Download The Field of Geography

Wefcome to Geography Alive! Regions and
People. You have just begun an active, handson journey into the world around you.That
journey started with the dramatic photograph
you saw on the previous page.
Before going back to look at that photo
again, picture yourself in a tiny airplane,
You are sitting next to a famous landscape
photog rapher named Yann Arthus-Bertra nd.
You can't talk to him because he is hanging
out of his window snapping pictures with his
camera.To see what he sees, turn back to the
previous page.
What a strange landscape, you think
to yourself. As you look more, your mind
is flooded with questions. Where are we?
Who lives down there? What are they doing?
Why does the land look this way? With such
questions tickling your brain, you have just
entered the geographer's world.
The Field of Geography
Geography is a field of study that tries to
make sense of the world around us. lt helps
us understand how people, places, and
environments came to be and how they
affect each other.
When geographers look at something on
Earth, they ask questions. Where is it? Why
is it there? How did it get there? How does
it affect the people living there? How does it
affect the natural environment in this area?
That "something" could be as ordinary as a
nearby factory. Or it could be as extraordinary
as a distant, fire-belching volcano.
To answer such questions, geographers
look at the world in spatial terms.This means
they look at how things are arranged in
space. Look at the photograph of the camels
below.The first question to pop into a geographer's mind about this photo would be
a spatial one. Of all the places on Earth,
where were these camels on the day this
picture was taken?
Physical Geography
Geographers divide their field into two broad
branches: physical and human.The word
physicalmeans relating to things that can
be seen, tasted, or felt. Physical geography is
the study of natural features on the surface of
Earth.These are things that can be seen (and
sometimes tasted), such as mountains, plants,
and animals.They also include things that can
be felt more than seen, such as temperature,
wind, and weather.
Physical geographers looking at the camel
photograph below would be interested in its
desert landscape.They would wonder how
this place got to be so very dry and what
might live in this sea of sand.
Human Geography
Human geography is the study of people as
they have spread across Earth. Human geographers seek to understand who lives where,
how, and why.They are also interested in
human-made features such as towns, farms,
dams, and roads.
Viewing the same camel picture, a human
geographer would wonder who is driving
those camels. Where did the people come
from? Where are they going? And why are
they traveling through such a harsh, dry land?
The Geographic lnquiry Process
There are many ways to organize geographic
information. The most common, however,
is the one he chose to organize information
about all of the places he had learned about:
a map.
A map is a way of showing how things are
arranged in space. On his map, Herodotus
showed what he had learned about the locations of land, seas, and peoples.
Geography is a very old field of study. Around
450 e.c.e., a Greek scholar named Herodotus
created the first map of the known world.You
can see a modern version of it at the bottom of
this page. Looking at his map, you may notice
two things. First, how much of the world it
shows. Second, how much of the world is missing. What you cannot see is how Herodotus
created his map. He followed a series of steps
known as the geographic inquiry process.
Analyzing Geographic Information
to examine something
in detail in order to discover more about it.
Analyzing geographic information involves
seeing patterns and making connections.
As Herodotus analyzed his information,
he compared different ways of life. He noticed
that Egyptians, for example, did many things
"backward" from a Greek point of view.They
wrote from right to left, instead of from left to
right.They ate outdoors but washed indoors,
while the Greeks did just the opposite.
To analyze means
Asking Geographic Ouestions
Herodotus began by asking geographic
questions. What is the world like? What lands
and seas cover Earth? What peoples does the
world contain?Where do they live?
Acquiring Geographic
lnfo
ation
To answer his questions, Herodotus needed
geographic information. He traveled widely to
see the world. He interviewed other travelers
and traders.They told him many tales, some
true and some tall, about distant lands. ln this
way, Herodotus learned about peoples and
places he would never see.
Geographers today still travel in search
geographic
of
information.Those travels
may take them to nearby places or to distant
lands. Like Herodotus, they also look for information gathered by others.This information
can often found in books and on the lnternet.
Organizing Geographic
Answering Geographic Ouestions
At the end of his inquiry, Herodotus tried to
answer the questions he had started with. He
wrote down all that he had learned. He also
recorded conclusions about peoples based on
his analysis. People still read his books today.
Throughout this course, you will be
engaged in the geographic inquiry process.
You will ask questions and gather information.You will organize and analyze that information. Finally, you will try to answer your
questions.You may find, however, that each
answer leads to new questions. When that
happens, you are thinking like a geographer.
Info ation
Once Herodotus had collected his information, he needed to organize it in some way.
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Program Overview
The goal of Geography Alive! Regions and
People is to help you see the world through
a geographer's eyes. With those eyes, you
will be able to make better sense of the world
around you. Each element of this program
has been designed to help you not only to
reach this goal, but to have fun doing it.
Mastering the Basics
ln this first unit, you will master the basic concepts, skills, and tools that you will be using
all year. Chapter 1 introduces the most important tools of geography: maps and globes. ln
Chapter 2, you will explore different kinds of
maps.You will also learn map-reading skills
that you will use throughout this program.
Regions and Mapping Labs
After Unit 1, the program is divided into
seven world regions.The study
of each region begins
with a Mapping Lab.
ln these labs, you
will be challenged to
use maps to answer
questions about a
region. Sometimes
you will have to
organize and analyze information
from several maps
to find your answer.
Unit
1
After completing your Mapping Lab, take
time to read the unit introduction. lt will give
you a broad overview of the region that you
will be studying for the next few weeks.
Chapter Case Studies
You will explore each region through a series
of case studies. Each case study takes you
to a new place while focusing on a key topic
in geography. ln one, you will learn how oil
has affected countries in Southwest Asia. ln
another, you will experience what it is like
to climb the world's tallest mountain. ln still
another, you will "step into" an image of a
hurricane to learn how such storms form.
A Standards-Based Program
Geography Alive! Regions and People is
closely based on the National Geography
Standards.These standards set out what
every young person should know and be able
to do in geography.You can read more about
those standards on the next three pages.
OurTrusted Advisors
To ensure that this program meets the
National Geography Standards, we asked
several geographers from the National
Council for Geographic Education to serve
as our advisors. We are deeply grateful to
them for helping everyone involved in this
program's creation see the world through
the eyes of a geographer.
The World in SpatialTerms
Places and Regions
Geographers look at the world in spatial
terms. (Remember that spafial means relating
to or happening in space.)They are interested
in where things are located on Earth and why.
They use a number of tools to help show
these spatial relationships. Standards 1-3 say
that a person educated in geography should
know and understand these things:
You live in particular place.That place may
be in a city, small town, or rural area. lt has
a name and an address.You also live in a
region. A region is not a specific place. Rather,
it is a way of thinking about a group of places
that have something in common.The Sunbelt,
for example, is a region of the United States
made up of warm-weather states. Standards
4-6 say that a person educated in geography
should know and understand these things:
Standard 1 How to use maps and other
geographic representations, tools, and
technologies to acquire, process, and report
information from a spatial perspective
Standard 2 How to use mental maps to
organize information about people, places,
and environments in a spatial context
Standard 3 How to analyze the spatial organization of people, places, and environments
on Earth's surface
Sample Case Study: Chapter 6
National Parks: Saving the Natural
Heritage of the U.S. and Canada
Standard 4 The physical and human characteristics of places
Standard 5 That people create regions to
i nterpret Earth's com plexity
Standard 6 How culture and experience
influence people's perceptions of places
and regions
Sample Case Study: Chapter 22
Nigeria: A Gountry of Many Cultures
This case study will introduce you to the
more than 250 different ethnic groups
that live in the country of Nigeria.You
will see how dividing Nigeria into cultural regions helps geographers make
sense of this complex country.You will
also design an educationalWeb page
about the regions of Nigeria.
ln this case study, you will use topographic maps to plan adventure tours
of three national parks. Geographers
use this type of map to show the surface
features of an area.Topographic maps
of national parks show many of the
special features that make these places
worth preserving,
The Geographer's World
Physical Systems
Human Systems
Physical geography focuses on processes that
shape and change Earth's surface.The wearing away of coastlines by ocean waves is a
physical process. Most physical processes
work very slowly over time. But they create
the ecosystems, or natural environments, in
which we live. Standards 7 and 8 say that a
person educated in geography should know
and understand these things:
People are central in the study of geography,
Human activities-such as trade, migration,
settlement, and warfare-affect where and
how people live. Standards 9-13 say that a
person educated in geography should know
and understand these things:
Standard 7 The physical processes that shape
the patterns of Earth's surface
Standard 8 The characteristics and spatial
distribution of ecosystems on Earth's surface
Sample Case Study: Chapter 17
Russia's Varied Landscape:
Physical Processes at Work
ln this case study, you will learn about
four physical processes: volcanic activity,
glaciation, erosion, and tectonic movement.You will act out each of these
processes to show how they shape
Earth's surface.You will also do research
on physical processes close to home.
Standard 9 The characteristics, distribution,
and migration of human populations on
Eafth's surface
Standard 10 The characteristics, distribution,
and complexity of Eafth's cultural mosaics
Standard 11 The patterns and networks of
economic interdependence on Eafth's surface
Standard 12 The processes, patterns, and
functions of human settlement
Standard 13 How the forces of cooperation
and conflict among people influence the
division and control of Earth's surface
Sample Case Study: Chapter 32
The Global Sneaker:
From Asia to Everywhere
ln this case study, you will learn how
economic interdependence brings
you sneakers.You will see how making
sneakers has become a global business.
You will also find and map other
"global" products in your home.
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underground where
Unit
1
Environment and Society
The Uses of Geography
People constantly interact with their physical, or
natural, environment. Human geographers look
at how physical environments shape the way
people live.They also study how human activities change physical environments. Standards
14-16 say that a person educated in geography should know and understand these things:
Geography opens up a window on the world
we live in today. lt helps us to understand the
past and to plan for the future. Standards 17
and 18 say that a person educated in geography should know and understand these things:
Standard 14 How human actions modify the
physical environment
Standard 15 How physical systems affect
human systems
Standard 16 The changes that occur in the
meaning, use, distribution, and importance
of resources
Sample Case Study: Chapter 26
The Aral Sea: GentralAsia's Shrinking
Water Source
Standard 17 How to apply geography to
interpret the past
Standard 18 How to apply geography to
interpret the present and plan for the future
Sample Gase Study: Chapter 35
Antarctica: Researching Global Warming
at the Goldest Place on Earth
You will travel to Antarctica in this case
study to do research on global warming.
You will visit research stations to gather
data on air temperatures, ice shelves,
and penguins. After analyzing your data,
you will write a dialog that explores
different views about global warming
and how it may affect our future.
This case study takes you to what was
once a large freshwater lake in Central
Asia.You will learn how human activities
have turned this lake into a shrinking,
saltwater sea.You will also create documentaries that explore how the shrinking
of the Aral Sea has affected people living
in this region.
The Geographer's World