Topic #6 ~ Boundaries

Lesotho is an enclave country, or a district surrounded by a country but not ruled by it. Lesotho is completely surrounded by South Africa, but is its own independent country. The country is landlocked and is formed by natural boundaries. The northern border is formed from the Caledon River. Lesotho is also a federal government represented by the legislative, executive and judicial branches.



Belize is a compact country with a longer height than width, giving it a rectangular shape. Belize has a unique border, formed by both geometric and natural boundaries. The northern border is formed by the Rio Hondo and the southern part of the country is bordered by the Sarstoon River. The eastern border is formed by multiple bodies of water. The western border is a geometric border, forming an almost straight line.




The interior boundaries of Egypt are geometric boundaries. The northern and eastern borders are natural. Egypt is not landlocked, but instead has great access to the Mediterranean and Red Seas. This opens up opportunities for trade between the African country of Egypt and European/ Asian countries.

Topic #5

This is a racial map from 1790. It shows the % white population. The white population is concentrated more in the northern states than in the southern states. Most of the immigrants that came to America in the 1700s were from European countries, such as Germany, Ireland and Switzerland.This accounts for the vast majority of the population being racially white.




This second map is a racial map from 1840 that depicts the nonwhite population. Most of the northern states have a 0-10% nonwhite population. The southern states, however, have an extremely high nonwhite population. During this time period, slavery was still legal in the states. Slaves could no longer be imported from Africa, but the existing slaves could still be owned. Thankfully, in 1863 President Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation, giving freedom to all slaves. However, there is still a larger percentage of nonwhites that resides in the southern states.




This map shows the African American population in 1960. The states shown are Alabama, Georgia, and North Carolina.This was the era of the civil rights movement. Toward the top of the map is Atlanta, GA, where Martin Luther King, Jr. was born. As mentioned in the previous map, a large percentage of the African American population still resides in the southern states.




The map above shows the percent of biracial individuals in the United States. Nebraska has a very low biracial percentage (<1%), but most states have 1-10%. Biracial families are still not accepted by many people. However, I find it amazing to see just how far we have come. In 1860, African Americans were still considered property. During World War II, Japanese families were moved to internment camps because they were thought to be dangerous. Racial tensions have continued to exist among certain people, but biracial families do exist and are becoming more accepted every day.

Topic #4 ~ Language

1. The map above shows the concentration of Navajo speaking individuals in the lower 48 states of the United States. Only 0.07% of the nation speaks the Navajo language. That is equivalent to 178,014 persons. Navajo speaking individuals appear mainly in Navajo nation, which includes Arizona, Utah, and New Mexico. Many Native Americans reside in these states where they sell their native trades along the highways. If you travel through one of these states, there is a high possibility that you will see these trade shops and hear the Navajo language spoken.


2. Nebraska is filled with German Lutherans, but it is very interesting to see exactly how many of those German descendants actually speak the German language. In the United States, 1,383,442 individuals speak German. Lancaster county, including Lincoln, NE, accounts for 1,000-4,999 of those individuals.


3. This map indicates the number of Spanish speaking individuals per county in the state of Texas. Over 1/4 of the population of Texas, 26%, speaks Spanish or Spanish-Creole. Texas has 5,195,182 Spanish speaking individuals. The largest concentration of these individuals is along the lower Texas-Mexico border. They also occur in large cities, including Houston, San Antonio, Dallas, and El Paso. These individuals most likely immigrated from Mexico to Texas is search of work. After getting across the border, many stay close and search for jobs right inside the Texas territory.



4. The state of New York is home to 374,627 Chinese speaking persons. A large percentage of this population appears in the areas of lower Manhattan and Queens. The map of Chinese speaking individuals overlaps the area in lower Manhattan known as Chinatown. In Chinatown, there are several authentic Chinese art and craft shops, restaurants, and knock-off designer shops. Chinese Americans run these shops and communicate with each other with their native Chinese Language.

Topic #3

http://www.prb.org/ This is the official website for the Population Reference Bureau

The map pictured below is from http://www.worldmapper.org/. It depics how many people in the world are infected with HIV or human immunodeficiency syndrome. I find it very interesting that Africa, on average, has the highest Total Fertility Rate (TFR) and the highest percentage of HIV infected individuals. Consequently, Africa also has a high mortality rate for children ages 1-4. The infected individuals pass on the virus to their offspring. This accounts for the increase of HIV and child mortality along with an increase in the TFR.

Decreasing Population - Austria:

Increasing Population -Yemen:

Topic #2-Regions and how they define the world

The picture represents the harvested acres of corn for grain in 2002. Corn for grain is the only common characteristic of the depicted region. This is what defines it as a formal region, an area inhabited by people who have one or more traits in common. The region where corn is used for grain is largely concentrated in the northern part of the Midwest. The states mainly include Nebraska, Iowa, Illinois and Minnesota. It is interesting that the entire Midwest and Texas are heavily agricultural regions, yet only a few select states are involved in the production of corn for grain. The number in the bottom right hand corner shows the total acres of land in the United States used in the production of corn for grain total 68,230,523.

The McDonald's industry stretches from the east coast to west coast and from north to south in the United States. The map indicates that the McDonald's restaurant is highly concentrated on the east coast and slowly disperses as you move west. I find it intriguing that McDonald's does not appear very much in Nebraska, as compared to surrounding states. A functional region is an area that functions as a unit. The McDonald's industry functions as one unit and is considered a functional region.

The Midwest is a vernacular region. The region is not technically defined, but is perceived to exist by those that inhabit it. I found it interesting that when I searched for a map of the Midwest, several maps included different states in the region. There was not a clear cut region defined by the 'Midwest'. I had to look up on an official site what is commonly accepted as the Midwest. The map on the bottom is the correct states included in the Midwest, except for Ohio. Yet, the map on top groups North and South Dakota with the Midwestern Region. This is a great example of a vernacular region because it is not well defined by strict borders. The borders depend on who is perceiving the region and how they perceive it.

Topic #1- My Hometown

Norfolk, Nebraska

I was born and raised in Norfolk, NE, which is about two hours north of Seward. Norfolk is a small town in the national sense, but a large town in relation to those surrounding it. The town is located on the north fork of the Elkhorn Valley River. The old tale states that in 1881 the settlers of the town were going to name the town North Fork but decided on a simpler version, Norfork. A postal man thought the name had accidentally been mixed up and changed it to Norfolk. Native Norfolkans, including myself, will still pronounce the town name as Nor-fork. 

The town was settled in 1866 by a small caravan from Wisconsin. The caravan carried 44 German families a mere 529 miles from Ixonia to Norfolk. Consequently, Norfolk is still a strong Germanic Lutheran community. In 1881 the village of Norfolk was founded. The community continued to grow and became deeply rooted in the agricultural and health care community.

Norfolk has small rolling hills and a beautiful man-made lake towards the center of town. As stated before, the town sits right off the north fork of the Elkhorn Valley River. Because of this, the town is located on a flood plane. The town officials had the river rerouted and put up a dam and flood control to avoid future flooding. Additionally, the town offers the Eldorado Golf Course, Taha Zouka Park, and the Cowboy Trail bike path. Several people enjoy the fact that the town is within an hour drive from the Yankton Dam, Missouri River, and excellent shopping in Sioux City. Norfolk also proudly boasts that it is the childhood home of T.V. star Johnny Carson.   

The economy of Norfolk is dependent on a select group of employers. Many people are employed by Faith Regional Hospital and its extensions. My father would be one who is dependent on the hospital for part of his employment. The other large employers include Nucor Steel, Affiliated Foods Store, Tyco Health care, and Goodyear. The local community college supports programs that lead into internships at these employers, mainly Nucor Steel. This is one way that Norfolk can build up and sustain its economy.

Norfolk is surrounded by a large farming community. In the summer, farmers set up their melon and corn stands throughout the town. Beef production is also extremely prevalent in the area. This is well reflected in the typical food choices in Norfolk. A delicious steak and potatoes dinner is commonly preferred. However, Norfolk also offers a small, unique collection of cultural food providers. There are three well established Mexican restaurants in town. There is also a Chinese and Italian restaurant. At our home, we traditionally make our food at home, and on a special occasion we will get to go out to eat at one of these culturally unique restaurants.