Download Geography - East Irondequoit Central School District

Unit 2 - Geography
ESSENTIAL
QUESTION:
To what extent does
geography
contribute to our
understanding of
the relationship
between people,
places, and
environment over
time?
What are two types
of geographic tools?
1.
2.
I. Geography- The study of the earth and its
features.
(Features: Topography, Climate, and Natural Resources)
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.
B. Maps - FLAT drawing of the earth’s surface.
What are three types
of Maps?
TYPES OF MAPS:
1.
2.
3.
1. Physical/Topographical Map - Shows physical features
(Topography) of an area (Mountains, rivers, seas,
elevation)
2. Political Map - Shows places that people have created.
(Cities, boundaries of countries and states, Capitals)
 Used to 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.
3. Demographic Map - Shows population distribution (ex:
poverty, race, gender, age, unemployment, literacy)
What are two types
of location?
1.
2.
III. Study of geography can be organized into 5
themes:
1. Location - Tells us “Where is it?”
Two types of location:
a.
Why is it important
to have two ways of
distinguishing a
location?
What are two ways
to identify a place?
1.
2.
What is one
modification people
made to their land?
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)
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, building of canals, slash and burn
agriculture, building of chinampas.
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 and identify cultures.
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
What is cultural
diffusion?
One result is CULTURAL DIFFUSION - Caused by
Transportation routes, communication systems, trade,
immigration and warfare
EXAMPLES:
a) Triangular Slave Trade between Europe, Africa and
the Americas.
 Raw materials are brought from the Americas to
Europe, Europe produces finished product,
Finished products are sold or traded to the
Americas and Africa
How do the
Triangular Trade
and the European
colonization of Latin
America fit into the
theme of
“movement?”
 slaves for goods goods for slaves slaves used
for harvesting raw materials, which would be
turned into manufactured goods for $$$.Africans
moved from Africa, brought to New World.
 Europeans set up homes in Africa and the Western
Hemisphere - Colonial migration
b) Euroeans Colonize Latin America bringing labor force
(African slaves) and Christianity (Roman Catholicism)
to Latin America.
5. Region - An area that is unified by some feature or a
mixture of features.
Name a few ways in
which Eastridge
High School is
divided into regions?
Based on: 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 Capitalist/Market
Economies
2. Regionalizing Nations Geographically:
What is the benefit
of dividing nations
into different
regions?
What are the Five
Themes of
Geography?
1.

East Asia ( Japan, China, Korea)

South East Asia (Philippines, Malaysia,
Thailand, Vietnam)

South Asia (India, Pakistan)

Sub-Saharan (African nations South of the
Sahara)

Latin America (Central and South
American nations) Mexico

Middle East (North Africa, Iran, Iraq,
Syria, Lebanon, etc.)

Western Europe (Ireland east to Finland,
South to Italy, west to Portugal)

Eastern Europe (from Poland east to the
former Soviet Union and south to Greece)
2.
3.
4.
5.
What are the
positive impacts of
mountains?
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 the
negative 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”

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) Ural Mountains – Russia
c) The Alps - Western Europe
d) Andes Mountains – South America
e) Mount Kilimanjaro – Africa
What are the
positive impacts of
rivers?
B. Rivers - Waterways flowing through land and
emptying into another body of water.
IMPACTS:
What are the
negative impacts of
rivers?

Farming – Irrigation, fertile soil, arable land

Fresh Water Source – People need Fresh water to survive
(drink)

Transportation - Rivers became trade routes, where goods
and ideas were exchanged among different cultures
(cultural diffusion).

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
8. Congo River – Africa
What are the
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 the
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 the
positive impacts of
oceans?
What are the
negative impacts of
Oceans?
D. OCEANS – Largest bodies of water. Oceans of
world are connected
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
What are the
positive impacts of
seas?
E. SEAS – Bodies of water that linked many nations
and empires together due to accessibility of travel.

Trade and Transportation - Important for trade and
communication

Invasion – The accessibility of seas to travel and trade
also left many civilizations open to invasion

What are the
negative impacts of
seas?

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
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
What natural
resources are found
in the Rainforest?
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
2. Zimbabwe Rain Forest - Africa
H. Savanna – A grassy plain with irregular patterns
How have savannas
irregular rain
patterns impacted
the development of
civilizations?
of rain fall

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
c) Australia.
I.
What determining
factor(s) impacts
Upstate New York’s
climate?

Climate - The usual pattern of weather events
that occurs in an area over a long period of
time.
Climate is determined by:
a) Distance – 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
What are the
positive impacts of
monsoons?
What are the
negative impacts of
monsoons?
J. Monsoons - Seasonal winds that affect the climate
and shape the pattern of life in South Asia and South
East Asia

Southwest (summer) monsoon - Blows from June to
September

Arable Land – The summer monsoon brings rain, which
blows off the ocean and provides rainfall for crops.

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 - In the Pacific Ocean, East of China, East of
Korea
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. Unnavigatable rivers – hard to travel
e. Narrow coastal plains - lack of Arable land
f. 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
3. Infrastructure - Cars, trains, bikes, subway systems,
motorcycles
4. World War II
a. Lack of resources (OIL)
b. Japan sets up Greater East Asia Company
1. Imports raw materials
2. Exports finished goods
c. Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor - to eliminate
only threat in the Pacific
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
c. Housing patterns - utilizing space
2. Modifications of the environment
a. Trade - Import of raw materials and export
of manufactured goods
E. Region: Japan as part of
A. Pacific Rim – In the Pacific Ocean with heavy
volcanic activity including
earthquakes, and tsnumais
B. East Asia – Location is near Korea, and China,
other East Asia nations