Welcome to World Geography
What is Geography & how does it
impact my life?
• Geography- the study of the
earth and the ways people live
and work on the earth.
• Geographers- study the earth,
the way places on the earth
differ, & the ways people live
& use earth’s resources.
• Geography also deals with the
location of these places and
the complex relationships
between people & their
environments.
5 Themes of Geo
•
•
•
•
•
1: Location
2: Place
3: Human/Environment interaction
4: Movement
5: Region
#1 Location
• Concerned with the question “Where is it?”
• Geographers study the location & distribution of
almost everything on earth.
• Absolute Location- the precise position on the
globe.
• To figure this out they use imaginary lines around
the earth.
Location and imaginary lines
• Equator- line midway between the N & S poles that
divides the earth into Hemispheres- 2 halves
Location and imaginary lines
• Latitude- lines that run east &
west on a map or globe.
• 2 lines that are important are
the Tropic of Cancer located
@ 23.5 degrees N and the
Tropic of Capricorn @ 23.5
degrees S.
• Important because the earth
is tilted 23.5 degrees in its
revolutions around the sun,
these 2 lines mark the areas
on the earth that receive the
most heat from the sun.
Location and imaginary lines
• Longitude- lines running
north & south on a map or
globe (also called
meridians)
• Prime Meridian- starting
point for lines of long at 0
degrees runs through the
Royal Observatory in
Greenwich England..
• Longitude is measured in
degrees E & W of the PM
up to 180 degrees.
Location and imaginary lines
• When lines of Lat & Long intersect they form an
exact or Absolute location on earth.
• By using degrees & minutes people can find the
precise point where the lines meet.
Location
• Relative Location- places on earth compared to
other places on earth.
• Knowing the relative location of people, places, &
things helps you to orient yourself in space &
develop an awareness of the geo of the world.
#2 Place
• Concerned with “What is it like there?” & can be
described in terms of its land, H2O, weather, soil, &
plant/animal life.
• Each place also has features that relate to humans
like the # & the kinds of people that live in an area.
• Human activity or lack of activity can have great
effects on a place.
• People’s religions, languages, & cultural
backgrounds also help to characterize a place on
earth.
#3: Human/Environment Interaction
• Concerned w/ “What is the
relationship between
people & their
environment”
• Geographers try to
understand the
relationships of places on
the earth to people & other
places on earth.
• Also interested in how folks
adapt to their environment,
if they can change their
environment,& if they can
take care of their
environment.
#4 Movement
• Concerned w/ “How do
people, goods, & ideas move
from one location to
another?”
• Folks have moved from place
2 place since time began, &
for different reasons.
• Geographers are also
interested in the movement
of people’s goods,
information, & ideas.
• All people are
interdependent- relying on
each other for goods,
services & ideas.
# 5 Region
• Concerned w/ “How are places similar or
different?”
• Geographers divide earth into regions based on
physical features (land type, animal & plant life)
• Divide it based on human characteristics (how
folks are governed or language)
• 2 basic types of regions
• Uniform region- boundaries are made by the
distribution of some uniform characteristic. (like
how the south is known for agriculture & the
north is known for industry)
• Functional region- area that focuses on a central
point w/ surrounding territory connected by
human needs.
Other areas of importance
•
•
•
•
•
Geographers also look at the areas of:
Science/Technology
History/Political Science (government)
Sociology/Anthropology
Economics
• Culture- the way of life of people in different
areas of the world.