Review Sheet: Geography
What is Geography?
The study of the earth and its people.
Why do we study Geography?
To understand how and why people are affected by their environment. How does it change their way
of life?
5 Themes of Geography
LOCATION: Where is it?
-Absolute Location…exact, uses Latitude and Longitude to get an exact point.
Ex. 41 degrees North, 73 Degrees West is the exact location of Putnam Valley
-Relative Location….where something is located in relation to something else
Ex. The Jefferson Valley Mall is near the Taconic Parkway and Route 6.
PLACE: What is that Place like?
-Describes a specific location.
~~Physical Characteristics: The features of the location that naturally occur….ex. Mountains, forests,
rivers, rocks, vegetation, weather and climate
~~Human Characteristics: The features of a location that are human made…..ex. buildings, bridges,
roads, houses, anything human made.
MOVEMENT: How and Why did that get there?
-the transportation of goods, resources, people, or ideas.
Ex. Shipping oil from the Middle East, Commuting to NYC for your job, the Spread of Christianity or
Islam,
REGION: What are certain areas given names?
-An area or region that has similar characteristics (can be Physical and/or Human characteristics)
Ex. New York State, Putnam Valley, Tri-State area, New England, Great Plains, Rocky Mountains, USA,
Sahara Desert.
HUMAN ENVIRONMENTAL INTERACTION: Do our surroundings have an affect on us?
~Humans Depend on Their Environment….Basic Needs…FOOD, SHELTER, CLOTHING.
~Humans Adapt to their environment…..Humans will adjust their way of life to fit their
environment….ex. Clothing for heat or cold, fuel to heat their house, grow foods suitable for their
climate,
~Humans Modify their environment….Humans will change their environment to suit their needs…
ex. Irrigation of desert land along a river, Las Vegas built in a desert, Cutting down trees to farm and
build houses.
Geography Terms for Quiz.
-Isthmus:
A narrow strip of land connecting two larger land areas with water on either side
-Longitude: measured distanced of how far NORTH or SOUTH of the Equator a location is.
Part of Exact Location
-Peninsula: a piece of land that is bordered by water on three sides.
-Latitude: measured distance of a point EAST or WEST of the Prime Meridian. Part of
Exact Location
-Plain: is a flat region.
-Plateau: an area or region of level high ground.
-Climate: a measure of the average weather patterns for an area or region over an extended
amount of time.
-Weather: the state of the atmosphere in a particular place and time.
-Gulf: a deep inlet of the sea almost surrounded by land.
-Archipelago: a group of islands
-Strait: a narrow passage of water connecting two seas or two large bodies of water
-Equator: an imaginary line drawn around the earth equally distant from the North
and South Poles. See Latitude.
-Prime Meridian: an imaginary line that is 0 degrees of Longitude. See Longitude.