Download Geography - East Irondequoit Central School District

Unit 2 - Geography
ESSENTIAL
QUESTION:
I. Geography- The study of the earth and its features.
(Features: Topography, Climate, and Natural Resources)
To what
extent does
geography
impact the
development
of cultures
and
historical
events?
Geography tells us about:
* People who live on the earth, the places they have created and
how these places differ based on their geographical features.
II. Geographic tools and measurements
A. Globes - The most accurate way to draw the earth - As a
Sphere (round form)
 Gives the accurate shape of the earth’s landmasses and bodies
of water.
 Shows true distances between places.
What are two
types of
geographic
tools?
1.
2.
B. Maps - FLAT drawing of the earth’s surface.
TYPES OF MAPS:
1. Physical/Topographical Map - Shows physical features
(Topography) of an area (Mountains, rivers, seas, elevation)
2. Political Map - Shows boundaries that people have created.
(Cities, boundaries of countries and states, Capitals)
3. Demographic Map - Shows population statistics (ex: poverty,
race, gender, age, unemployment, literacy)
What type of
map would
show the
number of
Christians
living in
Europe?
 Uses of Maps: locate places, plot routes and judge distances.
 Advantage - allows you to see all areas of the world at the
same time, shows more detail & can be folded and carried
easily.
 Disadvantage - Distortions with distance, direction, shape
and/or area.
III. Study of geography can be organized into 5 themes:
1. Location - Tells us “Where is it?”
Why is it
important to
have two
ways of
distinguishing
a location?
Two types of location:
a. Absolute Location – Tells us the exact location on the
earth’s surface as measured by latitude (lines N & S of
the equator) and longitude (lines E & W of the Prime
Meridian)
b. Relative Location - Is less precise than absolute
location, but provides a location that is relative to
something else (i.e. Africa is south of Europe)
2. Place - Includes the features and characteristics that give an
area its own identity or personality.
a. Physical characteristics - Topography
(Physical features, Climate)
What are two
ways to
identify a
place?
1.
2.
b. Human characteristics – Culture of an area
(Language, religion, architecture, music, politics and
way of life.)
3. Human/Environment Interaction – How do people modify
AND adapt to their natural surroundings. To survive people
must make changes in their environment. As a result,
changes in the environment also occur.
a. Adaptations/modification to the land – Terrace farming,
slash and burn agriculture, building of canals and roads.
What is one
modification
people made
to their land?
What is one
negative
effect of
people’s
interaction
with the
land/earth?
b. Travel - Canals and roads used to help with
transportation, communication (Infrastructure) and trade
c. Clothing - used to protect people from the elements.
d. Ecological impact – Global warming, destruction of
rainforests, pollution of earth’s water, etc.
2. Movement - Movement of people spreads ideas, people,
foods, animals and cultural characteristics from one place to
another
One result is CULTURAL DIFFUSION - Caused by
Transportation routes, communication systems, trade,
immigration and warfare
EXAMPLES:
a) Euroeans Colonize Latin America bringing labor
force (African slaves) and Christianity (Roman
Catholicism) to Latin America.
Name a few
ways in which
Eastridge
High School
is divided into
regions?
5. Region - An area that is unified by some feature or a mixture
of features. Such as: Location, Economy, Government,
Language, etc.
1. Governments and Economies
Examples: Cold War Regions
a. Eastern Civilizations - (USSR and Eastern Europe)
Communist and Command Economies
b. Western Civilizations – (US and Western Eur.)
Democratic and Capitalism
2. Regionalizing Nations Geographically:
 East Asia (China, Korea, Japan)
 South East Asia (Philippines, Malaysia, Thailand,
Vietnam)
What is the
benefit of
dividing
nations into
different
regions?
 South Asia (India, Pakistan)
 Sub-Saharan (African nations South of the Sahara
Desert)
 Latin America (Mexico, Central and South
American nations) Mexico
 Middle East (North Africa, Iran, Iraq)
 Western Europe (England east to Finland, South to
Italy, west to Portugal)
 Eastern Europe (from Poland east to Russia and
south to Greece)
IV. Physical Features
A. Mountains - highest (in elevation) of the world’s landforms.
Rise from about 2, 000 ft to more than 20,000 ft above sea level.
IMPACTS:
What are
positive
impacts of
mountains?
 Isolation – Separated areas and people for hundreds of years,
causing the development of ethnic differences (Hindered
Cultural Diffusion)
 Homogeneous Cultures - people of area have same or similar
cultural practices
 Ethnocentrism - China considered itself the “Middle Kingdom”
What are
negative
impacts of
mountains?
 Protection – Isolation protected cultures from invasion (natural
barrier)
 Lack of Arable land - Mountainous terrain caused to people to
develop alternative forms of farming.
 Terracing - Building step-like features in side of Mountains
(examples: Peru, Japan, China)
 Natural resources – Rich deposits of iron, gold, silver, coal, etc.
 Mountain Ranges of the World:
a) Himalayan Mountains - Central Asia
b) The Alps - Western Europe
c) Andes Mountains – South America
d) Mount Kilimanjaro – Africa
What are
positive
impacts of
rivers?
B. Rivers - Waterways flowing through land and emptying into
another body of water.
IMPACTS:
 Farming – Irrigation, fertile soil, arable land
 Fresh Water Source – People need Fresh water to survive
(drink)
What is a
negative
impact of
rivers?
 Transportation - Rivers became trade routes, where goods and
ideas were exchanged among different cultures (cultural
diffusion).
 Open to Invasion - At times rivers left many cultures open to
invasion
 River Valley Civilizations - Ancient Civilizations arose around
rivers
 Rivers of the World:
1. Amazon River – Brazil, South America
2. Nile River - Egypt, Africa
3.
Indus River – India, Asia
4. Ganges River (“Mother of Life”) – India, Asia
5. Tigris and Euphrates Rivers - Mesopotamia, Middle East
(Asia)
6. Huang He (“Yellow”, “Great Sorrow”) – China, Asia
7. Yangtze River – China, Asia
What are
positive
impacts of
deserts?
C. Deserts - Arid areas with hot and dry climates year round.
There is little or no vegetation in this zone
IMPACTS:
 Lacks of Arable land – Deserts receive very little rainfall
throughout the year. People and plants face great obstacles in
order to survive these conditions
What are
negative
impacts of
deserts?
 Irrigation Systems – Civilizations who have survived the harsh
conditions of deserts have developed irrigation systems in order
to provide arable land. (examples: Egypt and the Nile,
Mesopotamia and the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers)
 Protection – Deserts harsh conditions have provided civilizations
a natural barrier to invasion

Sahara Desert - North Africa, largest desert in the world,
served as a barrier separating the peoples and cultures to the
north & south of it.
 Deserts of the World:
1) Sahara Desert – North Africa
2) Gobi Desert - China
3) Arabian Desert – Arabian Peninsula
What are
positive
impacts of
oceans?
D. OCEANS – Large bodies of Salt water. Oceans of world are
connected
What are
negative
impacts of
Oceans?
IMPACTS:
 Isolation - Caused much isolation between nations prior to
advanced ship making technology
 Transportation and Trade - Means of travel and trade for
centuries during and after the Age of Exploration
 Oceans of the World:
1. Atlantic Ocean
2. Pacific Ocean
3. Indian Ocean
4. Arctic Ocean
E. SEAS – Bodies of water that linked many nations and empires
together due to accessibility of travel.

Trade and Transportation - Important for cultural diffusion
What are
positive
impacts of
seas?

Invasion – The accessibility of seas to travel and trade also left
many civilizations open to invasion
 Roman Empire – The Roman Empire used the
Mediterranean Sea as a launching point as they built an
empire across three continents, Europe, Africa and Asia
(Middle East)

Seas of the World:
1. Red Sea - B/W Africa and Middle East
What are
negative
impacts of
seas?
2. Mediterranean Sea - South of Europe, North of Africa,
West of Asia
3. Caribbean Sea – North and Central America
4. Black Sea - Eastern Europe
F. Coastline - where the land meets the water.
TYPES:
How have
coastlines
impacted an
areas ability
to travel,
trade and
explore?
 Regular Coastline - has extensive coastline, much of it smooth
with few natural harbors and therefore negatively impacts trade
as there are few places for ships to anchor safely.

Africa - Lack of harbors has served as a barrier to trade
throughout Africa’s history
 Irregular coastline - very jagged coastline with many natural
harbors that provides places for many ships to anchor safely.
 Europe - Helped Europeans explore, colonize and spread
ideas and goods throughout the world
G. Tropical Rain Forest – A dense forest region with a hot and
humid climate due to its warm latitude plentiful rainfall.
 Plant and Animal Life - Rainforests are home to millions of
kinds of plant and animal life.
Rainforest of the World:
1. Amazon River Basin - South America
What natural
resources are
found in the
Rainforest?
2. Zimbabwe Rain Forest - Africa
H. Savanna – A grassy plain with irregular patterns of rain fall
What is a
negative
impact of
savannas
irregular
pattern of
rainfall?
 Has Two Seasons: WET (Winter) & DRY (Summer)
 Lacks arable Land – Its irregular patterns of rainfall make it
difficult to grow crops.
Savannas of the World:
a) India
b) Eastern Africa
What
determining
factor(s)
impacts
Upstate New
York’s
climate?
I.

Climate - The usual pattern of weather events that occurs in
an area over a long period of time.
Climate is determined by:
a) Distance from the equator – How far north or south it is
from the equator
b) Location – Proximity to large bodies of water effects
temperature and precipitation.
c) Mountain ranges - Proximity to mountain ranges effects
temperature and precipitation
d) Elevation – Areas of higher elevations tend to have cool
temperatures
J. Monsoons - Seasonal winds that affect the climate and shape the
What are the pattern of life in South Asia and South East Asia
positive
 Southwest (summer) monsoon - Blows from June to September
impacts of
monsoons?
 Arable Land – The summer monsoon brings rain, which blows
off the ocean and provides rainfall for crops.
What are the
negative
impacts of
monsoons?

Floods – Too much rain causes rivers to swell rapidly and
flooding occurs and can kill many people and animals and
destroy villages.

Drought – If the rain comes too late or if there is not enough
rain, drought can occur. This can cause famine in extreme
cases.
Case Study – Japan: Application of the Five Themes of Geography
A. Location- Where is it?
1.Absolute - 55*N – 32*N; 130*E – 140*E
2.Relative - East of China, East of Korea, West of Hawaii
B. Place
1. Physical Features
a. Archipelago - Physical separation from the
continental mainland
b. Pacific Rim - Volcanoes and earthquakes (Pacific
Rim)
c. 80% mountainous
d. Narrow coastal plains - lack of Arable land
e. Lack of natural resources - oil
2. Human Characteristics
a. Homogeneous - language and ethnicity
b. Ethnocentric - Cultural isolationist attitude (Islands)
C. Movement - cultural diffusion b/w mainland Asia & Japan
1. Writing System – Came from China
2. Religion – Buddhism via Korea and Chinese Missionaries
3. Infrastructure – Modern – (Cars, trains, subway systems)
D. Human Environmental Interaction
1. Adaptation to the environment
a. Lack of arable land
1. Terracing as a form of agriculture
2. Fishing industry
b. Shinto - religion incorporates nature worship
2. How Geography Impacted Historical Japanese events World War II
a. Lack of resources (OIL)
b. Japan sets up Greater East Asia Company
1. Imports raw materials – taking by force
2. Exports finished goods
c. Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor - to eliminate only
threat in the Pacific
E. Region: Japan as part of
A. Pacific Rim – In the Pacific Ocean with heavy volcanic
activity including earthquakes, and
tsunamis
B. East Asia – Location is near Korea, and China