Download Themes of Geography

Themes of Geography
Mr. Biddle
Geography
Geography
• The study of the earth
and of the ways people
live and work on it
• The word “geography”
comes from the Greek
word geographia, which
means “a description of
the earth”
Geography
• Geography deals with
the location of places
and the complex
relationships between
people and their
environments
Five Geographic
Themes
• The Study of geography
can be organized around
five themes:
– Location
– Place
– Human/Environment
Interaction
– Movement
– Region
Location
• Location is concerned
with the question,
“Where is it?”
Find Colonel Sanders
Location
• Absolute Location- is
the precise position
something is on the
globe
• To determine absolute
location, geographers
use a network of
imaginary lines around
the earth
Location
• One of those imaginary lines
is called the equator, which
is an important line that
circles the earth midway
between the North Pole and
the South Pole
• The equator divides the earth
into hemispheres, or two
halves, the Northern and
Southern Hemisphere
Location
• Latitude- Imaginary lines running east and
west around the globe (also known as
parallels)
– Used to measure the distance north and south of
the Equator in degrees
– The Equator is measured at 0º Latitude
– The North and South Poles lie at 90ºN (north)
and 90ºS (south)
Location
• There are two lines of
Latitude that are very
important for geographers
to use
• These lines receive the
most heat from the sun,
because of the way the
earth is tilted
– The Tropic of Cancer
(23.5ºN)
– The Tropic of Capricorn
(23.5ºS)
Location
• Longitude- (also known
as meridians) Imaginary
lines that run up and
down the earth and
measure distances east
and west of the Prime
Meridian (center mark of
the earth)
– Can be measured in
degrees up to 180º in each
direction
Location
• Grid System- a pattern
caused by the lines of
latitude and longitude
intersecting that makes it
possible to find exact
locations on the earth’s
surface
• Absolute location can be
found by where the
latitude and longitude
intersect on the globe
Place
• Place is concerned with
the question, “What is it
like there?”
• You want a description
of the place
Place
• Every place on the earth
has its own distinct
Physical features
(natural things on the
earth)
– Mountains, Rivers,
Valleys, Canyons, Caves,
different types of
Animals, Weather, and
etc.
Place
• Every place on earth also
has its own distinct Human
features (Human created
features)
– Interstates, buildings, cities
– People who live there,
farming, hunting and fishing,
manufacturing, leisure, and
cultural background can be
used as distinctive
characteristics of a place
Place
• How do physical and human features of
places create advantages and disadvantages
for human activities on earth?
Human/Environment
Interaction
• Answers the question,
“What is the relationship
between people and their
environment?”
• Geographers are
concerned with how
people are able to interact
and live in certain areas
Human/Environment
Interaction
• People are able to
adapt to their
environment for
survival
• Ex- the Inuit’s in
North America live
different lifestyles that
Aborigines in
Australia
Human/Environment
Interaction
• People also change the
environment to suit them
– Ex- Irrigation systems in
the desert
• Sometimes the changes
that are made can cause
problems in the
environment
– Ex- Air pollution, water
pollution, global warming,
and waste material
Movement
• Movement deals with
the question, “How are
people and places
connected?”
Movement
• Throughout history
people have moved
around the earth for
various reasons
• These reasons can be
categorized into two
groups:
– Push and Pull Factors
Movement
• Push Factor- a feature or
event that pushes a person
away from or encourages a
person to leave his or her
current residence, city,
state, or country;
organization, or religion
– Ex- Famines, Droughts,
Floods, or Military Conflicts
Movement
• Pull Factors- a feature
or event that attracts a
person to move to
another area
– Ex- Climate, Economic
Opportunity (Gold
Rush), Religious
freedom
Movement
• Movement has now
become a part of our
daily lives
• People use
automobiles, buses,
trains, subways, and
airplanes to move
from place to place
Movement
• These types of movements
along with new technologies,
such as computers and
telecommunications, have
made us very interdependent
as a society
• We rely on others for goods,
services, and foods
(Transportation of goods)
Region
• Geographers divide the
world into areas based on
physical features, such as
land type or plant and animal
life.
• They also divide the world
based on human
characteristics, such as the
way people are governed or
the language they speak
Region
• There are two types of
Regions:
– Uniform Region
– Functional Region
Region
• Uniform Region- a
region that has boundaries
determined by the
distribution of some
uniform (the same)
characteristic (the region
has the same type of
feature throughout)
– Ex- the Rocky Mountains,
Bread Basket, the Irrigatedcotton belt, Tropical
Rainforest
Region
• Functional Region- an
area that focuses on a
central point with
surrounding territories
linked to that central point
by arteries (roads,
railroads) or by people’s
wants and needs (jobs,
shopping, entertainment)
– Ex- the Greater Cincinnati
area (the metropolitan area
surrounding a city or town)
Geography and
Other Subjects
• Geographers must use a
variety of different subjects to
fully understand both the
human and physical features
of the earth
• They are:
–
–
–
–
–
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Science
History
Political Science
Sociology
Anthropology
Economics