Class 9/26, Sub and Site and Situation

Today in class we had Mrs. Ferry as a sub and we went through the powerpoint slides and notes that Mr. Schick left for us on his blog.
Notes:

• Another way for geographers to describe location is site
• Site- the physical characteristics of a place, including climate, water sources, topography, soil, vegetation, latitude, and elevation, etc.
• These physical characteristics give each place a distinctive character
• Site factors are essential for selecting places of settlement even though many disagree that they are
• Example: "Some have preferred a hilltop site for easy defense from attack. Others located settlements near convenient river-crossing points to facilitate communication with people in other places. Humans have the ability to modify the characteristics of a site"
• The way people use and change the land also effects the way it is viewed as site and the desire for people to move there
• Situation- the location of a place in relation to other places
• Situation is important for two reasons: helps us find an unfamiliar place by comparing its location with a familiar one, helps us  give directions to people by referring to the situation of a place
• Example: “It’s down past the courthouse, on Locust Street, after the third traffic light, beside the yellow-brick bank.” 
• Also helps us understand the importance of a location
• Example: " Many locations are important because they are accessible to other places. For example, because of its situation, Singapore has become a center for the trading and distribution of goods for much of Southeast Asia. Singapore is situated near the Strait of Malacca, which is the major passageway for ships traveling between the South China Sea and the Indian Ocean. Some 50,000 vessels, one fourth of the world’s maritime trade, pass through the strait each year."