The Arctic and Antarctic Circles mark the extremities (southern and northern, respectively) of the polar day (twenty-four-hour sunlit day) and the polar night (twenty-four-hour sunless night). The two main branches of geography include physical geography and human geography. Everything you need for your studies in one place. When the function of an area ends, the functional region ends and its boundaries cease to exist. The function in the functional region can be commercial, social, political, or something else. The line is the longest when you travel along in an east-west direction. In the outer ring is the suburbs. Functional regions, as the name implies, are regions that exist due to a function. What happens to the defining characteristic as it moves outwards? This article will discuss functional regions in depth, but it is important to know the differences. This ill-defined region does not exist in actuality, but instead is based on myth. New York City - named after the Duke of York, who later became King James II of England, Mount Everest - named after Sir George Everest, the British Surveyor General of India, Rio de Janeiro - Portuguese for "River of January," named by Portuguese explorers who discovered the bay on New Year's Day in 1502, Tokyo - derived from the Japanese words "t" (meaning "east") and "ky" (meaning "capital"), Istanbul - formerly known as Byzantium and Constantinople, named after Emperor Constantine the Great, Afghanistan - derived from the Sanskrit word "avagna," meaning "land of the Afghans". WebPhysical geography is the spatial study of natural phenomena that make up the environment, such as rivers, mountains, landforms, weather, climate, soils, plants, and any other physical aspects of the earths surface. It can include both the physical characteristics of a place, such as its topography, climate, and natural resources, as well as the cultural, social, and economic factors that shape and are shaped by its location. The node is the school and the surrounding functional area is the school district. To calibrate functional distance indices, Brown and Horton suggest the application of Markov chain ana- It seeks regions hitherto unexplored. Abraham Lincoln. The regions studied in world regional geography can be combined into larger portions called realms. His Concentric Zone Model depicts the city as a concentric circle, with the highest density and activity happening in the downtown center of the city, called the Central Business District. Functional regions: These are defined by their connections. Also know as Uniform, Nodal, and Vernacular regions! The concept of site can also be used to refer to the cultural, social, and economic factors that shape and are shaped by the location of a settlement or activity. Nevertheless, most people would recognize the general area being discussed when using one of the vernacular terms in a conversation. The characteristic that is chosen to define a functional region. It is also about how humans interact with space. The surrounding area influenced by this central location is the functional region. As it rotates around the sun, the tilt of the earths axis provides different climatic seasons because of the variations in the angle of direct sunlight on the planet. Theyre defined by a central node that acts as a point of cohesion for the region. A functional region is distinguished by a centralized hub with surrounding areas and structures that relate to a common activity. Vernacular Region (aka Perceptual Region or Mental Map) Definition: An area that people believe exist as part of their cultural identity. During winter, the North Pole is away from the sun and does not receive much sunlight. A region can be defined by natural or artificial features. Vernacular regions can be fluidthat is, different people may have different opinions about the limits of the regions. The sun is directly above the Tropic of Capricorn at noon on December 21 or 22, marking the beginning of winter in the Northern Hemisphere and the beginning of summer in the Southern Hemisphere. The village might be isolated from major urban centers and have a limited economy based on subsistence farming and forestry. For example, if it is noon in London, then it is 7 a.m. in New York. Branch banks exist to provide services to people who live away from the headquarters or home branch of the bank, handling banking transactions for people at home in their own communities. For instance, Southern California is a region with immense sprawl that spreads far beyond the city limits of Los Angeles. Because vernacular/perceptual regions are based on attitudes, perceptions, and methods of communication, they are much more likely to change then regions based on physical geographical features. The physical characteristics of a site, such as its topography, climate, and natural resources, can influence the way in which people use and develop the area. As the distance one must commute to a port or harbor for work increases, people become more likely to look for job opportunities elsewhere. Functional regions are one of the three types of regions in human geography (the others being formal and perceptual regions ). Metropolitan areas are good examples of functional regions because they feature central, dense districts influencing surrounding areas. In addition to functional regions, there are also formal regions and perceptual/vernacular regions. Cultural forces unique to a given placesuch as religion, language, ethnicity, customs, or heritageinfluence the cultural landscape of that place at a given time. Additionally, analysis of various cultural and natural phenomena through the use of GIS software and specialized maps is an important part of urban planning and other social and physical sciences. This WebRegional geography is a branch of geography that studies regions of all sizes across the Earth. A formal region has a governmental, administrative, or political boundary and can have political as well as geographic boundaries that are not open to dispute or debate. The characteristic that is chosen to define a functional region. Similar examples of functional regions in municipalities may include the functional region surrounding a police station. The concept of a functional region is often used in economic and transportation planning, as well as in the study of social and cultural phenomena. Stop procrastinating with our study reminders. Oil drilling near the coast of a sovereign country, for example, can cause a dispute between countries about which one has dominion over the oil resources. Each individual might have a different idea about the location of the boundaries of the South or the Midwest. It diminishes in importance. Geomorphology (the study of the earths surface features), Coastal geography (the study of the coastal regions), Climatology (the study of climates and climate change), Biogeography (the study of the geographic patterns of species distribution), Europe (Eastern Europe and Western Europe), The Russian Realm (Russian republic of the former Soviet Union), Middle America (Caribbean, Mexico, Central America), North Africa, the Middle East and central Asia, Subsaharan Africa (Africa south of the Sahara Desert), Eastern Asia (China, Mongolia, Japan, and the Koreas), Southeast Asia (mainland region and the islands region), Australia and the Pacific (including New Zealand). Peoples lives are structured within multiple regions. Unlike a formal region, which is defined by a specific characteristic that is uniform across the region, a functional region is defined by the relationships and connections between How do you interact with the space around you? Peoples lives are structured within multiple regions. For example, the circulation area for a major city area is the functional region of that paper. The urban center that the metropolitan area surrounds may perform many different functions like education, employment, and entertainment. The most obvious example is that of a city. The most obvious example is that of a city. Spatial dynamics assist in identifying and evaluating cultural differences between places. The primary node of activity is the downtown, usually located in the city center. The site of a hydroelectric dam might be a narrow valley with a fast-flowing river, steep cliffs, and access to a road network. The study of toponyms is called toponymy. The are surrounding the central node can be considered its sphere of influence. Metropolitan areas fuse as urban sprawl spreads. Theyre defined by a central node that acts as a point of cohesion for the region. The GIS computer program can sort or analyze layers of data to illustrate a specific feature or activity. GIS also focuses on storing information about the earth (both cultural and natural) in computer databases that can be retrieved and displayed in the form of specialized maps for specific purposes or analyses. Geographers use the regional unit to map features of particular interest, and data can be compared between regions to help understand trends, identify patterns, or assist in explaining a particular phenomenon. Church parishes, shopping malls, and business service areas are other examples of functional regions. A functional region is a type of region that is defined by a specific social or economical attribute. The influence weakens as distance increases, through distance decay. This can involve examining the physical, social, economic, and cultural factors that shape the region and the way it functions. GIS data are usually in digital form and arranged in layers. The twenty-four times zones are based on the prime meridian in regard to Universal Coordinated Time (UTC), Greenwich Mean Time (GMT), or Zulu Time (Z), which all operate on the twenty-four-hour time clock. People commute daily from the surrounding area to the city to carry out economic activities within the central club. Other than a central node and a function, there are not any defining characteristics. Create beautiful notes faster than ever before. A regionis an area of land that has common features. They study patterns of interaction between human cultures and various environments and focus on the causes and consequences of human settlement and distribution over the landscape. Note that functional regions can be subdivided into smaller regions of their own. For example, a site with a favorable climate and access to water resources may be more attractive for human settlement than a site with a harsh climate and limited resources. 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