city planning, physical geography and geology, environmental studies, engineering and business
The premier source is the U.S. Census Bureau's TIGER website
A form of cartography in some respects
The mapping of demographic information
Topologically Integrated Geographic Encoding and Referencing