What is a functional region in human geography? Peoples lives are structured within multiple regions. The access to a road network is also important for transporting materials and equipment to the site. Activities and functions you partake in each day only have a certain spatial range within which they occur. WebA functional region is an area organized around a central hub or focal point. Functional regions are regions that have an obvious and natural structure or reason behind their existence. It is a region that is based around a specific activity, a region which has a primary function. Formal boundaries can separate states, provinces, or countries from one another. This is how you can conceptualize functional regions. He aims to create content that educates, persuades, entertains and inspires. Realms are large areas of the planet, usually with multiple regions, that share the same general geographic location. Natural physical geographic features have a huge influence on where political boundaries of formal regions are set. Learn more about how Pressbooks supports open publishing practices. This For example, the site of a major city might be influenced by its proximity to transportation networks, its access to natural resources, and its cultural and historical significance. New York City is a formal region in that it has defined borders, but it is also a functional region because New York City's downtown is the hub of commercial activity for the surrounding region. People commute daily from the surrounding area to the city to carry out economic activities within the central club. The urban center that the metropolitan area surrounds may perform many different functions like education, employment, and entertainment. WebPut simply, a functional region is a defined geographical area centered around a specific focal point with a specific function. Harbors and ports are also examples of functional regions. The line is the longest when you travel along in an east-west direction. 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). Canadian sociologist Ernest W. Burgess theorized about the city as a functional region. Webfunctional regions, nodal regions, and hierarchies and to serve as a dependent variable for identifying (in-dependent) variables relevant to relationships (func-tional distances) among locational entities. A harbor can be thought of as the central hub of a coastal region. The range and reach of these technologies are a functional region. An example of a common service areathat is, a functional regionis the region to which a local pizza shop will deliver. Peoples lives are structured within multiple regions. The equator is the largest circle of latitude on Earth. It is hard to decipher where economic activity is centralized. If it is 4 p.m. in San Francisco, what time is it in London, England? Draw a map of your home state or province and include lines of latitude and longitude. There are also formal and perceptual/vernacular regions. The natural forces of erosion, weather, tectonic plate action, and water have formed the earths physical features. The result is that time zones are seldom exactly 15 degrees wide and usually have varied boundary lines. UTC is set in zero- to twenty-four-hour time periods, as opposed to two twelve-hour time periods (a.m. and p.m.). The earth rotates on its axis once every twenty-four hours at the rate of 15 degrees per hour (15 24 = 360). The continental United States has four main time zones (see Table 1.1 Four Main Time Zones in the Continental United States and Their Central Meridians and Figure 1.7 Major Time Zones of the World). Home functional region definition and examples. WebA functional region is an area organized around a central hub or focal point. Distinguish between the different types of regional distinctions recognized in geography. 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. Understand the spatial nature of geography and how each place or region is examined, analyzed, and compared with other places or regions. Economic regions, such as a metropolitan area or a trade region, which are defined by the flow of goods, services, and economic activity between the places within the region, Transportation regions, such as a travel shed or a commuting zone, which are defined by the flow of people or goods between the places within the region, Communication regions, such as a media market or a news region, which are defined by the flow of information between the places within the region. Again, this textbook takes a regional approach with a focus on themes that illustrate the globalization process, which in turn helps us better understand our global community. The biggest examples of functional regions are metropolitan areas, and you can think of the city that the metropolitan area is based around as of the central hub or focal point of the region. Show All. WebRegional geography is a branch of geography that studies regions of all sizes across the Earth. A GPS unit can receive signals from orbiting satellites and calculate an exact location in latitude and longitude, which is helpful for determining where one is located on the earth or for verifying a point on a map. Upload unlimited documents and save them online. GIS programs are used in a wide range of applications, from determining the habitat range of a particular species of bird to mapping the hometowns of university students. The one necessity to be considered a functional region is that an area must contain a central node around which the function is centered or focused. Figure 1.3 Basic Lines of Longitude and Latitude. Despite this, every formal region is in principle based on a variable that can be quantified. Cartography is the art and science of making maps, which illustrate data in a spatial form and are invaluable in understanding what is going on at a given place at a given time. During winter, the North Pole is away from the sun and does not receive much sunlight. A functional region is a geographical area that is defined by the flow of goods, services, information, or other resources between the places within the region. Examples include the function being a commercial activity, such as the region within a television tower's broadcasting zone or the A functional region is a geographical area that is defined by the flow of goods, services, information, or other resources between the places within the region. Vernacular regions: These include perceived regions, such as "The South," "The Midwest," or the "Middle East"; they have no formal boundaries but are understood in mental maps of the The Tropic of Cancer is the parallel at 23.5 degrees north of the equator, which is the most northerly place on Earth, receiving direct sunlight during the Northern Hemispheres summer. Daniel obtained his BS and is pursuing a Master's degree in the science of Human-Computer Interaction. These images can serve as important components in the cartographic (map-making) process. When it is winter in the north, it is summer in the south. In the outer ring is the suburbs. Functional regions: These are defined by their connections. In the United States and other countries, metropolitan areas are comprised of multiple different cities, towns, suburbs, or even entire counties or states. A regionis an area of land that has common features. A functional region is a type of region that is defined by a specific social or economical attribute. WebFunctional Region. WebFunctional Region. He devised one of the first systems of longitude and latitude and calculated the earths circumference. Maps are the most common method of illustrating different spatial qualities, and geographers create and use maps to communicate spatial data about the earths surface. A region is a basic unit of study in geographya unit of space characterized by a feature such as a common government, language, political situation, or landform. Physical factors of significance can include location, climate type, and terrain. Fig. This can involve examining the physical, social, economic, and cultural factors that shape the region and the way it functions. Figure 1.2 Illustration of Layers in a GIS Process. A region can be a formal country governed by political boundaries, such as France or Canada; a region can be defined by a landform, such as the drainage basin of all the water that flows into the Mississippi River; and a region can even be defined by the area served by a shopping mall. Likewise, between Canada and the United States, a major part of the eastern border is along the Saint Lawrence Seaway and the Great Lakes. Physical geography focuses on geography as a form of earth science. Depending on context, New York City is a functional region. For example, the situation of a city on a major river might make it an important transportation hub, while the situation of a city in a mountainous region might make it a center for tourism. Physical characteristics of an area are frequently used to create formal regions, with natural boundaries like canyons, lakes, mountains, and rivers being used as a basis for a regions boundaries. The state of Kentucky can be used as a comparison guide for understanding other formal political regions around the world. These maps may be created at different scales, depending on the focus of the analysis and the data being used. WebA nodal region refers to a subgroup (tree) of nodes polarized by an independent node (whose largest flow link connects a smaller node) and a number of subordinate nodes (whose largest flow link connects a larger node). Remotely sensed images allow geographers to identify, understand, or explain a particular landscape or determine the land use of a place. Although there will be a central hub or focal point for the region, the region as a whole can be considered one unit regarding the activity it is concerned with. It breaks areas of the globe down into smaller chunks with more defined and similar traits. They function to serve a region and may have established boundaries for limits of the area to which they will provide service. Functional regions are just one type of region. The GIS computer program can sort or analyze layers of data to illustrate a specific feature or activity. Physical geography focuses on geography as a form of earth science. The International Date Line (180 degrees longitude) is opposite the prime meridian and indicates the start of each day (Monday, Tuesday, etc.). Unlike formal regions, functional regions do not have to be well-defined. The are surrounding the central node can be considered its sphere of influence. In human geography, the term "situation" refers to the location of a place or phenomenon in relation to its surroundings. Use Google Earth to locate your current school or residence. The main questions are, Who lives there? All meridians (lines of longitude) east of the prime meridian (0 and 180) are numbered from 1 to 180 degrees east (E); the lines west of the prime meridian (0 and 180) are numbered from 1 to 180 degrees west (W). The primary node in a functional region features surrounding areas with common social, political, or economic purposes that relate to trade, communications, or transportation. For example, a trade route, transportation hub, or a shopping center would all be considered functional regions. In what ways is the region tied to the central point? Thus, the city is centralized in the downtown area and spreads its influence to the outer rings of the concentric circle. WebPut simply, a functional region is a defined geographical area centered around a specific focal point with a specific function. The city or central hub is connected to outlying portions of the region by transport routes, trade routes, and communication. Nevertheless, most people would recognize the general area being discussed when using one of the vernacular terms in a conversation. There are twenty-four time zones that are set at 15-degree intervals each and organize time intervals around the world. Alpine mountain ranges in Europe create borders, such as the boundary between Switzerland and Italy. Vernacular Region (aka Perceptual Region or Mental Map) Definition: An area that people believe exist as part of their cultural identity. The store will target the citizens that live closest to the store, hoping to draw them in, with their customer base reducing as the distance from the store increases. A functional region is made up of a specific location and area surrounding it. It tends to emphasize the main physical parts of the earththe lithosphere (surface layer), the atmosphere (air), the hydrosphere (water), and the biosphere (living organisms)and the relationships between these parts. What dominates a functional region at a central focus? For instance, Southern California is a region with immense sprawl that spreads far beyond the city limits of Los Angeles. While geographic features can serve as convenient formal borders, political disputes will often flare up in adjacent areas, particularly if valuable natural or cultural resources are found within the geographic features. What occupations depend on knowledge of the seasons for their success? While cartography continues to be an extremely important part of geography, geographers also look at spatial (space) and temporal (time) relationships between many types of data, including physical landscape types, economies, and human activity. trading area of a shop or service, reception range of a TV station). Geography is the spatial study of the earths surface. WebAnswer (1 of 5): According to Fouberg, Murphy, and de Blijs introductory textbook on human geography (eleventh edition), a functional region is defined by a particular set of activities or interactions that occur within it. Thus the following can Students interested in a career in geography would be well served to learn geospatial techniques and gain skills and experience in GIS and remote sensing, as they are the areas within geography where employment opportunities have grown the most over the past few decades. Functional regions are one of the three types of regions in human geography (the others being formal and perceptual regions ). WebAnswer (1 of 5): According to Fouberg, Murphy, and de Blijs introductory textbook on human geography (eleventh edition), a functional region is defined by a particular set of activities or interactions that occur within it. Thus the following can Shop will deliver for understanding other formal political regions around the world people believe exist as part of cultural. '' refers to the outer rings of the earths physical features functional regions not. 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