Of

Global

Processe

s

GEOGRAPHY

It is the study of

places and the

relationships

between people and

their environments.

Seeks to understand

where things are

found, why they are

there, and how they

develop and change

over time.

GEOGRAPHERS

– Geographers explore both the

physical properties of Earth’s

surface and the human societies

spread across it. They also examine

how human culture interacts with the

natural environment, and the way

that locations and places can have

an impact on people.

GEOGRAPHIC KNOWLEDGE

Chemists study where certain chemical elements, such

as gold or silver, can be found. Economists examine

which nations trade with other nations, and

what resources are exchanged. Philosophers analyze the

responsibility people have to take care of the Earth.

Holi is a festival celebrated

by Hindus around the world.

Holi marks the beginning of

spring, and is usually

celebrated at the end of

February or early March.

Participants in a Holi

festival often throw brightly

colored powder and scented

water at each other.

This map of London

was created by John

Snow in 1854.

London was

experiencing a

deadly cholera

epidemic, when Snow

tracked the cases

on this map. The

cholera cases are

highlighted in

black. Using this

map, Snow and other

scientists were

able to trace the

cholera outbreak to

a single infected

water pump.

Wheat, one of the

first crops to be

domesticated,

ripens in the sun.

Wheat, a variety of

grass, may have

been domesticated

by ancient farmers

in Mesopotamia as

long as 9000 BCE.

Dancers in La,

Papua New

Guinea,

participate in a

"sing-sing." A

sing-sing is a

traditional

gathering of

different

cultural groups

in Papua New

Guinea. Here,

dancers

celebrate at an

agricultural

show.

Geography was not just a subject that made colonialism

possible, however. It also helped people understand the

planet on which they lived. Not surprisingly, geography

became an important focus of study in schools and

universities.

Some matches of the 2010 World Cup were held in Durban, South Africa,

where this boy lives. Durban, a busy port city on South Africa's

northeast coast, has many of the same problems as other large urban

areas. Facilities to host the World Cup cost millions of dollars,

while residents like this boy still live in shacks on the outskirts of

the city

Cinque Terre is a

collection of five

towns on the coast

of the Ligurian

Sea, Italy.

"Cinque" means

"five" in Italian,

while "terre" means

"lands." Cinque

Terre is a UNESCO

World Heritage

Site, recognized

for its rustic

beauty

This image, from a 1375

atlas, shows the Italian

explorer and trader Marco

Polo traveling through

Asia. Marco Polo spent 24

years traveling from

Venice, his home town,

throughout the Middle

East, Mesopotamia, and as

far east as Beijing,

China, and Karakorum,

Mongolia. Karakorum was

the capital of the Mongol

Empire, and was where

Marco Polo met the

powerful Mongol leader

Kublai Khan

Two ducks rest

on a drum of

toxic gas in an

abandoned

swimming pool in

Bradenton,

Florida.

Migratory

species, such as

these ducks, can

carry pollutants

hundreds of

miles into new

ecosystems and

habitats.

Two Adelie penguins walk in front of the crumbing

wall of a glacier, near Durmont d'Urville Station,

Antarctica. Durmont d'Urville is a French research

station where scientists study life in the

Antarctic.

Exploration has long been an important part of geography. But

exploration no longer simply means going to places that have

not been visited before. It means documenting and trying to

explain the variations that exist across the surface of Earth,

as well as figuring out what those variations mean for the

future.

GLOBAL Processes

Act of processing a

visual stimulus

holistically

Relationship of geography to global process

Studies of the geographic distribution of human

settlements have shown how economic forces and modes

of transport influence the location of towns and

cities. For example, geographic analysis has pointed

to the role of the U.S. Interstate Highway System

and the rapid growth of car ownership in creating a

boom in U.S. suburban growth after World War II. The

geographic perspective helped show where Americans

were moving, why they were moving there, and how

their new living places affected their lives, their

relationships with others, and their interactions

with the environment.

– Investigations of the geographic impact of

human activities have advanced understanding

of the role of humans in transforming the

surface of Earth, exposing the spatial extent

of threats such as water pollution by manmade

waste. For example, geographic study has

shown that a large mass of tiny pieces of

plastic currently floating in the Pacific

Ocean is approximately the size of Texas.

Satellite images and other geographic

technology identified the so-called “Great

Pacific Garbage Patch.”

Geographic

studies

comparing

physical

characteristics

of continents

on either side

of the Atlantic

Ocean, for

instance, gave

rise to the

idea that

Earth’s surface

is comprised of

large, slowly

moving plates—

plate

tectonics.

Danxia landforms like this one are unique to southern

China. Danxia landforms are made of red sandstone. The

sandstone has been worn away by millions of years of

erosion by water and wind. Danxia landforms include

cliffs, pillars, shallow caves, and even waterfalls

– These examples of different uses of the geographic

perspective help explain why geographic study and

research is important as we confront many 21st century

challenges, including environmental pollution,

poverty, hunger, and ethnic or political conflict.

Whether geography is thought of as a discipline or as

a basic feature of our world, developing an

understanding of the subject is important. Some grasp

of geography is essential as people seek to make

sense of the world and understand their place in

it. Thinking geographically helps people to be aware

of the connections among and between places and to

see how important events are shaped by where they

take place.

–

– http://nationalgeographic.org/encyclopedia/geograph

y/

Thank You!