Preface

As did its predecessors, this eighth edition of Introduction to Geography seeks to introduce college students to the breadth and excitement of the field of geography. Like previous editions, its content is organized around the major research traditions of the discipline, a structure that adopters of earlier editions have found to be attractive to students and convenient and flexible for instructors.

Although the framework of presentation has been retained in this present edition, we have added and deleted materials to reflect new research findings in the different topical areas of geography and the spatial consequences of continuing changes in world social and economic circumstances. In addition to necessary chapter revisions and updating of facts, analyses, and viewpoints mandated by current events, we have made every effort to incorporate in this revision many of the helpful content and organizational suggestions offered by colleagues and users.

Inevitably, of course, in a climate of rapid new century alterations in established economic, political, social, population, and environmental structures and relationships, reality outpaces textbook analysis. The time lags between world events and book publication and, later, between publication and actual class assignment inevitably mean that, at best, some of the text's content will be out of date and, at worst, some may be glaringly wrong at the time of student use. When events outpace publication, a mutually supportive partnership between geography textbook authors and classroom instructors is essential. We--and most important the students—must rely on the instructor to provide the currency of information and geographic interpretation essential to correct a text overtaken by circumstances.

Purpose

We recognize that many students will have only a single college course and textbook in geography. Our purpose for those students is to convey concisely and clearly the nature of the field, its intellectual challenges, and the logical interconnections of its parts. Even if they take no further work in geography, we are satisfied that they will have come into contact with the richness and breadth of our discipline and have at their command new insights and understandings for their present and future roles as informed adults. Other students may have the opportunity and interest to pursue further work in geography. For them, we believe, this text will make apparent the content and scope of the subfields of geography, emphasize its unifying themes, and provide the foundation for further work in their areas of interest.

Approach

The approach we take allows the major research traditions of geography to dictate our principal themes. Chapter 1 introduces students to the four organizing traditions that have emerged through the long history of geographic thought and writing: earth science, culture-environment, locational, and area analysis. Each of the four parts of this book centers on one of these geographic perspectives. Within each part (except that on area analysis) are chapters devoted to the subfields of geography, each placed with the tradition to which we think it belongs. Thus, the study of weather and climate is part of the earth science tradition; population geography is considered under the culture-environment tradition; and urban geography is included within the locational perspective.

Of course, our assignment of a topic may not seem appropriate to all users since each tradition contains many emphases and themes. Some subfields could logically be attached to more than one of the recognized traditions. The rationale for our clustering of chapters is given in the brief introductions to each part of the text. The tradition of area analysis—of regional geography—is presented in a single final chapter that draws on the preceding traditions and themes and is integrated with them by cross-references.

This revision reflects topical and regional changes since the last edition. We have replaced or revised many of the maps and diagrams, updated tables, and secured many new photographs. The frequently lengthy captions accompanying all illustrations convey additional information and explanation and serve as extensions of the text—not just identification or documentation of the figure. Chapter-opening vignettes capture the reader's interest and attention in preparation for the subject matter that follows, and boxed inserts throughout the text further develop points or ideas discussed in each chapter. In short, every effort has been made to gain and retain student attention—the essential first step in the learning process.

Increasingly for today's students, that learning process is electronically based. In recognition of the growing reliance we are all placing on Internet and World Wide Web sources of information, we have included at the end of each chapter a boxed discussion and preliminary guide to "websites" that either themselves provide data or serve as guides to other home page sources of information related to the contents of the chapter. Because of constantly changing home page addresses and continual addition and deletion of individual sites, we do not pretend that the references given in those boxed presentations are exhaustive, represent the best sites available on the given topics, or accurately report latest addresses. We hope, however, they will be useful starting points for student exploration and for the modifications, corrections, and additions that instructors will be able to supply. The authors welcome suggested additions, deletions, or adjustments to the boxed discussions and lists; those received and reviewed will be made available to others through this book's home page maintained by the publisher and referenced in each "On-Line" box.

Chapter 1 serves as an orientation to the discipline and prepares the student for the later substantive chapters. It introduces the field of geography as a whole, noting its breadth of interests and the unifying questions, themes, and concepts that structure all geographic inquiry. It also outlines the organization of the book and explains the several "traditions" forming its framework.

Important to that framework is the final chapter of the book devoted to the area analysis tradition. The case studies and examples that Chapter 13, "The Regional Concept," contains illustrate the regional geographic application of the systematic themes developed by the earlier chapters. Regional understanding has always been an important motivation and justification of geography as a discipline; Chapter 13 is designed to introduce students to the diversity of regional geographic exposition. It may be read either as a separate chapter or in conjunction with the earlier material. That is, each systematic chapter contains a reference to the section of Chapter 13 where a relevant regional geographic example is to be found. That referenced case study can then be incorporated to demonstrate the relationships of regional and systematic geography, to show the "real-world" application of geographic understandings, and to provide a springboard for further case studies as class or instructor interest may dictate. In addition, the regional studies may serve as models for independent student reports by applying to specific cases the insights and techniques of analysis developed in the separate substantive chapters.

Flexibility

A useful textbook must be flexible enough in its organization to permit an instructor to adapt it to the time and subject matter constraints of a particular course. Although designed with a one-quarter or one-semester course in mind, this text may be used in a full-year introduction to geography when employed as a point of departure for special topics and amplifications introduced by the instructor or when supplemented by additional readings and class projects. Moreover, the chapters are reasonably self-contained and need not be assigned in the sequence here presented. The "traditions" structure may be dropped and the chapters rearranged to suit the emphases and sequences preferred by the instructor or found to be of greatest interest to the students. The format of the course should properly reflect the joint contribution of instructor and book rather than be dictated by the book alone.

Learning Aids

Learning aids at the conclusion of each chapter include a Summary, a list of Key Words introduced in or essential to that chapter, For Review and Consideration questions, the chapter's "On-Line" discussion, and a limited Selected References listing of important recent or classic considerations of the chapter's subject matter. We have tried to include both relatively widely available recent titles, many containing additional extensive bibliographies, and at least a few more specialized articles and monographs useful to students who are motivated by interest or assignment to delve more deeply into particular subfields of geography.

At the end of the book we have placed a comprehensive Glossary of terms and, as a special Appendix, a modified version of the 2000 World Population Data Sheet of the Population Reference Bureau. In addition to basic demographic data and projections for countries, regions, and continents, the Data Sheet includes selected economic and social statistics helpful in national and regional comparisons. Although inevitably dated and subject to change, the appendix data nonetheless will provide for some years a wealth of useful comparative information for student projects, regional and topical analyses, and study of world patterns.

The Supplements Package

On-Line Learning Center

This website located at http://www.mhhe.com/earthsci/ geography/getis8e hosts instructor and student tools. The instructor's material is password protected and offers topics for classroom discussion, provides approximately 70 test questions for each chapter and PowerPoint lecture outlines, and highlights the main ideas of each chapter. The complete Instructor's Manual is available at this site.

Students will find on-line quizzing, exercises, and simulations that will enhance the text material and offer a thorough review of the content. The Student Study Guide is posted to the On-Line Learning Center for students to access at no charge.

PowerWeb

Included within the On-Line Learning Center, PowerWeb is password protected and provides access to a course-specific website developed with the help of instructors teaching the course to provide instructors and students with curriculum-based materials, updated weekly assessments, informative and timely world news, refereed Web links, and much more. You'll get daily news updates and have access to 5900 research sources through the Internet's most thorough search tool, Northern Light. This differs from the On-Line Learning Center in that it extends the learning experience beyond the core textbook content into other subject areas. PowerWeb is designed to supplement the text content by offering outside readings, research opportunities, and more. You and your students will find a passcode card included with every new textbook. Use this passcode to register for access to PowerWeb.

Electronic Text

An interactive version of the text will be available December 15, 2001. This CD-ROM will offer students the opportunity to read the book "on-line," linking to activities, animations, and quizzing whenever they need assistance.

Tools to Enhance Your

Classroom Presentation

Visual Resource Library CD-ROM. This CD-ROM contains images from Getis, Getis, and Fellmann, Introduction to Geography, as well as other McGraw-Hill GeoScience titles. These images can be imported into PowerPoint, as well as other presentation software, to create your own personalized presentation.

Transparencies. A set of 100 four-color transparencies is available.

Slides. If you prefer to use slides in your classroom, we offer a set of 100.

Videotape Library. Qualified adopters can select from numerous videotapes. Contact your sales representative for a listing and description of the videotapes.

Instructor's Supplements

Classroom Testing Software. Computerized testing software, MicroTest, is available in both IBM and Macintosh formats to instructors.

Packaging Options

McGraw-Hill offers many supplements, both print and electronic, that can be packaged at a significant discount to your students. Choose from Student Atlas of World Geography by McGraw-Hill/Dushkin or Atlas of World Geography and Eyewitness World Atlas CD-ROM both by Rand McNally. McGraw-Hill/Dushkin also publishes Student Atlas of World Politics, The Global Studies Series, and Annual Editions: Geography all of which complement introductory geography courses. Contact your McGraw-Hill sales representative for information on these supplements.

Acknowledgments

A number of reviewers greatly improved the content of this and earlier editions of Introduction to Geography by their critical comments and suggestions. Although we could not act on every helpful suggestion or adopt every useful observation, all were carefully and gratefully considered. In addition to those acknowledgments of assistance detailed in previous editions, we note with appreciation the thoughtful assistance recently rendered by:

Jeff Allender, University of Central Arkansas

Fred R. Brumbaugh, University of Houston, Downtown

Brooks Green, University of Central Arkansas

Michael L. Kelsey, Aims Community College

Jose Javier Lopez, Minnesota State University

Tom Schmiedeler, Washburn University

Robert M. Schwartz, Kent State University

We gratefully express appreciation to these and unnamed others for their help and contributions and specifically absolve them of responsibility for decisions on content and for any errors of fact or interpretation that users may detect.

We are also indebted to W. D. Brooks and C. E. Roberts, Jr., formerly of Indiana State University, for the projection used for many of the world maps in this book: a modified van der Grinten. Most of the maps, graphs, and charts in this edition still reflect the cartographic and design skills of James A. Bier, our close collaborator for all previous editions of Introduction to Geography. We will always remain deeply grateful for his past invaluable contributions and continuing advice and personal friendship.

Finally, we note with deep appreciation and admiration the efforts of the publisher's "book team," separately named on the copyright page, who collectively shepherded this revision to completion. We are grateful for their highly professional interest, guidance, and support.

Arthur Getis

Judith Getis

Jerome D. Fellmann