Geography: How do I study it? (8-30-10)
•
Geography is the study of the world’s people, places, and environments.
•
Everything you see, touch, use, and even hear is related to geography.
•
Does this seem like a large amount of information to study?
•
The FIVE THEMES OF GEOGRAPHY make it easy to understand all this information.
The Five Themes of Geography
•
Location
•
Place
•
Human/Environment interaction
•
Movement
•
Regions
Location
•
Location is the starting place for all geographers.
•
“Where is it?”
PLACE
•
Place is those features and characteristics that give an area its own identity or personality.
•
These can be physical characteristics: Landforms, climate, plants, and animals.
•
Or they can be human characteristics: Language, religion, architecture, music, politics, and way
of life.
REGIONS
•
Regions are places grouped together because of one or more common characteristics.
•
Down East
MOVEMENT
•
Movement is the continual movement of people, ideas, and goods.
•
How does the continual movement of humans help shape our world?
HUMAN/ENVIRONMENT INTERACTION
•
Human/Environment interaction looks at how and why people change their surroundings.
•
These changes can be negative.
•
Our everyday lives affect our environment, and our environment affect our everyday lives.
Notes 8/31/10
What is a Globe?
•
A globe is a model of the earth that shows the earth’s shape, lands, distances, and directions as
they truly relate to one another.
•
A world globe can help you find your way around the earth.
•
By using one, you can locate places and determine distances.
Hemispheres
•
To find places on the earth, geographers use a system of imaginary lines that crisscross the
globe.
•
One of these lines is the Equator. The equator circles the middle of the earth like a belt.
•
It divides the earth into “half spheres,” or hemispheres . Everything north of the equator is in
the Northern Hemisphere, and everything south of the equator is in the Southern Hemisphere.
Notes (9-1-10)
•
Another imaginary line runs from north to south and helps divide the earth into half spheres in
the other direction.
•
This line is called the Prime Meridian. Everything east of the Prime Meridian for 180 degrees is
in the Eastern Hemisphere.
•
Everything west of the Prime Meridian for 180 degrees is in the Western Hemisphere.
Which Hemisphere is North America located? Can you remember from class?
Latitude and Longitude
•
The Equator and the Prime Meridian are the starting points for two sets of lines used to find any
location.
•
Parallels circle the earth like stacked rings and show latitude.
•
Latitude is the distance measured in degrees north and south of the Equator.
North pole is 90 degrees N (North) latitude, and the South pole is 90 degrees S (South) latitude
•
There are two important parallels in between the poles are Tropic of Cancer at 23 ½ degrees N
latitude and the Tropic of Capricorn at 23 ½ S latitude.
•
Meridians run from pole to pole and crisscross parallels. Meridians show longitude.
Longitude is the distance measured in degrees east (E) or west (W) of the Prime Meridian
•
The Prime Meridian, or 0 degrees longitude, runs through Greenwich, England.
•
On the opposite side of the earth is the 180 degree meridian, it is called the International Date
Line.
•
Lines of latitude and longitude cross each other in the form of a grid system. You can find a
place’s absolute location by naming the latitude and longitude lines that cross exactly at that
place. Let’s try a couple…….
The Parts of a Map
•
On a map you will find what geographers call a compass rose, which can look like a compass.
•
It shows the cardinal directions, which are north, south, east, and west.
•
Geographers sometimes use symbols to stand for certain things found on a map.
•
We call this a KEY or LEDGEND.
The Earth in Space
 We will learn......
 The Earth has life because of the sun. The earth has
different seasons because of the way it tilts and revolves
around the sun.
 Some terms to keep in mind.....
 solar system
leap year
 orbit
summer solstice







atmosphere
winter solstice
axis
equinox
revolution
Places we will locate.....
Earth
sun
moon
The Solar System
 The sun's heat provides life on our planet. Earth and all the
planets revolve around the sun.
 Together with our sun, these bodies form our solar system.


Each planet travels along an oval-shaped path around the
sun called an _______.
Each planet travels along its own orbit around the sun.
Each planet also takes a different amount of time to
complete one full trip around the sun.
That’s all of today! Have a great weekend!