Unit 1: Physical Geography

Five Themes of Geography

• Tools geographer’s use to study features on earth.– Location– Place– Movement– Region– Human Environment Interaction

Location• Describes where places are at on earth.• Types of Location:

– ABSOLUTE: exact location on earth (fixed)• Doesn’t change

– Latitude/Longitude– Hemispheres– Grid System– Address

– RELATIVE: compared to other places (variable)• Changes dependent upon where you’re comparing it to.

– Miles – Distance– Direction

Absolute Location

• Examples:– Rome is located at 41 N, 12 E– Argentina is located in the southern hemisphere– Ecuador is located in Tropic of Cancer.– LNE is located in Lincoln, NE.

Relative Location

• Examples: – Rome is located near the Mediterranean Sea.– Argentina is near Brazil.– Ecuador is south of Mexico.– Lincoln is 50 miles from Omaha.

Place

• A place is defined by it’s unique characteristics.– Physical characteristics– Cultural characteristics

Physical Characteristics• Specific to THAT place, not generic.

– The way a place looks.• Created by nature.

– Mountains– Rivers, Lakes, Seas– Climate– Vegetation

• Examples:– Andes Mountains are in South America.– Amazon River flows through Brazil.– Pampas are located in Argentina.– The isthmus of Panama connects Central & South America.

Cultural Characteristics• Specific to THAT place, not generic.

– Peoples activities change the way a place looks or is represented.• Man-made or invented.

– Language– Unique buildings– Religious Practices– Celebrations/traditions/holidays

• Examples: – Portuguese is the official language of Brazil.– Many Mexicans are Catholic.– Mayan ruins are located in Mexico. – Cinco de Mayo is a national holiday in Mexico.

Movement

• Places do not exist in isolation.– Interconnectedness of the world changes the way

places“look”.• Today: “globalization”

– People, goods & ideas move from place to place.• Examples– Immigration from Latin America to US.– War in Iraq (troops, supplies, ideas, people)– UNL (people, ideas)– Myspace, Facebook (ideas)

Region

• The world is divided into different regions based upon similarities & differences.– Climate– Location– Beliefs– Languages– Ethnicity/Race

• Types:– Formal– Functional– Perceptual

Formal Region

• Regions designated by OFFICAL boundaries such as cities, states, counties and countries. They are clearly indicated and publically known.

Functional Region

• A region whose territory is organized around something central, such as a newspaper.

• The distribution of a given local newspaper is limited to a certain area, which is its fucntional region.

Perceptual Region

• An area defined by subjective perceptions that reflect the feelings & images about key place characteristics.

HEI

• The environment & people are interconnected.

• Consequences to those actions depend upon how people choose to interact with the world and use their resources.– Positive/Negative– Intentional/Accidental– Favorable/Destructive

HEI

• Current Enviromental Issues:– Climate Change (global warming)– Energy Resources– Water Conservation– Deforestation

Warm Up

Who is this man and why is he famous?

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bu6SE5TYrCM

• Why should we care about this and what theme does this movie touch on?

Maps

Features of Maps

• Title: What the map is about.

• Orientation/Compass Rose: Which direction north is?

• Date: When the map was made.

• Author: Who made the map?

Features of Maps

• Legend/Key: List of symbols to help “read”/understand the map. • Index: List of places on the map.• Scale: The distance measured on the

ground.

3 types of maps

• Physical• Political• Special purpose/Thematic

The World Political• Political maps show how people have divided

places on the Earth into countries, states, cities and other units for the purpose of governing them.

Political Maps Political maps show how humans have impacted

the landscape. For example, city names, roads, country borders, etc. are all part of political maps.

A political map often uses colors to show the boundaries between states or countries.

Political Maps Lets look at some examples of political maps.

Political Maps

The World Physical• Physical maps show what the surface of the Earth

looks like.• A physical map highlights Earth’s natural features,

such as mountains and forests.

Special Purpose Maps: Global Climates

• This map shows the general climate regions of the world.

SP: World Religions• Religious beliefs help define a people’s culture, so to

understand a people, it is important to consider what religions influence that group.

Oceans of the World• The world has five major oceans.• Atlantic• Pacific• Arctic• Indian• Southern

Pacificocean

Southernocean

Arcticocean

Indianocean

Atlanticocean

Latitude and Longitude• The earth is divided into lots of lines called

latitude and longitude.

Lines

• Longitude lines run north and south. (the LONG sides of the ladder)

• Latitude lines run east and west. (the steps of the ladder)

• The lines measure distances in degrees.

LongitudeLatitude

Where is 0 degree?

• The Equator is 0 degree latitude. • It is an imaginary “belt,” or line, that runs

halfway between the North Pole and the South Pole.

Equator

P

R

I

M

E

Where is 0 degree?

• The prime meridian is 0 degrees longitude. This imaginary line runs through England, France, Spain, western Africa, and Antarctica.

Hemispheres

• By using the Equator and Prime Meridian, we can divide the world into four hemispheres:

1. The Northern Hemisphere2. The Southern Hemisphere3. The Eastern Hemisphere4. The Western Hemisphere

Mapping Challenges

Topography

• The lay of the land.• Shows relief using contour lines.– Relief- highs and lows of Earth’s surface.– Relief can be calculated• Take the difference between the highest point and the

lowest.• Ex: Mountain peak 20 m. lake 10m

– 20m- 10m= 10m– The relief of this area is 10m

Reading a topographic map- Contour Lines

• Lines on topographic maps.– Elevation- the distance something is above sea

level. Sea level= 0m or 0ft. – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=

owwqUYx_o3k

Contiguous

• sharing a common border; touching.• Ex: "the 48 contiguous states” of the US

The Problem of Cartography

Cartographers (Mapmakers)• Gathering Information• Problem of Distortion– Round world…flat paper– Distortion of…

• Area• Shape• Distance• Direction

• Map Properties• Map Projections

Gathering Information

• Surveying• Aerial Photography (Air Planes)• Remote Sensing (Satellites)

GIS!

• Satellite Images—pictures from above the earth

• GIS (Geographic Information Systems)—draw computer-generated maps from data

Early Maps-No GIS

• Columbus’s Time—no Americas, continents poorly shaped

• Today—satellite images aid in correcting shape, size, etc.

Problem of Distortion• Features are stretched to put

Earth’s information onto a map.

Map Properties

• No map can have all of the properties at once– Equal areas–Conformality–Consistent Scale– True-Compass Directions

Points to Remember• The projection one chooses to use depends

on the information one wants.• All Maps are projections – they transfer

Earth’s features from the globe to a flat surface (map).

• When large areas of Earth are mapped, distortion is more serious.

• When mapping small areas like cities, distortion is not usually evident.