#1
What is Geography?

Objectives:
1. Define geography as a field of study
2. Explain the difference between physical and human geography
3. Identify examples of how geography is used in the world
around us
#1
What is Geography?

 Geography is the study of the earth’s
surface
 Geo=world or earth
 Graphy=to study or write something or
describe something
#1
What is Geography?

 3 Big Questions:
 What?
 What is an amusement park? What are humans doing there?
 Where?
 Where are amusement parks typically located?
 Why there?
 Why are amusement parks located in this particular part of the US
or in this part of Florida?
#1
What is Geography?

 Physical Geography is the study of
the natural features, the patterns,
and processes that exist on the
earth’s surface
 Landforms (mountains, valleys, canyons)
 Bodies of water (oceans, seas, lakes,
rivers)
 Geological processes (plate tectonics,
weathering, erosion, climates,
environments)
#1
What is Geography?

 Human Geography is the study of
human behavior – how humans
interact with each other and the
world around them
 Cultures, societies, value systems
 Cities, governments, economics
#1
What is Geography?

 Why study geography?
 Geography helps us better understand
the world around us
 The better we understand the world
around us and the people that inhabit
the world, the better we can plan for
future generations and ensure the
continuity of mankind
#1
What is Geography?

 How is geography used:?
 Cartography: the art of mapmaking
 Maps help us navigate around the world
 Meteorology: study of the earth’s
atmosphere and its weather conditions
 Meteorologists help us predict & prepare for
disastrous storms & climate change
#1
What is Geography?

 How is geography used:?
 Demography: the study of human
populations
 Demographers try to understand factor that
cause human populations to grow & decline
 Urban Planning: to plan for the future of
cities
 Urban planners use demography to plan for
future public spaces, transportation, electricity,
& water systems
#1
What is Geography?

 Review:
1. Define geography as a field of study
2. Explain the difference between
physical and human geography
3. Identify examples of how geography
is used in the world around us
#2 Understanding
Geography

2.
Objectives:
1. Explore the 6 essential elements of geography
Identify ways geographers use the 6 essential elements of
geography to interpret our world
#2
Understanding Geography

1.
The world in spatial terms:
 Where things are located and how things are
related to each other specifically
2.
Places and Regions:
 Describe what places are like and figure out how
places can be grouped into distinct regions
#2
Understanding Geography

3. Physical Systems:
 Examine & understand how the earth’s natural
processes are changing and shaping the earth’s
surface as well as how the earth’s environments
are different from each other
 thunderstorms, volcanic eruptions, earthquakes, hurricanes
4.
Human Systems:
 Refers to everything that humans do in their daily
lives, where they live & why they settle there ,
and what types of cultures humans have created
#2
Understanding Geography

5.
Environment in Society:
 How humans affect & interact with the
environment
 Use wood for building & paper, build wind turbines to generate
electricity = we’re adapting the land to meet our needs and wants
 Wearing warm clothing & Police boats in Venice, Italy=we adapt
to our environment
6.
Uses of Geography:
 Study the past to better plan for the future
#2
Understanding Geography

5 Themes of Geography:
1. Location
2. Place
3. Human-Environment Interaction
4. Movement
5. Regions
#2
Understanding Geography

Review:
1. Explore the 6 essential elements of
geography
2. Identify ways geographers use the 6
essential elements of geography to
interpret our world
#3 Organizing
Our World

Objectives:
1. Understand the division of the earth into continents, oceans,
and hemispheres
2. Identify the equator and Prime Meridian
3. Explain the concepts of latitude and longitude
4. Describe the earth’s time zones and the International Date Line
#3
Organizing Our World

1. Earth’s surface is made of land &
water.
2. The land masses are divided into 7
continents:
 North America, South America, Africa,
Antarctica, Australia, Europe, Asia (largest)
#3
Organizing Our World

3. The earth has ONE ocean, but it’s
divided into different parts.
 Pacific, Atlantic, Arctic, Indian, & Southern (not
recognized by National Geographic Society)
4. Cardinal Directions
 North, South, East, West
5.
#3
Organizing Our World

4 Hemispheres
 Equator divides earth into Northern & Southern
Hemispheres
 Prime Meridian divides earth into Eastern and
Western Hemispheres
6.
7.
Equator = 0’ latitude
Latitude = imaginary lines that run west to
east, measure distance north/south of
equator (0-90’ north or 0-90’ south)
8.
9.
#3
Organizing Our World

Prime Meridian=0’ longitude
Longitude = imaginary lines that run north
to south, measure distance east/west from
the Prime Meridian (0-180’ east, 0-180’
west)
10. International Date Line
 180’ opposite the Prime Meridian
 Determines which day it is, crossing this line
begins a new day!
#3
Organizing Our World

11. Earth has 24 Time Zones
 Because it takes the earth 24 hours to rotate on
its axis (not revolution - revolution takes 1 year!)
12.UTC = Coordinated Universal Time
#3
Organizing Our World

Review:
1. Understand the division of the earth into
continents, oceans, and hemispheres
2. Identify the equator and Prime Meridian
3. Explain the concepts of latitude and longitude
4. Describe the earth’s time zones and the
International Date Line
#4 Getting Familiar
With Maps

Objectives:
1. Identify the purposes of map elements
2. Explore the uses for and characteristics of different types of
maps
3. Understand what is meant by map projection
4. Compare and contrast commonly used map projections
#4
Getting Familiar with Maps

1. Map = a visual representation of the
earth’s surface
2. Title = indicates the purpose of the map
3. Legend (or key) = helps us interpret
what is being shown on the map
4. Compass Rose = gives us the cardinal
directions north, south, east, west
#4
Getting Familiar with Maps

5. Scale = a tool that helps us to estimate
distances
6. Physical Map = shows the physical
shape of the earth’s surface such as
landforms and bodies of water
7. Topographical Map = a type of
physical map that uses lines to show
both elevation and slope
#4
Getting Familiar with Maps

8. Political Map = maps that show
political borders and boundaries as
well as capital cities and other cities
9. Special Purpose Maps (or thematic
maps) = maps that show patterns
happening across the earth’s surface
 Population density, natural resources, climate
zones, etc.
#4
Getting Familiar with Maps

10. There are combination political/
physical maps that show landforms,
bodies of water, and political borders
11. Distortion = 2D maps are not 100%
accurate because distances and shapes
of the continents and oceans are
distorted when the earth is made flat
#4
Getting Familiar with Maps

12. Mercator Projection
 Created by projecting earth onto a cylinder
 Has perfectly perpendicular lines of longitude
and latitude
 Heavily distorted
13. Goode Equal-Area Projection
 Unwrapping earth like an orange peel
 Accurately illustrates the shapes and sizes of the
earth’s continents but the oceans are split apart
#4
Getting Familiar with Maps

14. Winkel Tripel Projection
 Created using mathematical formulas to calculate
distances so there are small amounts of distortion
 Very visually appealing, but still distorted
 Official map projection used by the National
Geographic Society
#4
Getting Familiar with Maps

Review:
1. Identify the purposes of map elements
2. Explore the uses for and characteristics of different
types of maps
3. Understand what is meant by map projection
4. Compare and contrast commonly used map
projections
#5 New Technologies
In Geography

Objectives:
1. Describe how remote sensing helps geographers gather
information
2. Explore how the global positioning system is used to map our
world
3. Explain how geographic information systems help geographers
understand our world
4. Apply new geographic technologies to plan for the future and to
find solutions to problems
#5 New Technologies
in Geography

1. Remote sensing allows geographers to
study something without actually
being there
 Answers the “what?” question
3 types:
 Radar
 Satellite imagery
 Aerial photographs
#5 New Technologies
in Geography

2. Radar:
 Type of remote sensing that uses radio waves to
determine direction, distance, and height of
objects
 Operates in all types of weather
 Used by meteorologists to forecast weather &
natural disasters
 Used to measure elevation of different landforms
 Used to control air traffic at airports
#5 New Technologies
in Geography

3. Satellite Imagery:
 Man-made objects (satellites) that orbit around
the earth taking pictures (imagery)
 Used to study environmental changes, calculate
urban growth, track the scope of natural disasters,
and create more accurate maps that are available
to geographers
#5 New Technologies
in Geography

4. Aerial Photographs
 Photographs taken from the sky, typically from
airplanes and helicopters
 Show changes on the earth’s surface such as
natural disasters, growth of cities over time, and
changes in the environment (deforestation in
Brazil)
 Complement data from satellites
#5 New Technologies
in Geography

5. GPS = Global Positioning System
 Answers the “where?” question
 There are 24 satellites in the atmosphere that send
radio signals to receivers.
 We can find our exact location on the earth (air,
land, and sea) using GPS
#5 New Technologies
in Geography

6. GIS= Geographic Information Systems
 Computer software allows geographers to take
specific types of information and plot that
information on a map. Then we can see the
patterns that emerge.
 Answers the “why there?” question
#5 New Technologies
in Geography

Review:
1. Describe how remote sensing helps geographers
gather information
2. Explore how the global positioning system is used
to map our world
3. Explain how geographic information systems help
geographers understand our world
4. Apply new geographic technologies to plan for the
future and to find solutions to problems
#1 Making Inferences
& Drawing Conclusions

Objectives:
#2 Analyzing Date to
Understand Change

Objectives:
#3 Common Issues
Across Places & Times

Objectives:
#4 Connecting the
Past to Present Issues

Objectives: