Geographical Place

CIDOC-CRM class C13

What is a "Geographical Place" & how to use it

The class "Geographical Place" refers to portions of the surface of the Earth. This portions can be covered by water (river, sea…), forest or other land. The more specific identity of instances of this class is provided by a fixed vocabulary of "geographical place" kinds.

The pre-defined kinds of geographical places are:

• Region

• Settlement

• Legal Territory

• Natural Element

• Address

• Infrastructure surface area

• Section

Hint: You can further describe and classify your Geographical Place by associating them with Classifications (country, city, village, etc.) with your own vocabulary. In order to do this, the vocabulary must be set up in the Controlled Vocabularies settings.

Add a Geographical place

Basics fields

Three fields are mandatory to add a Geographical Place :

• Its naming, that can be associated with a time-span (it comes useful to refer, for example, to Byzantium, Constantinople or Istanbul).

• A short definition that allows other users (and even you) to understand what it is.

• the kind of geographical place that further defines the nature of that Geographical place.

Note that kinds have to be chosen from a fixed list: Region, Settlement, Legal Territory, Natural Element, Address, Infrastructure surface area, Section. Find below the definition and examples for each type of kind.

Region

Definition

A geographical area whose unity is defined by physical features or by the results of human activity (economy, production system). It is conceived here in generic terms and may be natural, historical, economic, etc. It is therefore a bona fide object, meaning that it can be observed objectively, that there is a certain physical discontinuity between the entity and its environment (see Varzi, Achille, "Boundary", The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (Winter 2015 Edition), Edward N. Zalta (ed.), Boundary ). This does not mean that the boundaries of the place must be clearly defined; they may be vague or uncertain. For example, the Geneva region, i.e. the area of land around the city of Geneva, does not have clearly defined or identifiable boundaries, but is based on an objective and identifiable reality. The legal territory of the city of Geneva, on the other hand, is a fiat object, i.e. an artificial place that exists only in a sphere dependent on the human mind: what does or does not belong to this legal territory has a reality only in the social world (see Varzi, Achille, "Boundary", The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (Winter 2015 Edition), Edward N. Zalta (ed.), Boundary).

Examples

• The coalfields of northern France

• The Mediterranean region Scandinavia

• The Geneva region, which may include neighboring regions, notably in France (unlike the territory of the canton of Geneva)

• The Lake Geneva basin

Settlement

Definition

A geographical location comprising a portion of the earth's surface whose characteristic is that it is occupied by one or more communities of human populations, either permanently or periodically. An inhabited place has a certain unity, both physical (the extent of the inhabited areas) and cultural (having a particular character for one or more established human communities). It is therefore a bona fide object, meaning that it can be observed objectively, that there is a certain physical discontinuity between the entity and its environment (see Varzi, Achille, "Boundary", The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (Winter 2015 Edition), Edward N. Zalta (ed.), Boundary ). This does not mean that the boundaries of place have to be clearly defined; they can be vague or uncertain. For example, the city of Geneva, i.e. the extent of the inhabited area, does not have clearly defined or identifiable boundaries (the density of housing decreases as one moves away from the centre), but it is built around an objective and identifiable reality. In contrast, the legal territory of the city of Geneva is a fiat object, an artificial place that exists only in a sphere dependent on the human mind: what does or does not belong to this legal territory has a reality only in the social world (see Varzi, Achille, "Boundary", The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (Winter 2015 Edition), Edward N. Zalta (ed.), Boundary ).

Examples

• The city of Geneva (as opposed to the territory of the canton of Geneva)

• Avarga, mongolian winter settlement of Genghis Khan ([Avarga - Wikipedia](Avarga - Wikipedia))

• Seasonal Paleolithic camp at Étiolles ([Étiolles, Campements paléolithiques | Archéologie | culture.fr](Étiolles, Campements paléolithiques | Archéologie | culture.fr))

Legal Territory

Definition

A geographical area comprising territories of land surface, more or less clearly defined by law or usage, which generally have a certain unity, a particular character with an established human community. It includes all administrative, legal, ecclesiastical, etc. territorial areas defined by more or less precise borders drawn by human beings and under an authority.

It is therefore a fiat object, i.e. an artificial place that exists only in a sphere dependent on the human mind. Its reality and boundaries are subjective from the point of view of individuals (see Varzi, Achille, "Boundary", The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (Winter 2015 Edition), Edward N. Zalta (ed.), Boundary ). Thus, the legal territory of the city of Geneva is based solely on a social reality; what belongs or does not belong to this territory is the result of a social decision, even if this decision may be based on objective geographical elements (such as a river separating two territories). In contrast, the inhabited place of Geneva is a bona fide object, meaning that it can be observed objectively, and that there is a certain physical discontinuity between the entity and its environment. The area of habitation that constitutes the inhabited place is articulated around an objective and identifiable reality (see Varzi, Achille, "Boundary", The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (Winter 2015 Edition), Edward N. Zalta (ed.), Boundary).

Examples

• France (country)

• Diocese of Basel

• Cadastral parcel 868 in the canton of Bern (UNIBE Unitobler)

Address

Definition

A geographical location comprising named places defined by a precise indication of their location. At a minimum, an address consists of a place name (e.g. a street name) and another indication (e.g. a number). It is a fixed point in space that does not include the land surface of that address, which could be documented as a Legal Territory for a cadastral parcel, or documented as the infrastructure surface for the part of the land covered by the man-made facility located at that address.

It is therefore a bona fide object, meaning that it can be observed objectively, that there is a certain physical discontinuity between the entity and its environment (see Varzi, Achille, "Boundary", The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (Winter 2015 Edition), Edward N. Zalta (ed.), Boundary ). The point representing the location of the place derives from an observable reality.

Examples

• Lerchenweg 32, 3012 Bern (Univesity of Bern Unitober address)

• km 125 of the A41N freeway, direction Chambéry-Geneva(La Ripaille service area)

Natural Element

Definition

A geographical area whose unity is defined by physical characteristics (geological make-up, relief, climate, vegetation, etc.) and whose division is more or less well defined and based on objective, non-social natural characteristics (although such a division may be interpreted differently by different individuals or social groups, such as a single mountain being divided by some researchers into two different entities due to geological characteristics). It is therefore a bona fide object, meaning that it can be observed objectively, that there is a certain physical discontinuity between the entity and its environment (see Varzi, Achille, "Boundary", The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (Winter 2015 Edition), Edward N. Zalta (ed.), Boundary ). This does not mean that the boundaries of place have to be clearly defined; they can be vague or uncertain. For example, the forest of the Ardennes, i.e. the area occupied by forest vegetation, does not have clearly defined or identifiable boundaries (the density of trees decreases as you move away from the centre), but it does have an objective and identifiable reality.

Examples

• Mont Blanc

• Lake of Geneva

• Amazone river

• Corse (island)

Infrastructure surface area

Definition

Geographical area comprising the land surfaces covered by human installations that determine the functioning of an organisation or company, the economy of a region, a country, etc. These infrastructure surfaces may extend beyond the surface occupied by buildings, such as the surface of an airport, which would include terminals, ramps, runways, hangars and other facilities. Infrastructure surfaces must be distinguished from the cadastral parcels on which they may be located, the latter being documented as legal territories. Infrastructure surfaces are therefore bona fide objects, meaning that they can be observed objectively, that there is a certain physical discontinuity between them and their surroundings (see Varzi, Achille, "Boundary", The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (Winter 2015 Edition), Edward N. Zalta (ed.), Boundary ). This does not mean that the boundaries of such places must be clearly defined; they may be vague or uncertain. For example, the boundary of an airport may be defined by a fence, but there may also be buildings belonging to the complex that are outside it. In other words, the extent of these surfaces is based on an objective and identifiable reality.

Examples

• Unitobler of University of Bern (surface area, as opposed to the building itself or the cadastral parcel)

• The A41N (the surface area occupied by the freeway)

Section

Definition

Geographic place comprising parts of other forms of geographic place, cut up according to criteria that do not meet the requirements of the other forms of geographic place. In other words, it is the result of a particular division of space according to the criteria chosen by the researcher.

It is therefore a fiat object, an artificial place that exists only in a sphere dependent on the human mind. Its reality and limits are subjective from the point of view of individuals (see Varzi, Achille, "Boundary", The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (Winter 2015 Edition), Edward N. Zalta (ed.), Boundary ). Thus, an excavation area is based solely on social reality, and what belongs or does not belong to this area is the result of a decision (in this case a scientific one), even if this decision may be based on objective geographical elements (such as the remains of buildings). In contrast, an inhabited place, such as the archaeological site of the city of Mycenae, is a bona fide object, meaning that it can be observed objectively, that there is a certain physical discontinuity between the entity and its environment. The area of habitation that constitutes the inhabited place is articulated around an objective and identifiable reality.

Example

• Excavation area

Hint: A lot of Geographical Place are already the Geovistory data-bank. Add and open existing Geographical Place in your Project easily by checking the list of suggested entities (screenshot below).

Georeference

Hint: If georeference data are filled in, then your Construction will appear on the map available in the analysis module.

By clicking on Advanced form, you will have access to some Specific Fields, such as the georeference. This is where you can give the GPS data of the Geographical Place (latitude and longitude) in a WGS84 format.

add GPS coordinates

entity card with coordinates

Important: If you re-use a Geographical Place already entered by another user, you will be able to retrieve the GPS coordinates if they have been recorded. A window suggesting you to add the Georeference will appear. You are free to use them or ignore them and create new coordinates.

suggested GPS coordinates for Berlin

Profiles related to the class "Geographical Place"

You can activate profiles in order to make use of other classes of interest. The following profiles might be interesting to use in connection with geographical places:

• Biographical basics and family

• Professional life

• Groups and organizations

• Generic events and phases

Hint: Find here the complete list of available profiles.