Regions and Culture, Core Characteristics

J.M. JeandellSeaford Senior HS

DE Geography Standard #4• GEOGRAPHY Standard Four: Students

will develop an understanding of the character and use of regions and the connections between and among them.• 6-8: Students will explain how conflict and

cooperation among people contributes to the division of the Earth's surface into distinctive cultural regions and political territories.  

• 9-12: Students will apply knowledge of the types of regions and methods of drawing boundaries to interpret the Earth's changing complexity.

Defining “Region”• A large, usually continuous segment of a

surface or space; area. • A large, indefinite portion of the earth's

surface. • A specified district or territory. • An area of interest or activity; a sphere.

• So…a region is a portion of area that is given some kind of name based upon a unified/shared characteristic that is perceived

Characteristics that Define Regions

Physical Regions (landform, directional, climate)

Political Regions (Government type, Affiliation)

Social Regions (Culture, Religion, Language)

Economic Regions (Land Use, common product, Wealth)

Ex. Regions based on Direction/Location

Ex. Regions based on Physical features

Ex. Regions based on Religion

Ex. Two interpretations of World Regions

Regions and Structure

Formal Region: An area of near uniformity

(homogeneity) in one or several characteristics.

Sometimes defined properly!

Functional Region: A region created by the

interactions between a central node and

surrounding locations.

Perceptual Region:An area defined by subjective perceptions that reflect the feelings and images about key place characteristics. When these perceptions come from the local, ordinary folk, a perceptual region can be called a vernacular region.

Regions and Structure

Core: The zone of greatest concentration or homogeneity of the culture traits that characterize a region.

Domain: The area outside of the core of a culture region in which the culture is still dominant but less intense.

Sphere (a.k.a Periphery): The zone of outer influence for a culture region. Also an area of inter-mixing.

Yemen (Middle East)

A core?

West Bank, Israel (Middle East) A domain?

Istanbul, Turkey

(Middle East)

A Sphere?