The 6 Essential Elements of Geography

1. The 6 Essential Elements of Geography

2. 1. Location Where is a place? Absolute location- exact location on Earth�s surface Ex. Austin is located at 30� N latitude and 97� W longitude. Relative location- location of a place compared to (in relation to) another place Ex. Kealing is located 1 mile East of downtown Austin. Ex.2 My desk is near the bookshelf.

3. 2. Place and Region What is that place like? Place- Physical characteristics- natural char. Ex. Landforms, bodies of water, vegetation (plants), animals, etc. Human characteristics- human made char. Ex. Language, buildings, religion, music, etc.

4. 2. Place and Region cont� Region- Physical region- shares physical char. Ex. Rocky Mountains, Great Plains Political region- shares political goals/char. Ex. NATO, U.S.A. Economic region- shares economic goals Ex. E.U., NAFTA Cultural region- shares cultural char. Ex. French Canada/Louisiana, Dixieland I appreciate it when you ask clarifying questions because it shows that you actually care about learning the material. Don�t be too scared or weak to be afraid of asking for help! I appreciate it when you ask clarifying questions because it shows that you actually care about learning the material. Don�t be too scared or weak to be afraid of asking for help!

5. 3. Physical Systems How physical systems (atmosphere, lithosphere, hydrosphere, and biosphere) shape the earth�s surface Ex. Colorado river (part of hydrosphere) carved out the Grand Canyon. Ex. 2 Plate tectonics (lithosphere) change the shape of continents over time. How communities of plants and animals (ecosystems) depend on each other and their environment to survive

6. 4. Human Systems - Involves the population, culture, settlement patterns, cooperation, conflicts, and relationships among groups of humans Movement- shifting of humans, goods, and ideas from place to place Humans- migration, immigration, emigration Goods- trade Ideas- fads, technology Cultural diffusion- spread of aspects of one culture to another (ex. Tex-Mex food)

7. 5. Environment and Society - How people depend on, adapt to, or modify (change) the environment Depend on: air, water, light Adapt to: air conditioning, wear thicker clothes Modify: build dams to prevent flooding, clear forests to build cities

8. 6. Uses of Geography How do we use it? To help us interpret the past and present and plan for the future GIS (Geographic Information System)- Computer program that helps analyze geographic data