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Geography Defined The Five Themes of Geography Latitude and Longitude Geography Review Geography Defined The Five Themes of Geography Latitude and Longitude

What is Geography? Geography is the science that deals with the distribution and arrangement of all elements of earth’s surface. The word geography was adopted in the 200’s BC by the Greek scholar Eratosthenes and means “earth description.” The study of geography includes the environment of the earth’s surface and the relationship of humans to this environment, which includes both physical and cultural/human geographic features. Because the scope of what geography covers is so great, the study of geography is divided into two fields; physical and cultural/human geography.

Physical Geography Physical geographic features include the climate, land and water, and plant and animal life. Physical geography includes the fields of geology (the study of earth’s surface), climatology (the study of climatic changes), meteorology (the study of weather), biology (the study of living things), hydrography (the study of the uses of water), oceanography (the study of earth’s water), and cartography (map making).

Cultural/Human Geography Cultural geographic features include things having to do with humankind or man-made entities, such as settlements, nations, lines of communication, transportation, buildings, and other modifications of the physical geographic environment. Cultural geographers use history, political science, sociology, economics, biology, geology, psychology, cartography, and mathematics in their studies.

The Link Between History and Geography History and geography are linked. One can not truly understand one with out some knowledge of the other! The relationship between history and geography is especially close because they represent two fundamental dimensions of the same phenomenon. History views human experience from the perspective of time, geography from the perspective of space. These dimensions of time and space in a perpetual interactive feedback loop in which one dimension is constantly affecting the other.

The Five Themes of Geography Location Every point on Earth has a specific location that is determined by an imaginary grid of lines denoting latitude and longitude. Parallels of latitude measure distances north and south of the line called the Equator. Meridians of longitude measure distances east and west of the line called the Prime Meridian. Geographers use latitude and longitude to pinpoint a place’s absolute, or exact, location. Relative location deals with the interaction that occurs between and among places. It refers to the many ways—by land, by water, even by technology—that places are connected.

The Five Themes of Geography Place All places have characteristics that give them meaning and character and distinguish them from other places on earth. Geographers describe places by their physical and human characteristics. Physical characteristics include such elements as climate, topography, and animal life. Human characteristics of the landscape can be noted in architecture, patterns of livelihood, land use and ownership, town planning, and communication and transportation networks. Languages, as well as religious and political ideologies, help shape the character of a place. Studied together, the physical and human characteristics of places provide clues to help us understand the nature of places on the earth.

The Five Themes of Geography Human-Environment Interaction The environment means different things to different people, depending on their cultural backgrounds and technological resources. In studying human/environment interaction, geographers look at all the effects—positive and negative—that occur when people interact with their surroundings. Sometimes a human act, such as damming a river to prevent flooding or to provide irrigation, requires consideration of the potential consequences. The construction of Hoover Dam on the Colorado River, for example, changed the natural landscape, but it also created a reservoir that helps provide water and electric power for the arid Southwest. Studying the consequences of human/environment interaction helps people plan and manage the environment responsibly.

The Five Themes of Geography Movement People interact with other people, places, and things almost every day of their lives. They travel from one place to another; they communicate with each other; and they rely upon products, information, and ideas that come from beyond their immediate environment. Everything Moves! People migrate, goods are transported, ideas are exchanged, and modern technology connects people worldwide through advanced forms of communication. This theme addresses how human movement affects the earth and the people who live on it.

The Five Themes of Geography Regions A basic unit of geographic study is the region, an area on the earth’s surface that is defined by certain unifying characteristics. The unifying characteristics may be geographic/physical, human, or cultural. In addition to studying the unifying characteristics of a region, geographers study how a region changes over time. Using the theme of regions, geographers divide the world into manageable units for study.

Latitude When looking at a map, latitude lines run horizontally. Latitude lines are also known as parallels since they are parallel and are an equal distant from each other. Each degree of latitude is approximately 69 miles (111 km) apart; there is a variation due to the fact that the earth is not a perfect sphere but an oblate ellipsoid (slightly egg-shaped). To remember latitude, imagine them as the horizontal rungs of a ladder ("ladder-tude"). Degrees of latitude are numbered from 0° to 90° north and south. Zero degrees is the equator, the imaginary line which divides our planet into the northern and southern hemispheres. 90° north is the North Pole and 90° south is the South Pole.

Longitude The vertical longitude lines are also known as meridians. They converge at the poles and are widest at the equator (about 69 miles or 111 km apart). Zero degrees longitude is located at the Royal Observatory in Greenwich, England and is called the prime meridian(0°). The degrees continue 180° east and 180° west where they meet and form the International Date Line in the Pacific Ocean. The prime meridian divides our planet into the eastern and western hemispheres.