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CHAPTER 1
“A GEOGRAPHER’S WORLD”
THE FIVE THEMES OF
GEOGRAPHY
Location
Place
Human-Environment
Movement
Regions
Interaction
LOCATION
Where are we?
 Absolute
Location
– A latitude and
longitude (global
location) or a street
address (local
location).
– Paris France is 48o
North Latitude and 2o
East Longitude.
– The White House is
located at 1600
Pennsylvania Ave.
 Relative
Location
– Described by
landmarks, time,
direction or distance.
From one place to
another.
– Go 1 mile west on
main street and turn
left for 1 block.
PLACE
What is it like there, what kind of place is it?
Human
Physical
Characteristics
Characteristics


What are the main
languages, customs, and
beliefs.
How many people live,
work, and visit a place.

Landforms (mountains,
rivers, etc.), climate,
vegitation, wildlife, soil, etc.
HUMAN-ENVIRONMENT
INTERACTION
 How
do humans and the environment
affect each other?
– We depend on it.

People depend on the Red River for water and
transportation.
– We modify it.

People modify our environment by
heating and cooling buildings for comfort.
– We adapt to it.

We adapt to the environment by wearing
clothing suitable for summer (shorts) and
winter (coats), rain and shine.
MOVEMENT
 How
are people, goods, ideas moved from
place to place?
– Human Movement
 Trucks,
Trains, Planes
– Information Movement
 Phones,
computer (email), mail
– Idea Movement
 How
do fads move from place to place?
TV, Radio, Magazines
REGIONS
 How
are Regions similar to and different from
other places?
– Formal Regions
Regions defined by governmental or administrative boundaries
(States, Countries, Cities)
 Regions defined by similar characteristics (Corn Belt, Rocky
Mountain region, Chinatown).

– Functional Regions

Regions defined by a function (newspaper service area, cell phone
coverage area).
– Vernacular Regions (Not in your book)

Regions defined by peoples perception (middle east, the south, etc.)
Remembering the 5 themes
If
you can’t remembering what
they are just ask MR. HELP!!!
– Movement
R – Regions
HE – Human Environment
interaction
L – Location
P - Place
M
IN YOUR SMALL GROUPS, USE THE 5
THEMES OF GEOGRAPHY TO
DESCRIBE GREENBUSH OR MIDDLE
RIVER. HOW HAS THIS
CONTRIBUTED TO AND
PROHIBITED THE GROWTH OF
THESE TOWNS COMPARED TO
MINNEAPOLIS.
(5 MIN)
A. Geographers help in many ways.
1. Help provide relief to areas that
have been affected by disaster.
a. Use satellite to pinpoint the area.
b. Study the human-environment
interaction of the people.
c. Compare to other regions.
2. Help preserve the beauty of our world.
a. Identify causes of rise of land, air,
and water pollution.
b. Work with other planners to solve
THE WIDE WORLD OF
GEOGRAPHY
A. Branches of geography
1. Human - study of how people and
their activities vary from place to place.
a. Includes political, economic, and
cultural factors.
2. Physical - Study of how the earth’s
natural features vary from place to place.
a. Includes the study of plains and
mountains, weather and climates, and
(We will focus on human geography)
B. Geography as a profession
1. Cartography - Studies maps and
mapmaking.
2. Meteorology - specializes in weather.
3. Applied Geography - research, map,
and analyze environmental data.
a. Locations for new stores, airline
routes, find new business markets.
4. Teaching Geography
GLOBAL CLIMATES (pg. 27-32)
A. Many factors affect climate.
1. Temperature and precipitation
differences.
2. Continental and maritime location.
3. Elevation
B. Low-latitude climates
1. Wet, hot areas that have a humid-tropical
or monsoon climate.
2. Located near the equator.
a. Heavy rainfall
b. Continuous warm temperature
4. Tropical-savanna climate just to the
north and south of the humid-tropical
climate.
a. Have a wet and dry climate.
b. Have more of a season change than
the humid tropical climate.
C. Dry Climates
1. Two types: Arid desert and semiarid
steppe.
2. Most desert climate areas are centered at
about 30 degrees north and south of the
equator.
a. Very little rainfall and few plants
b. Largest desert is the Sahara in northern
Africa.
3. Semiarid steppe climate is a transition area
between the arid deserts and the more
humid climates.
a. Area of short grass vegetation with tree
being uncommon. (except by river banks)
b. Poor farming practices and
overgrazing have turned some
steppes into deserts.
D. Middle-latitude climates
1. Mediterranean Climate
a. Located between 30 and 40
degrees latitude.
b. Confines to the coastal areas of
southern Europe and the west
coasts of continents with cool
ocean currents. (dry summers)
2. Humid-subtropical climate
a. Found on the eastern side of
continents with warm ocean currents.
b. Hot and humid summers, mild winters.
3. Marine-west-coast climate
a. Generally found on the west coasts of
continents in the upper-middle latitudes.
b. Mild temperatures all year.
4. Humid-continental climate
a. Found in latitudes subject to both warm
and cold air. (4 distinct seasons)
E. High-latitude climates
1. Subarctic
a. Extending across northern North
America, Europe and Asia.
b. Long, dark, cold winters, with
temperatures well below freezing
for over half the year.
c. Short summers that can be very warm.
d. Greatest annual temperature ranges in
the world.
e. Evergreen forests are common.
2. Tundra
a. Long winters and temperatures above
freezing only during the short summers.
b. Vegetation is made up of small, hardy
plants, such as mosses, lichens , herbs,
and low shrubs.
c. Water below the tundra is frozen all year
round (permafrost)
d. Polar ice-cap climate has cold
temperatures and snowfall year-round.
F. Highland climates
1. Variety of climatic characteristics in high
mountain areas because of different
elevations.
2. Climate of lower elevations of a
mountain similar to the surrounding area.
BIOMES: WORLD PLANT
REGIONS (pg. 58-60)
A. Biome - plant and animal community that
covers a very large land area.
B. Forest Biome
1. Tree-covered
2. Supports a great variety of organisms.
3. Tropical rain forests are located in the
humid tropical climate regions.
4. Temperate forests are located in the
middle latitudes.
a. Deciduous forest - trees lose their leaves
each season.
b. Coniferous forests - trees remain green
year round.
c. Mixed forest - deciduous and coniferous
forests blend.
5. Boreal forests of mainly coniferous trees are
located in the subarctic climate regions.
6. Mediterranean shrub forests, made up of
short trees and shrubs, are found along the
middle-latitude coasts.
C. Savanna Biome
1. Tropical grass with scattered trees and
shrubs.
2. Usually located in areas with distinct wet
and dry seasons.
3. Best known for grazing animals and
predators.
D. Grassland Biome
1. Located between the temperate forests and
the desert biomes.
2. Usually lacks tree cover except along rivers.
3. Tall grassland (prairies) and short-grass
steppe.
E. Desert Biome
1. Generally found in the desert climate
region.
2. Plants survive by using very little water
or by storing water.
a. Cactus and sagebrush
3. Little moisture means plants grow far
apart and provide limited food for
animals.
F. Tundra Biome
1. Supports little plant growth and is treeless.
2. During short summers tundra comes alive
with mosses, lichens and small flowering
plants.
G. Barren Regions (Antarctica and Greenland)
1. Far polar regions snow cover does not allow
plants to grow.
H. People and the Biosphere.
IN YOUR SMALL GROUPS DISCUSS WHAT
AND HOW A BIOSPHERE CAN CHANGE.
(3 MIN)
1. All living things are interrelated within
the biosphere.
2. Natural changes are always taking place.
a. Volcanic eruptions can destroy a whole
ecosystem.
b. Global warming
3. Human actions can effect a biosphere.
a. Clearing forest for lumber.
b. Savanna and deserts are expanding due
to human activities.
POSSIBLE ASSIGNMENTS:
1. Get an article from the newspaper from
each of the climate types. Do the
physical characteristics influence what is
being reported?
2. Collect newspaper articles from each
country. Each time you get a country
you can color that country on the map.
3. Using a map color the climate types of
the U.S.
4. West wks u1-9 and u1-13