Chapter 1:Chapter 1:The World of The World of GeographyGeography

Chapter 1:Chapter 1:

What is Geography?What is Geography?

**It is the study of our earth; our It is the study of our earth; our home.home.

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*Anything that can be mapped!*Anything that can be mapped!

*Geography mixes up the *Geography mixes up the physical and human aspects physical and human aspects of our world into one field of of our world into one field of

study.study.

*Geography shows the *Geography shows the relationship between people relationship between people

and the environment.and the environment.

What is a geographer?What is a geographer?

•Someone who Someone who analyzes the analyzes the Earth from Earth from many points of many points of view.view.

The Five Themes of The Five Themes of GeographyGeography• There are five ways to look at the There are five ways to look at the

earthearth• When geographers work, they are When geographers work, they are

guided by two basic questions:guided by two basic questions:

1)1) Where are things located?Where are things located?

2)2) Why are they there?Why are they there?

To find these answers, geographers use To find these answers, geographers use five themes to organize informationfive themes to organize information

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Things that geographers study:Things that geographers study:

• oceansoceans

• plant lifeplant life

• landformslandforms

• peoplepeople

• how the Earth and its people affect how the Earth and its people affect each othereach other

The Five Themes:The Five Themes:1)1) Location – Geographers begin to study a Location – Geographers begin to study a

place by finding where it is, or its place by finding where it is, or its location.location.

2)2) Place – Geographers study the physical Place – Geographers study the physical and human features of a location.and human features of a location.

3)3) Human-Environment Interaction – Human-Environment Interaction – Geographers study how people affect or Geographers study how people affect or shape physical characteristics of their shape physical characteristics of their natural surroundings and how does their natural surroundings and how does their surroundings (environment) affect them?surroundings (environment) affect them?

4)4) Movement – Helps explain how Movement – Helps explain how people, goods, and ideas get from people, goods, and ideas get from one place to another.one place to another.

5)5) Regions – Geographers compare Regions – Geographers compare the climate, land, population, or the climate, land, population, or history of one place to another.history of one place to another.

LocationLocation

• There are two ways to think There are two ways to think about location:about location:

1.1. absolute location – describes the absolute location – describes the place’s exact position on the Earth.place’s exact position on the Earth.

2.2. relative location – explains where a relative location – explains where a place is by describing places near place is by describing places near it.it.

PlacePlace

• This includes a location’s physical This includes a location’s physical and human features.and human features.– To describe physical features, you might To describe physical features, you might

say that the climate is hot or cold or that say that the climate is hot or cold or that the land is hilly.the land is hilly.

– To describe human features, you might To describe human features, you might discuss how many people live there, discuss how many people live there, what types of work they do, or what what types of work they do, or what they do for fun.they do for fun.

Human-Environment Human-Environment InteractionInteraction

• How do people adjust to and change How do people adjust to and change their environment? How does the their environment? How does the environment adjust to and change environment adjust to and change the people?the people?

• Geographers also use interaction to Geographers also use interaction to study the consequences of people’s study the consequences of people’s actions.actions.

MovementMovement

• Explains how people, goods, and Explains how people, goods, and ideas move from one place to ideas move from one place to another.another.

• Helps geographers understand Helps geographers understand cultural changes.cultural changes.

RegionsRegions

• A region has a unifying A region has a unifying characteristic, like climate, land, characteristic, like climate, land, population, or history.population, or history.

• On maps, geographers use color and On maps, geographers use color and shape or special symbols to show shape or special symbols to show regions.regions.

The Geographer’s ToolsThe Geographer’s Tools•Globes and Maps:Globes and Maps:

– As people explored the Earth, they As people explored the Earth, they collected information about it.collected information about it.

– Mapmakers wanted to present this Mapmakers wanted to present this information correctly.information correctly.

– The best way was to put it on a The best way was to put it on a globe, a round ball that globe, a round ball that represented the Earth.represented the Earth.

– Because globes are not practical or Because globes are not practical or easy to use to carry, flat maps easy to use to carry, flat maps were invented.were invented.

– However, the earth is round and a However, the earth is round and a map is flat.map is flat.

– Mapmakers had to find ways to Mapmakers had to find ways to make maps accurate.make maps accurate.

How Latitude and Longitude How Latitude and Longitude Form the Global GridForm the Global Grid

The HemispheresThe Hemispheres

Globes and MapsGlobes and Maps

• The most accurate way to present The most accurate way to present information on the islands, information on the islands, continents, and bodies of water of continents, and bodies of water of the world is to put it all on a the world is to put it all on a globeglobe, a , a round ball like the Earth itself.round ball like the Earth itself.

• The only difference between a globe The only difference between a globe and the Earth itself is the and the Earth itself is the scalescale, or , or size, represented on the globe.size, represented on the globe.

• Globes have a disadvantage: They Globes have a disadvantage: They cannot be complete enough to be cannot be complete enough to be useful and at the same time be small useful and at the same time be small enough to be convenient. enough to be convenient.

• Therefore, people invented flat Therefore, people invented flat maps.maps.

• Maps try to show the Earth, which is Maps try to show the Earth, which is round, on a flat surface. round, on a flat surface.

• This causes This causes distortiondistortion, or a change in , or a change in accuracy of the shapes and distances accuracy of the shapes and distances of places. of places.

• It is impossible to show the Earth on It is impossible to show the Earth on a flat surface without some a flat surface without some distortion.distortion.

• In 1569, a geographer named Gerardus Mercator created a flat map to help sailors navigate long journeys across the globe.

• The Mercator projection, or method of putting a map of the Earth onto a flat piece of paper, is used by nearly all deep-sea navigators.

• The Mercator projection is a conformal map, meaning that it shows correct shapes, but not true distances or sizes.

• There are many types of other projections of the globe.

Getting It All On the MapGetting It All On the MapThe World: Mercator Projection

There are many ways to show a globe on a flat map. The interrupted projection map, on the left, shows real sizes and shapes of continents. The equal area map , below left, shows size accurately. The Peters projection, below, shows land and oceans areas and correct directions accurately

The World: Three The World: Three ProjectionsProjections

Interrupted Projection

Equal-Area Projection

Peters Projection

The World: A Robinson The World: A Robinson ProjectionProjection

ARCTIC OCEAN

The Parts of a MapThe Parts of a Map

Compass RoseCompass Rose

• A compass rose is a model of a compass. It A compass rose is a model of a compass. It tells the cardinal directions, which are north, tells the cardinal directions, which are north, south, east, and west.south, east, and west.

ScaleScale

• The scale on a map tells you the relative The scale on a map tells you the relative distance on the map to the real world. For distance on the map to the real world. For example, a map’s scale may tell you that one example, a map’s scale may tell you that one inch on the map equals one mile in the real inch on the map equals one mile in the real world.world.

KeyKey

• The key, or legend, on a map explains The key, or legend, on a map explains what the symbols on a map represent, what the symbols on a map represent, such as triangles representing trees.such as triangles representing trees.

GridsGrids

• Some maps use a grid of parallels and Some maps use a grid of parallels and meridians. On a map of a small area, meridians. On a map of a small area, letters and numbers are often used to letters and numbers are often used to help you find your location.help you find your location.

Types Of MapsTypes Of Maps

• Physical map- see Physical map- see the landforms and the landforms and bodies of water. bodies of water.

• Political map- Political map- features on the features on the earth surface. This earth surface. This may include cities, may include cities, states, provincesstates, provinces

• Thematic map-show Thematic map-show climate vegetation, climate vegetation, natural resources, natural resources, population density population density and economic and economic activities.activities.

• Flow map- Flow map- movement of movement of people, goods, people, goods, animalsanimals