Unit 2 - Geography
ESSENTIAL
QUESTION:
To what extent does
geography
contribute to our
understanding of
the relationship
between people,
places, and
environment over
time?
I. Geography- _____________________________
______________________________________
(Features: Topography, Climate, and Natural Resources)
Geography tells us about:
* People who live on the earth, the places they have created and how these
places differ based on their geographical features.
II. Geographic tools and measurements
What are two types
of geographic tools?
A. Globes - _______________________________________________
- As a Sphere (round form)
1.
 Gives the accurate shape of the earth’s landmasses and bodies of water.
2.
 Shows true distances between places.
B. Maps - FLAT drawing of the earth’s surface.
TYPES OF MAPS:
What are three types
of Maps?
1. Physical/Topographical Map - _________________________
1.
______________________________________________________
(Topography) of an area (Mountains, rivers, seas, elevation)
2.
3.
2. Political Map -____________________________________ . (Cities,
boundaries of countries and states, Capitals)
 Used to locate places, plot routes and judge distances.
 Advantage - allows you to see all areas of the world at the same time,
shows more detail & can be folded and carried easily.
 Disadvantage - Distortions with distance, direction, shape and/or area.
3. ________________________________- Shows population distribution (ex:
poverty, gender, age, unemployment, literacy)
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III. Study of geography can be organized into 5 themes:
What are two types
of location?
1.
2.
Why is it important
to have two ways of
distinguishing a
location?
1. Location - Tells us “Where is it?”
Two types of location:
a.
Absolute Location – Tells us the exact location on the earth’s
surface as measured by latitude (lines N & S of the equator) and
longitude (lines E & W of the Prime Meridian)
b. Relative Location - Is less precise than absolute location, but
_________________________________
____________________________________________(i.e. Africa is
south of Europe)
What are two ways to
identify a place?
1.
2.
What is one
modification people
made to their land?
2. Place - Includes the features and characteristics that give an area its
own identity or personality.
a. Physical characteristics - Topography
(Physical features, Climate)
b. Human characteristics – Culture of an area
(Language, religion, architecture, music, politics and way of life.)
3. Human/Environment Interaction – How do___________
_____________________________________________________. To survive
people must make changes in their environment. As a result, changes in
the environment also occur.
a. Adaptations/modification to the land – Terrace farming, building of
canals, slash and burn agriculture, building of chinampas.
b. Travel - Canals and roads used to help with transportation,
communication (Infrastructure) and trade
What is one negative
effect of people’s
interaction with the
land/earth?
c. Clothing - used to protect and identify cultures.
d. Ecological impact – Global warming, destruction of rainforests,
pollution of earth’s water, etc.
2. Movement -________________________________________, people,
foods, animals and cultural characteristics from one place to another
One result is_____________________________________ - Caused by
Transportation routes, communication systems, trade, immigration and
warfare
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EXAMPLES:
a) Triangular Slave Trade between Europe, Africa and the Americas.
What is cultural
diffusion?
 Raw materials are brought from the Americas to Europe, Europe
produces finished product, Finished products are sold or traded to the
Americas and Africa
 slaves for goods goods for slaves slaves used for harvesting raw
materials, which would be turned into manufactured goods for
$$$.Africans moved from Africa, brought to New World.
 Europeans set up homes in Africa and the Western Hemisphere Colonial migration
How do the
Triangular Trade
and the European
colonization of Latin
America fit into the
theme of
“movement?”
b) Euroeans Colonize Latin America bringing labor force (African slaves)
and Christianity (Roman Catholicism) to Latin America.
5. Region - An area that is________________________________
_____________________________________________________
Based on: Location, Economy, Government, Language, etc.
1. Governments and Economies
Examples: Cold War Regions
a. Eastern Civilizations - (USSR and Eastern Europe) Communist
and Command Economies
Name a few ways in
which Eastridge High
School is divided into
regions?
b. Western Civilizations – (US and Western Eur.) Democratic and
Capitalist/Market Economies
2. Regionalizing Nations Geographically:

East Asia (__________________________________)

South East Asia (Philippines, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam)

_______________________________________
(______________________________________)

Sub-Saharan (African nations South of the Sahara)
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What is the benefit of
dividing nations into
different regions?

Latin America (Central and South American nations) Mexico

__________________________________ (North Africa,
___________ , _________________, Syria, Lebanon, etc.)

__________________Europe (__________east
to________________, South to____________, west to
____________________________)

What are the Five
Themes of
Geography?
__________________ Europe (from __________ east to the
former _____________ ________________and south
to______________________)
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
IV. Physical Features
What are the positive
A. Mountains - highest (in elevation) of the world’s landforms. Rise
impacts of
mountains?
from about 2, 000 ft to more than 20,000 ft above sea level.
IMPACTS:

Isolation – Separated areas and people for hundreds of years, causing the
development of ethnic differences (Hindered Cultural Diffusion)
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What are the
negative impacts of
mountains?

Cultures - people of area have
______________________________________cultural practices

Ethnocentrism - China considered itself the “Middle Kingdom”

Protection – Isolation protected cultures from invasion (natural barrier)

Lack of Arable (
) land - Mountainous terrain
caused to people to develop alternative forms of farming.

______________________________- Building ____________
____________________________in side of Mountains (examples: Peru,
Japan, China)

Natural resources – Rich deposits of iron, gold, silver, coal, etc.

Mountain Ranges of the World:
a) Himalayan Mountains - Central Asia
b) Ural Mountains – Russia
c) The Alps - Western Europe
d) Andes Mountains – South America
e) Mount Kilimanjaro – Africa
B. Rivers - Waterways flowing through land and emptying into
another body of water.
IMPACTS:
What are the positive 
impacts of rivers?
Farming – Irrigation, fertile soil, arable land

Fresh Water Source – People need Fresh water to survive (drink)

Transportation - Rivers became trade routes, where goods and ideas were
exchanged among different cultures (cultural diffusion).

Invasion - At times rivers left many cultures open to invasion
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
What are the
negative impacts of
rivers?
River Valley Civilizations - ________________________________
________________________________________________________

Rivers of the World:
1. Amazon River – ____________________________________
2. _____________________- Egypt, Africa
3.
Indus River – ________________________________
4. _________________ River (“Mother of Life”) – India, Asia
5. Tigris and Euphrates Rivers - ________________________
____________________________________ (Asia)
6. Huang He (“Yellow”, “Great Sorrow”) – China, Asia
7. Yangtze River – China, Asia
8. Congo River – Africa
C. Deserts - Arid areas with hot and dry climates year round. There
is little or no vegetation in this zone
IMPACTS:
What are the positive
impacts of deserts?
 Lacks of Arable (Farmable) land – Deserts receive very little rainfall
throughout the year. People and plants face great obstacles in order to
survive these conditions
 Irrigation Systems – Civilizations who have survived the harsh conditions of
deserts have developed irrigation systems in order to provide arable land.
(examples: Egypt and the Nile, Mesopotamia and the Tigris and Euphrates
Rivers)
What are the
negative impacts of
deserts?
 Protection – Deserts harsh conditions have provided civilizations a natural
barrier to invasion
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
Sahara Desert - North Africa, largest desert in the world, served as a
barrier separating the peoples and cultures to the north & south of it.
 Deserts of the World:
1) Sahara Desert – ________________
2) Gobi Desert - ________________
3) Arabian Desert – ________________________
D. OCEANS – Largest bodies of water. Oceans of world are
connected
IMPACTS:

Isolation - Caused much isolation between nations prior to advanced ship
making technology

Transportation and Trade - Means of travel and trade for centuries during
and after the Age of Exploration
What are the positive
impacts of oceans?
 Oceans of the World:
1. Atlantic Ocean
2. Pacific Ocean
3. Indian Ocean
What are the
negative impacts of
Oceans?
4. Arctic Ocean
E. SEAS – Bodies of water that linked many nations and empires
together due to accessibility of travel.

Trade and Transportation - Important for trade and communication

Invasion – The accessibility of seas to travel and trade also left many
civilizations open to invasion
What are the positive
impacts of seas?


What are the
negative impacts of
seas?
Roman Empire – The Roman Empire used the Mediterranean Sea as a
launching point as they built an empire across three continents, Europe,
Africa and Asia (Middle East)
Seas of the World:
1. Red Sea - B/W Africa and Middle East
2. Mediterranean Sea - South of Europe, North of Africa, West of Asia
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3. Caribbean Sea – North and Central America
4. Black Sea - Eastern Europe
F. Coastline - where the land meets the water.
TYPES:

Regular Coastline - has extensive coastline, much of it _________
________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________ trade as
there are few places for ships to anchor safely.

How have coastlines
impacted an areas
ability to travel trade 
and explore?
Africa - Lack of harbors has served as a barrier to trade throughout
Africa’s history
Irregular coastline - very jagged coastline with_______________
_______________________________________________________.

Europe - Helped Europeans explore, colonize and spread ideas and
goods throughout the world
G. Tropical Rain Forest – A dense forest region with a hot and
humid climate due to its warm latitude plentiful rainfall.

Plant and Animal Life - Rainforests are home to millions of kinds of plant
and animal life.
Rainforest of the World:
What natural
resources are found
in the Rainforest?
1. Amazon River Basin - South America
2. Zimbabwe Rain Forest - Africa
H. Savanna – A grassy plain with irregular patterns of rain fall

Has Two Seasons: WET (Winter) & DRY (Summer)

Lacks arable Land – Its irregular patterns of rainfall make it difficult to
grow crops.
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How have savannas
irregular rain
patterns impacted
the development of
civilizations?
Savannas of the World:
a) India
b) Eastern Africa
c) Australia.
I.

Climate - ____________________________________ events that
occurs in an area over a long period of time.
Climate is determined by:
a) Distance – _________________________________________
b) Location –_________________________________________ effects
What determining
factor(s) impacts
Upstate New York’s
climate?
temperature and precipitation.
c) Mountain ranges - Proximity to mountain ranges effects temperature
and precipitation
d) Elevation – Areas of higher elevations tend to have cool temperatures
J. Monsoons - ___________________that affect the climate and
shape the pattern of life in ________________________
__________________________

Southwest (summer) monsoon - Blows from June to September

Arable Land – The summer monsoon brings rain, which blows off the
ocean and provides rainfall for crops.

Floods – Too much rain causes rivers to swell rapidly and flooding occurs
and can kill many people and animals and destroy villages.
What are the positive
impacts of

monsoons?
Drought – If the rain comes too late or if there is not enough rain, drought
can occur. This can cause famine in extreme cases.
What are the
negative impacts of
monsoons?
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Case Study – Japan: Application of the Five Themes of
Geography
A. Location- Where is it?
1.Absolute - 55*N – 32*N; 130*E – 140*E
2.Relative - In the Pacific Ocean, East of China, East of Korea
B. Place
1. Physical Features
a. Archipelago - Physical separation from the continental
mainland
b. Pacific Rim - Volcanoes and earthquakes (Pacific Rim)
c. 80% mountainous
d. Un-navigatable rivers – hard to travel
e. Narrow coastal plains - lack of Arable land
f. Lack of natural resources - oil
2. Human Characteristics
a. Homogeneous - language and ethnicity
b. Ethnocentric - Cultural isolationist attitude (Islands)
C. Movement - cultural diffusion b/w mainland Asia & Japan
1. Writing System – Came from China
2. Religion – Buddhism
3. Infrastructure - Cars, trains, bikes, subway systems, motorcycles
4. World War II
a. Lack of resources (OIL)
b. Japan sets up Greater East Asia Company
1. Imports raw materials
2. Exports finished goods
c. Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor - to eliminate only threat in the
Pacific
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D. Human Environmental Interaction
1. Adaptation to the environment
a. Lack of arable land
1. Terracing as a form of agriculture
2. Fishing industry
b. Shinto - religion incorporates nature worship
c. Housing patterns - utilizing space
2. Modifications of the environment
a. Trade - Import of raw materials and export of manufactured
goods
E. Region: Japan as part of
A. Pacific Rim – In the Pacific Ocean with heavy volcanic activity
including earthquakes, and tsunamis
B. East Asia – Location is near Korea, and China, other East Asia
nations
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