What is Geography?

1. What is Geography?

2. Greek Definition Geo = Earth Graphy= Graph/to write About Geo + Graphy= to write about the Earth

3. Meet the “Father of Geography:”Eratosthenes (b. 276 B.C.E) • Respected Scholar who first used the term Geography • Head librarian at Alexandria during the 3rd century • Computed the Earth’s circumference

4. The Birth of Cartography As long as there have been humans, there have been maps! Cartography is the “art of making maps.” A Cartographer is a person who makes maps.

5. The Earliest Maps • The world’s oldest map was found in 1993 on a stone tablet in a cave in Northern Spain. It is believed to be 14,000 years old. It shows hunting grounds.

6. The Purpose of Early Maps • Detailed maps were made for practical purposes such as exploring uncharted territory, mostly for setting up trade routes.

7. The First Geography Book Claudius Ptolemy, a well-respected scholar of math, astronomy, geography, music & poetry published his Guide to Geography in the 2nd century.

8. Ptolemy’s Map of the World (150 A.D.)

9. Fast Forward… We Will Focus on the Two Main “Branches of Geography:” Physical Geography Cultural Geography

10. Physical Geographyis the study of the natural world * landforms (mountains, plains, plateaus, volcanoes, etc.) * bodies of water (rivers, oceans, lakes, ponds, etc.) * climate– the pattern of weather over a long period of time (desert) * vegetation – plant life * wildlife– all animals, bacteria, etc. * natural disasters (tornadoes, hurricanes, earthquakes, blizzards)

11. Cultural Geographyis the study of the earth’s people & their customs * government - how people make and enforce laws * economy– the products people produce and how they are exchanged * language – how people communicate with one another * religion – system of faith or worship * other – food, clothing, music, education, festivals, etc.

12. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j2QEyL9zkU8 Why Geography Matters. What can you do with Geography?