Download What is Geography? - Duluth High School

Geography is the study of :
EVERYTHING ON EARTH!!!!
What is Geography?
Rocks to rainfall
People and places
How the natural environment
influences people
How people’s activities affect the
Earth
LOOK AT:
Cities
Cultures
Plants
Resources
Geographers use
Perspective :
Spatial Perspective:
Looking at patterns
Where things are located
How they are arranged
•Landscapes
Scenery of a place
Human, physical, and cultural
features
Mt. McKinley
Human and Physical Geography
Human:
Distribution of World’s people
Characteristics of World’s
people
Where people live and work
Way of life
How people make and trade
things that they need to survive
Physical:
Earth’s natural environment
Landforms, water features,
atmosphere
Animals, plants, soils
Human/Environment
interaction
Alaskan Wildlife
Who uses Geography??
Cartography
Study of maps and mapmaking
Helps study location
Computers use satellite images,
photographs to create maps
Meteorology:
Study of weather
Forecast weather
Government agencies:
United States Geological Survey
(USGS)
Cities, States
Business
Schools: TEACHERS!!
Geography knowledge is
becoming more important as the
different areas of the world
become more closely linked.
Geographic Knowledge is also
needed for good citizenship.
How Do We Study Geography?
Regions:
Area with one or more
common features that make
it different from
surrounding areas
Gobi Desert
Defined by their
PHYSICAL and HUMAN
FEATURES
Australian Suburb
Regions:
Physical Features:
Climate
River systems
Soils
Vegetation
Human Features:
Languages
Religions
Trade networks
Political Boundaries
Be any size
Large: countries, deserts,
mountains
Small: suburbs, neighborhoods
Sub-regions
Three Basic Regions:
Formal Region:
One or more common
features that make it
different from the
surrounding areas
Population, income levels,
crops, temperature, or rainfall,
physical features
Economic features: industrial
area
Rust belt (Northeastern and
Midwestern United States)
Three Basic Regions:
Functional Region:
Made up of different
places that are linked
together and function as a
unit
City transit system: include
many different places…flow of
people, trains, and buses link
places together
Organized around a central
point
Cities: connect suburbs, areas
in the country, and industry
Three Basic Regions:
Perceptual Region:
Reflect human feelings
and attitudes
Awareness and understanding
of the environment around us
Influenced by what is in the
region and also what is within us
“Back Home”
Areas have their own special
features that make them different
People may view those
features in differing ways
1. World in Spatial Terms
Element focuses on geography’s
spatial perspective and uses maps
to study people, places, and
environments
2. Places and Regions
Element deals with the physical and
human features of those places and
how we define and perceive various
regions
3. Physical Systems
Physical systems shape Earth’s
features. Geographers study
earthquakes, mountains, volcanoes,
weather patterns. Study how plants
and animals relate to these systems
4. Human Systems
The way of life we follow and the
things we produce and trade. Look
at causes and results of conflicts
between peoples. Study of
governments, and settlements we
live in.
5. Environment and Society
Human Activities , using what the
Earth provides. Relationship
between people and the
environment.
6. Uses of Geography
Helps us understand the
relationships among people. Places,
and environments over time. Help
us interpret the past and present or
to plan for the FUTURE!
Lines of
Latitude
Lines of
Longitude
Lines of Latitude:
66.5N
23 ½ N
0 Degrees
23 ½ S
66.5S
Lines of Longitude:
Continents and Oceans
Atlas:
A collection of maps
Regional Maps
World Maps
Road Maps
School Maps
Map Projections:
Representation of the earth on flat maps
All Flat maps have distortion
Cylindrical Projection: is based on the idea of wrapping a
piece of paper around a globe to make a cylinder.
Distorted
Conic Projections come from the idea of
placing a cone over part of a globe.
Distorted
areas in the
middle
latitudes.
Flat-plane maps: appear to touch the globe at
one point, such as, the North or South pole.
Great Circle Route: the shortest route between
any two places on the planet.
Map Elements:
Distance scales
Directional
Indicators
Legends
Climate Maps: show weather patterns and
atmospheric conditions. Use color to show
various climate regions.
Population Maps: snapshot of the distribution of
people in a region. Shows the average number of
people living within a square mile (ppsm)
Economic Maps: show a region’s important
natural resources and the way the land is used.
Elevation Profiles: shows the side view of a place or area.
Topography: elevation (also known as contour maps).
Climate Graph: shows the average temperatures
and precipitation in a place
Population Pyramid of Argentina
1990 to 2050
Completed by Jennifer Simons