Exploring Geography CHAPTER 1

Section 1 The Five Themes of Geography –Objectives: Define the term geography. Identify the five themes of geography Give examples of applications of the five themes.

Geography - is the study of where people, places, and things are located and of the ways in which things relate to each other.

Vocabulary Key Terms: –Absolute location –Equator –Hemisphere –Latitude –Longitude –Prime Meridian –Relative location –Formal region –Functional region

The Five Themes of

Location Nevada is located in the Southwestern part of the United States. Ex: of relative location

Latitude and Longitude A system based on Degrees used in navigation of the globe. Latitude and longitude are a coordinate system used to locate points on the Earth’s surface.

Latitude Latitude is measured as a angle from the equator of the Earth (0°) to the North Pole (90° North) or to the South Pole (90° South). Think of the center of the Earth as the latitudes vertex and the plane made by the equator as the adjacent side or base of the angle. Latitude lines are made by circles that run parallel to the equator’s plane, and grow progressively smaller as they get closer to the poles.

Longitude Longitude lines are made by circles that intersect with both the North and the South Poles. Each longitude can be thought of as dividing the Earth in half. Longitudes are measured in half circles of 0° to 180° East and from 0° to 180° West from the Royal Greenwich Observatory in Greenwich, England. The Royal Greenwich Observatory was established in 1675 to advance the art of navigation.

Namibia Tokyo, Japan Hudson Bay Las Vegas, Nevada Illinois Using Longitude and Latitude 20 S, 20 E (RA 22) –COUNTRY 60 N, 80 W (RA 12 & 13) –BAY 40 N, 90 W (RA 9) –STATE 35 N, 139 E (RA 27) –CITY 36 N, 115 W (RA 8 & 9) –CITY

Absolute Location: Las Vegas 36 N, 115 W

When studying the earth, we study areas (or "regions") and we study specific coordinates on the map. Any place that has a coordinate (an exact longitude and latitude) would be classified as an "absolute location." On a map, places with coordinates are often marked by a dot or other similar symbols. Relative locations are larger areas that do not have exact coordinates. Relative Location An area or region would be called a relative location. A relative location is a place or area as compared to another place or area. Relative locations can change depending on the circumstances. Absolute Location vs. Relative Location

Place "Place" refers to the physical and human features that are found on our earth. When studying the earth, we must study both the physical and the human features so we can adapt to the different features and/or modify them to our needs.

Place Physical Features Physical features are natural characteristics such as mountains, valleys, streams, and rock formations. Examples:

Human Features: Humans add other characteristics to our earth, such as buildings, fences, and roads. Examples: Place HomeLocation Place Human-Env Interaction MovementRegions

HomeLocation Place Human-Env Interaction MovementRegions Human-Env. Interaction We depend on our environment We modify our environment We adapt to our environment

Movement Movement is transportation of an object from one place to another. While the actual movement of an object involves movement from one absolute location to another absolute location, movement is responsible for the sharing and mixing of regional goods, ideas, and beliefs.

PEOPLE – The movement of people has evolved greatly over time. We started out walking, we then upgraded to making animals carry us, and now we are moved by machines. People are transported by cars or other land vehicles, by airplanes, and by ships. Transportation of these three things are important for the growth and success of our world. GOODS –Goods are distributed in a variety of ways. They are often shipped to their destination by trucks (land), by airplanes (air) or by boats (water). Refrigerated trucks make movement of certain food items possible to regions where they would otherwise never be grown. IDEAS –Ideas originate in humans but are spread through a system of movement called communication. There are many ways in which ideas are spread. They are extended to everyone else through letters, telephones, faxes, broadcast media, and the internet. Movement

Region

Location and place are tied together by regions. Regions are realtive locations that are brought together by certain unifying (or common) characteristics. These unifying characteristics often influence what kinds of people inhabit these regions and how humans interact with their environment--that is, how they build their cities, how they use the land, etc. Unifying characteristics can be both physical and human. Physical unifying characteristics include such things as mountain ranges, deserts, rivers, climates, and landforms. Human unifying characteristics include language, religious beliefs, and political attitudes. Region