Geography
The study of the earth and the ways people live
and work on it. The word “geography” which
means “a description of the earth”. Geographers
are people who study the earth. They study the
way places on the earth differ and the ways people
organize themselves and use the earth’s resources
Latitude lines
Imaginary lines running horizontally around the
globe. Also called parallels, latitude lines are
equidistant from each other. Latitude is
measured from 0° to 90° north and 0° to 90°
south—90° north is the North Pole and 90°
south is the South Pole.
Equator
Zero degrees latitude. The equator divides the
globe into the Northern and Southern
hemispheres. The equator appears halfway
between the North and South poles, at the widest
circumference of the globe.
Longitude Lines
Imaginary lines, also called meridians, running
vertically around the globe. Unlike latitude lines,
longitude lines are not parallel. Meridians meet at
the poles and are widest apart at the equator. The
degrees of longitude run 180° east and 180° west
from the prime meridian.
Prime Meridian
Zero degrees longitude (0°). The prime meridian
divides the globe into the Western and Eastern
hemispheres. The Earth's time zones are measured
from the prime meridian. The time at 0° is called
Greenwich Mean Time (GMT). With the
Greenwich meridian as the starting point, each 15°
east and west marks a new time zone.
Hemisphere
A hemisphere is half the Earth's surface. The four
hemispheres are the Northern and Southern
hemispheres, divided by the equator (0° latitude),
and the Eastern and Western hemispheres, divided
by the prime meridian (0° longitude) and the
International Date Line (180°).
Location- “Where is it?”
-AbsoluteIt is shown by an address. The address can be any type that
gives an exact position.
-RelativeSaying where something is in relation to somewhere or
something else shows it.
Place- “What is it like there?”
-Human CharacteristicsThings that have changed due to people
-Physical CharacteristicsThings that occur naturally
Human/Environmental Interaction
“What is the relationship between people
and their environment?”
-This is about the relationship between people and their
environment, or how they work together.
-Three key concepts to human/environmental interaction:
Humans adapt on the environment.
Humans modify the environment.
Humans depend to the environment.
Movement“How are people and places connected?”
- Movement includes the movement of people,
things, such as goods, as well as communications
(the movement of ideas).
Regions“How is a place similar to and different
from other places?”
-Defined by a government or physical characteristics
-Defined by a function
-Loosely defined