Looking at the EarthWhy do we study Geography?

Exploring the World Around Us

• What is Geography?– Geo- “the earth”– graphe “to describe”– The study of people, their environments

and their resources.

Geographer’s tools• Maps-visual

representations of a portion of the earth

• Photographs-create charts, graphs or tables to understand patterns

• Technology

5 Basic Themes

• #1 Location: The exact position on the Earth’s surface

• Lines of LATITUDE-measures distances north/south of the Equator.

• Line of LONGITUDE-measures distances east or west of the Prime meridian.

#2 Place

• Geographers describe places in terms of their physical and human characteristics.

• Physical characteristics: landforms, climate,soil and animal life

• Human characteristics: people’s way of life-their activities, means of transportation, religion and languages

#3 Movement

• Migration

• Trade- goods exported or imported• Spread of ideas• Interdependence-dependence of

countries on goods, resources and knowledge from other parts of the world.

#4 Region

• An area with its own unifying characteristics.

• These can be physical characteristics such as landforms or climate.

• Or-cultural political or economic features.

• One country can belong to several regions

#5 Interaction Between People and Their Environment

• How people adapt to the world around them.

• Hidden costs?• Negative examples

of how people interact with their environment

Let’s review

• Give two examples of how people have reshaped their environment.

• Two examples of how they have adapted to their environment.

• How have modern communication and transportation affected movement?

• Describe 3 different ways to identify the region in which you live

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7_pw8duzGUg