Thinking Geographically Chapter 1

The Two Broad Geographic Categories Human Geography −Human Activities Physical Geography −Natural Forces Common Thread: Both Ask Where and Why Questions. If Historians organize using time, Geographers use place.

Human Geography Human Geography: is the study of the interaction between people and their environment. In today’s world, geographers observe that people are being pulled by two factors Globalization Local Diversity

KEY ISSUE ONE How do Geographers describe where things are?

Physical Geography

Let’s think…What can maps tell us?

Early Mapmaking Babylonians – Earliest Surviving – 2300BC Aristotle – Spherical, Shadows, Stars Erasthosthenes= father of geography. Think about 1571 vs. today and Satellite Imagery

How Have Maps Changed?

Map Scale Scale: The relationship of a feature’s size on a map to its actual size on earth. Presented 3 ways: Fraction 1/25,000 In other words… 1 unit on the map = 25,000 of the same unit on the ground. Ratio 1:25,000 Bar Scale

Large Scale shows greater detail representative fraction is large. 1/25,000 Small Scale shows less detail representative fraction is small 1/250,000

Are the following large or small scale

Projection Projection: The scientific method of transferring locations on the Earth’s surface to a flat map. Drawing a round shape on a flat surface, causes distortion. What problems do you notice here?

What can we say about Robinson Projection? Good for viewing oceans, but in turn distorts land areas (makes them smaller).

Map Projection Distortion −Shape −Distance −Relative Area −Direction Problems −Spherical Nature of Earth −Globe −3-D Equal Area Projection Map

Contemporary Tools Beyond The Map −GIS Systems −Remote Sensing −GPS Systems GIS (geographic information system): A computer system the stores, organizes, analyzes, and displays geographic data. −Layers of information can be used to determine and compare relationships −Can be used separately or together −Cobb County GIS

Remote Sensing: Acquisition of data about Earth’s surface from a satellite orbiting Earth or from other long-distance methods. On the LIDAR image above the following colors correspond with the following elevations relative to mean sea level. COLORValue (meters)Value (feet) Dark Green to to 0 Green0 to 300 to Yellow30 to to Magenta100 to to Red150 to to

GPS (Global Positioning System) GPS: A system that determines accurately the precise position of something on Earth through a series of satellites, tracking stations and receivers. Location is usually accurate to +/- 5 centimeters.

Key Issue Two Why is each point on Earth unique? What do you notice about Amsterdam?

Toponym… name given to any place on Earth. Can be named for a person. Can be religious. Can be historical. Can be descriptive. Can tell you about the way an area was colonized.

Site= physical character of a place. Includes climate, topography, etc. Important in selecting a location for settlement.

Situation= location of a place relative to other locations. Helps us find an unfamiliar place by comparing it to a familiar one. Example: The park is one block past the Big Chicken. Helps us understand the importance of a location. Example: Dubai, UAE is has become important in world oil distributions because of it’s location near the St. of Hormuz.

Mathematical Location = exact or absolute location Meridians are North/South. Longitude. Prime Meridian= 0° Parallels are East/West. Latitude. Equator=0° Sprayberry’s Mathematical Location is 34° 0′ 43.2″ N, 84° 29′ 49.2″ W ( ‘=seconds and “=minutes)

Atlanta, Georgia Place Name: Atlanta, Georgia Site: Lies on the central piedmont which extends to the fall line of the rivers. South of the most southerly of the Blue Ridge Mountains in the northeast and north central portion of the state. Above and to the north of the coastal plain, which levels to the coastal flatlands. Situation: Urban Metropolis which is centrally located in the southeast portion of the United States, in an ideal location for trade and travel. Mathematical Location: Location: N, W

REGIONS Apply to a larger area rather than a specific point. Gets it’s character from the cultural landscape. Compare the cultural landscape of the South to the West. Assumes people are the most important agents of change to Earth’s surface. The SouthThe West Language Religion Industry Agriculture

Why is Each Point on Earth Unique? Regions Areas of Unique Characteristics

Concept Check Name the 5 Themes of Geography What is “weird” about the scale of maps? What are the 3 ways scale can be presented on maps? Name 2 kinds of map projections.