APHG Toponym Activity



APHG Toponym Activity

This activity will provide experience in making inferences about the cultural geography of a state from toponyms (place names).

Assignment: Go to google maps. Using the zoom slider at left and dragging the map around, find a state and then a smaller area of interest within that state. Choose a place that you are unfamiliar with. Keep in mind, you must stay within the confines of a single county within a state.

Part One:

After locating an area of choice, you will find toponyms (names of places/roads/items that appear on the map) that correspond to the following natural and cultural features.

Find 2 examples of place names for each category listed below. You may NOT use the examples given to you. If you cannot locate all toponyms in one area of your state, try harder. Some may take longer than others to find…be persistent.

1. For water features: (examples—the city of Oceanside or Taylor River Road), do not include actual bodies of water

2. For land features: (examples—Nichols Hills or Apple Valley Condominiums)

3. For wildlife: (examples—Buffalo, NY or Black Hawk Road)

4. `For occupations: (examples—Dairyland or Copper Basin)

5. For religion: (examples—San Antonio, TX or St. Paul, Minnesota)

6. For Foreign cities: (examples—New Berlin (Germany) or Val Paraiso (Chile))

7. In Native American languages: (examples—Winnapaug or Milwaukee)

8. In Foreign language: (examples—Bella Vista or New Orleans)

9. After people: (examples—Washington or Franklin)

Part One: record your findings in the chart below.- (18 points)

|Category |Place Name |What is it? |Place Name |What is it? (road, lake, park,) |

| | |(road, lake, park,) | | |

|Water Feature | | | | |

| | | | | |

|Land Feature | | | | |

| | | | | |

|wildlife | | | | |

| | | | | |

|occupations | | | | |

| | | | | |

|religion | | | | |

| | | | | |

|European cities | | | | |

|Native | | | | |

|American | | | | |

|Foreign Language | | | | |

|People | | | | |

Part Two:

Based solely on the toponyms you found, provide a one page, single spaced, description of the state’s natural, economic and cultural influences found on the landscape of the state. What do you think the natural environment is like based on the toponyms? What might the dominant economic or occupational activities be based on the toponyms alone? What cultural influences are found here? Be sure to include examples of your toponyms in your response.

--You may not include anything you already know about the place; your observations and assumptions must be based on the toponyms alone.

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