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The Importance of Geography
E. Napp
Objective: To identify and explain the impact of geography on human activity
Mountain
Savanna
River
Island
Tropical Rain Forest
Desert
Steppes
So, what is geography?
Geography is the study of the diverse environments, places, and spaces of the Earth’s
surface…The modern academic discipline of geography is rooted in ancient practice,
concerned with the characteristics of places, in particular their natural environments and
peoples, as well as the interrelations between the two.” ~ Encyclopedia Britannica
The Five Themes of Geography:
Theme 1: Location
 Every point on Earth has a specific location that is determined by an imaginary grid
of lines denoting latitude and longitude.
Theme 2: Place
 All places have characteristics that give them meaning and character and
distinguish them from other places on earth.
Theme 3: Human/Environment Interaction
 In studying human/environment interaction, geographers look at all the effects—
positive and negative—that occur when people interact with their surroundings.
Theme 4: Movement
 People interact with other people, places, and things almost every day of their lives.
They travel from one place to another; they communicate with each other; and they
rely upon products, information, and ideas that come from beyond their immediate
environment.
Theme 5: Regions
 A basic unit of geographic study is the region, an area on the earth’s surface that is
defined by certain unifying characteristics. The unifying characteristics may be
physical, human, or cultural.
Questions: Identify the Geography Theme (From MrKersey.org)
1. Emma visited the Outer Banks in North Carolina this summer. She noticed the climate
was warm and sunny, with pleasant ocean breezes. The sand was white and soft. Emma
also thought it was interesting that all of the houses were built on stilts in case of flooding
caused by a hurricane. The Theme is: _________________________
2. Jacob, a super rich and powerful business man, decides to build a mall surrounded by
luxury apartments and offices in a large field that was once a forest with a stream running
through it. To build his mall Jacob's company has to cut down hundreds of trees, but he
decides to leave a small park at the center of the mall, and to protect the stream from harm
by building bridges over it for traffic and pedestrians. The Theme is ___________________
3. Paulina takes a trip through the area of the U.S. known as the Deep South. On her trip
she notices that most people who live there speak with a Southern accent, like interesting
foods that most people up North don't eat, and everyone seems to call her a Yankee. The
Theme is _____________________
4. Patrick is visiting his friend Bubba at his secret hideout which is hidden deep
underground at 40°N 84°W. The Theme is _____________________
5. Avery is an internationally recognized expert in the area of chewing gum. She flies all
over the world sharing her knowledge with chewing gum manufacturers so that they might
produce better chewing gum with longer lasting flavors. She often takes trains, planes, and
hovercraft to get to her destinations. The Theme is _________________
Using the above map, determine the latitude and longitude of the following points:
Point A: ___________________________________________________
Point B: ___________________________________________________
Point C: ___________________________________________________
Point D: ___________________________________________________
Point E: ___________________________________________________
Point F: ___________________________________________________
Point G: ___________________________________________________
Geographic Features:
 Geographic features are physical features of a place – mountains, rivers, islands,
savannas, steppes, rain forests, and deserts are examples of geographic features
 Geographic features have positive and negative effects on people
 Read the descriptions of the geographic features in the chart below and match the
features with their correct positive and/or negative effects on people
____________ Savannas
____________ River
____________ Monsoon
____________ Island
____________ Mountain
____________ Desert
____________ Peninsula
____________ Archipelago
A. This landmass that projects above its
surrounding is difficult to farm
because it is not flat. However,
people can farm by building terraces
(terrace farming). This landmass
also separated people in the past and
made transportation and
communication difficult.
B. This arid or dry land is difficult to
farm. People living in this land are
nomads, moving from place to place
in search of water.
C. These tropical grasslands are found
in Africa. Sometimes people farm in
these grasslands and sometimes they
raise animals and are herders.
Typically, there are two seasons in
these grasslands: a dry season and a
rainy season.
D. This stream of water provides water
for farming. Early civilization
developed near these streams of
water.
E. It is surrounded by water on three
sides. Given its proximity to water,
people can often use the seas for
trade.
F. It is completely surrounded by water.
The waters can be used for fishing or
trade but the waters can also isolate
the people or provide some
protection from outsiders.
G. It is a series of islands. Countries
like Japan, the Philippines, and
Indonesia are series of islands.
H. It is a seasonal wind. Sometimes this
wind brings rain and the rain can
help farmers. The wind can also help
traders as the wind can move a ship.
Excerpt from Time Magazine:
Under a Broken Sky (2003)
“…For former herders like Bayarsakhan, the transition to city living has been wrenching.
He grew up in Gobi-Altai province to the south, where his family had raised livestock for
generations. Four summers ago, however, a severe drought was followed by an early frost,
then a brutal winter with high winds. Mongolians have a name for this: the dzud. The
historical norm has been roughly one dzud every half-decade, making for a tough season
before more-manageable weather returns. But it's now happening for a fourth consecutive
year. The dzud means less grass grows and animals can't fatten up before the winter snow
buries the meager feed. Livestock starves, freezes or wanders off to perish in the blizzards.
Officials warn that 2.5 million animals could die this winter alone.
Stranded in a roadless region of Gobi-Altai that had been rendered inaccessible by
snowdrifts, Bayarsakhan's family herd of 500 dwindled to 10. After a while, the family even
stopped disposing of the corpses, instead piling them around their ger – a felt-covered
Mongolian dwelling – for extra insulation. They burned furniture to keep warm. "If you
don't have animals," says Bayarsakhan, "you have nothing." To survive, he left everything
he'd ever known for a place where people dressed oddly, behaved differently and used
paper money instead of bartering. His wife and infant son came with him (he and his wife
have since had a second son), as did his two brothers, one of whom also brought a wife and
child. They rented 500 square meters in Chingeltei for $90 a month, and then set up their
ger. One brother found work selling coal. But with so many other former herders vying for
jobs, Bayarsakhan can't find anything steady, so he sporadically joins his brother at a
nearby coal market, where they buy bags for resale to locals. They make about $2 a day. ‘I
don't know what would be better, being here or in the countryside,’ he says. ‘They're both
hard.’…”
Questions:
1. For centuries, the Mongols lived on the steppes. The steppes are dry, treeless
grasslands in Central Asia. In 2003, the time of this article, what was the steppe
experiencing?
_____________________________________________________________________
2. What is the Mongolian name for the answer in question #1?
_____________________________________________________________________
3. Before this happened every half-decade but now how frequently is it occurring?
_____________________________________________________________________
4. What are the effects of it?
_____________________________________________________________________
5. What happened to Bayarsakhan’s family herd?
_____________________________________________________________________
6. What did the family do with the corpses?
_____________________________________________________________________
7. What is a ger?
_____________________________________________________________________
8. Describe the family’s experience in the city?
_____________________________________________________________________