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Table of Contents
What is Geography?……………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 2
How Has the Geography of the West Shaped Who We Are?…………………………………………………………………5
What Made and Makes the West?………………………………………………………………………………………………..6
The Last Spike…………..….……………………………………………………………………………………………………… 7
Golden Skybridge………..….………………………………………………………………………………………………………9
Cave and Basin National Historic Site….………………………………………………………………………………………..11
Lake Minnewanka….………………………………………………………………………………………………………………12
Sundre Museum and Pioneer Village….………………………………………………………………………………….……..15
The Badlands….……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………17
Head Smashed in Buffalo World Heritage Site….……………………………………………………………………….……..19
Pipe Mountain Coaster….…………………………………………………………………………………………………………21
Lake Louise….……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………...23
Frank Slide Interpretive Centre….………………………………………………………………………………………………..25
Videos I Made on the Trip….………………………………………………………………………………………………………27
About the Author….……………………………………………………………………………………………………….………..28
How Has the Geography of the West Shaped Who We Are?…………………………………………………………………5
What Made and Makes the West?………………………………………………………………………………………………..6
The Last Spike…………..….……………………………………………………………………………………………………… 7
Golden Skybridge………..….………………………………………………………………………………………………………9
Cave and Basin National Historic Site….………………………………………………………………………………………..11
Lake Minnewanka….………………………………………………………………………………………………………………12
Sundre Museum and Pioneer Village….………………………………………………………………………………….……..15
The Badlands….……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………17
Head Smashed in Buffalo World Heritage Site….……………………………………………………………………….……..19
Pipe Mountain Coaster….…………………………………………………………………………………………………………21
Lake Louise….……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………...23
Frank Slide Interpretive Centre….………………………………………………………………………………………………..25
Videos I Made on the Trip….………………………………………………………………………………………………………27
About the Author….……………………………………………………………………………………………………….………..28
What is Geography?
Geography is the study of the physical world. Everywhere we go, we are experiencing geography. Geographers are people who study the world as their profession. I have taken a trip through the Canadian West and have analyzed the geography, as well as the history of Western Canada.
One way to look at geography is through five simple themes. These themes reflect on some of the key components of geography. They can be used to easily examine the geography of a place or location. Each of the themes has at least two sub themes that narrow the theme down. The themes are:
1. Location.
Location is where something exists physically. Location can be absolute, which is defined by features such as coordinates or an address. Location can also be relative. This means that you can understand the general location based on defining features or landmarks.
2. Place.
Place is everything inside of an area. Physical characteristics of place are landforms, plants, animals, and anything else not produced by humans. Human-Cultural characteristics are human made. Buildings or roads are examples of this.
3. Region.
Regions are areas with distinctive characteristics. Formal regions are official, government defined places. Functional regions are defined by a specific function or purpose, such as a grocery store or bowling alley. Vernacular regions are defined by characteristics or peoples perceptions.
4. Movement.
Movement is the travel of people, goods, or ideas. Movement of people is people being transported. Movement of goods is goods being transported. Movement of ideas is where ideas are shared. Ideas can be shared through books, texts, or even conversation.
5. Human-Environment Interaction.
Human-environment interaction is how people interact with the environment and how the environment responds. Humans can depend on the environment for food or shelter. Humans can also adapt to the environment by changing their lifestyle to fit the environment’s conditions. The last thing humans can do is modify the environment by removing or adding to the environment.
These are the five themes that I have used to analyze the geography of the West.
1. Location.
Location is where something exists physically. Location can be absolute, which is defined by features such as coordinates or an address. Location can also be relative. This means that you can understand the general location based on defining features or landmarks.
2. Place.
Place is everything inside of an area. Physical characteristics of place are landforms, plants, animals, and anything else not produced by humans. Human-Cultural characteristics are human made. Buildings or roads are examples of this.
3. Region.
Regions are areas with distinctive characteristics. Formal regions are official, government defined places. Functional regions are defined by a specific function or purpose, such as a grocery store or bowling alley. Vernacular regions are defined by characteristics or peoples perceptions.
4. Movement.
Movement is the travel of people, goods, or ideas. Movement of people is people being transported. Movement of goods is goods being transported. Movement of ideas is where ideas are shared. Ideas can be shared through books, texts, or even conversation.
5. Human-Environment Interaction.
Human-environment interaction is how people interact with the environment and how the environment responds. Humans can depend on the environment for food or shelter. Humans can also adapt to the environment by changing their lifestyle to fit the environment’s conditions. The last thing humans can do is modify the environment by removing or adding to the environment.
These are the five themes that I have used to analyze the geography of the West.
This is a poster I have created that uses photos to help describe these five themes:
How has the Geography of the West Shaped Who We Are?
The geography of the West is very unique and has shaped me in many ways. If it wasn’t for Britain claiming land in the West back in the 1840s, the USA might have claimed it for themselves. With the discovery of gold, the West became more popular. With the introduction of the railway, the West joined Canada. New people were brought in to work on the railway and the West started to grow. Each of these historical events have led to where and how I live. History is everything that happened to shape that people and the place in which we live.