Exploring the World: Geography Fundamentals

1. A Geographer’s World Chapter 1

2. Studying Geography Section 1

3. What is Geography? • Geography is the study of the world, its people, and the landscapes they create. • The landscape is all the human and physical features that make a place unique. • Geographers must think like scientists by gathering and examining data • Sometimes geographers study people and their lives • Geography is sometimes called a social science

4. Looking at the World • Geographers look at the world at 3 levels. • Local, regional, and global level • Local level • Try to figure out why people live and work the way they do • Can help people improve their lives

5. Regional level • A region is a part of the world that has one or more common features that distinguish it from surrounding areas. • Some regions are defined by physical characteristics (ex: mountains, climate, or plants) • Other regions are based on human characteristics of a place (ex: language, religion, or history) • Regions can be small or large. • Divide the world into regions to make it easier to study.

6. Global Level • Geographers may want to learn how people interact globally • How do events or ideas from one region affect other regions? • Globalization, or worldwide trade and communication, has increased the need for information on how to live in a rapidly changing world.

7. The Geographer’s Tools • Geographers have tools to help them study the world. • Map • Flat drawing that shows all or part of the Earth’s surface. • Maps are distorted some of the details when making it flat (some places may look farther apart than they really are). • Maps are usually more detailed than globes • Maps can also show more information

8. Globes • A spherical model of the entire planet • Satellite images • Geographers study satellite images to see what an area looks like from above Earth. • Other tools • Computer programs – create, update, and compare maps • Notebook & tape recorder – take notes

9. Geography Themes and Essential Elements Section 2

10. The Five Themes of Geography • Five major themes of geography are Location, Place, Human-Environment Interaction, Movement, and Regions. • Location • Absolute location gives a specific location of a place (ex: address) • Relative location is expressed in general terms (ex: Canada is north of the U.S.) • Place • Refers to an area’s landscape. • Can include land, climate, and people.

11. Human-Environment Interaction • How do people interact with their environment (land, water, climate, plants, and animals) • Movement • Why and how do people move • Regions • Help study geography • Creating regions also makes it easier to compare places

12. The Six Essential Elements • A system of standards and essential elements identify most important ideas in the study of geography. • The essential elements are based on a geography standard. • They are big ideas that link several standards together • Pg. 13

13. The Branches of Geography Section 3

14. Physical Geography • Two branches of geography – physical and human • In physical geography geographers study the world’s physical features. • Look for the causes of different shapes on Earth • Why mountain ranges form? • Studying the changes that take place on Earth can help us prepare for the future.

15. Human Geography • The study of the world’s people past and present • Look at where people live and why • Many human geographers specialize because there are so many people in the world. • Others examine only one aspect of people’s lives (ex: economics) • Human geographers help us understand people’s cultures.

16. Other Fields of Geography • Cartography – science of making maps. • Computers and satellite images have made maps more reliable. • Hydrology – study of water on Earth • Study the world’s river systems and rainfall patterns • Meteorology – study of weather and what causes it. • Study weather patterns in a particular area and use the information to predict future weather.