World Geography
Chapter 1
How Geographers Look at the
World
Section 1
Themes of Geography
Five Themes of Geography

Geography

Greek word geographia


A “description of the earth”
Location


Where is it?
Absolute Location


Its precise position on the globe
They use imaginary lines to determine absolute
location


Latitude and Longitude
Creates hemisphere
 two halves
Location (Con’t)

Latitude

Circle earth parallel to the equator
measuring North and South



Equator 0º latitude
Poles are 90º (North) and 90º (south)
Latitude
Longitude

Lines from pole to pole measuring east or
west from Prime Meridian

Prime Meridian is over Greenwich, England
Location (Con’t)

Absolute location

Gives the exact location

Dallas, Texas


36ºN, 144ºW
Relative Location


Mostly used by standard people
Where it is in relationship to a person, place or
thing

Ex.


Ash Grove is NW of Springfield
Campbell 16 is across from McDonald’s off of Campbell
Ave.
Place

What is it like there?


Type of land, water, weather, soil, plant
and animal life
Also human activities and culture
Human/Environment
Interaction

What is the relationship between
people and their environment?



Why do people visit Hawaii instead of
Alaska?
How do humans adapt?
How have they damaged the
environment?
Movement



How are people and places connected?
Interested in the movement of goods,
information and ideas
Region

Description of areas based on different
characteristics


Midwest called the Bread Basket
Gulf Coast
Geography and Other
Subjects

Science and technology





Scientific method
GIS
GPS
Google Earth
History and political science



Historical designs
Past leaders
Political boundaries
Geography and Other Subjects
(Con’t)

Sociology and Anthropology


Study of society and culture
Economics

How the location of resources affects the
way people make, transport and use
goods
Map Essentials

Key

Explains the symbols on a map


Scale

Used to determine size of map



Hawaii map vs. Missouri map
Compass Rose


Unlocks the meanings of the map
Used to determine direction
Latitude
Longitude
Map Types

General purpose maps

Physical Map


Political


Physical features of Earth’s surface
Countries, states, cities, capitals, etc.
Special Purpose Maps

Ex.

Natural Resources… Road Maps
Comparing Maps and Globes

Taking something round and making it
flat

Ex.



Tennis Ball
Orange
Great Circle

Shortest distance between two spots on
earth
Map Projection

Mercator Projection

Fairly accurate however not with size or
distance


Conic Projection


Specifically at the poles
Fairly accurate overall
Goode’s Interrupted Equal Area
Projection


Show’s true size and shape
However distances are inaccurate
Map Projections (Con’t)

Robinson’s Projection



Overall fairly accurate
However poles distorted
Gall-Peter’s Projection


Size accurate
Shapes and distances are inaccurate