Geography:
Methods & Materials
Ohio Northern University
Fall 2013
Introduction
Roots of the discipline
 Geo / graphy: “description of the earth.”
 study the location and distribution of features
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Geographers identify, analyze, and interpret the
distribution and arrangement of features on the
Earth’s surface. (scientific method)
They also study the relationship of humans to their
environment, which includes both physical and cultural
features.
Geography: oldest of the sciences?
At the dawn of humankind,
people made crude
sketches of geography on
cave walls and rocks.
These early maps
documented and
communicated important
geographic knowledge our
ancestors needed to
survive:
What is the best way to get
from here to there?
Where is the water at this
time of year?
Where is the best place to
hunt animals?
Our ancestors faced critical choices that
determined their survival or demise, and they
used information stored in map form to help
them make better decisions.
SOURCE: “Understanding Our World,” in Essays on Geography and GIS, ESRI 2012, p. 52.
Five themes in geography *
1. Location
2. Place
3. Human-Environment Interaction
4. Movement
5. Region
*The Geography Education National Implementation Project (GENIP) - a consortium
of the Association of American Geographers (AAG), the American Geographical Society (AGS),
the National Council for Geographic Education (NCGE), the National Geographic Society
(NGS) - Geography for Life: National Geography Standards, Second Edition
Five themes in geography
1. Location
Most geographic study begins with learning the location of
places.
Location can be (1) absolute or (2) relative.
 Absolute location provides a definite reference to locate a
place.
 Relative location describes a place with respect to its
environment and its connection to other places. (Europe)
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Five themes in geography
2. Place
 describes the human/physical characteristics of a location.
a. Physical characteristics include a description such things
as the mountains, rivers, beaches, topography, and animal
and plant life of a place.
b. Human characteristics include the human-designed cultural
features of a place, from
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land use and architecture to
forms of livelihood and religion to
food and folk ways to
transportation and communication networks.
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Five themes in geography
3. Human-Environment Interaction
• This theme considers how humans adapt to and modify
the environment.
• Humans shape the landscape through their interaction
with the land; this has both positive and negative
effects on the environment. (determinism)
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Five themes in geography
4. Movement
Humans move, a lot!
In addition,
- ideas,
- fads,
- goods,
- resources, and
- communication…
all travel distances.
• This theme studies movement & migration across the planet.
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Five themes in geography
5. Region
 divides world into manageable units for geographic study.
 Regions can be (1) formal, (2) functional, or (3) vernacular.
1. Formal regions
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Homogeneity (sameness) prominent
Boundaries not always clear: Law of Sea? Anomalies?
2. Functional regions / spatial systems
system: set of objects & their mutual interaction
o core / periphery relationships
3. Vernacular regions are perceived regions, such as "The
South," "The Midwest," or the "Middle East;" they have no formal
boundaries but are understood in our mental maps of the world
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