Physical Geography Looking at the Earth Geography involves the study of places: their locations, their characteristics, and how humans use and move around them. NEXT

Looking at the Earth Physical Geography The Five Themes of Geography SECTION 1 The Five Themes of Geography SECTION 2 The Geographer’s Tools NEXT

The Five Themes of Geography Section 1 The Five Themes of Geography • Geographers view the world in terms of the use of space. • Geographers study the world by looking at location, place, region, movement, and human-environment interaction. NEXT

The Five Themes of Geography SECTION The Five Themes of Geography 1 The Geographer’s Perspective Geographers and Historians • Historians look at events over time • Geographers look at: - use of space on Earth - interactions that take place there - patterns and connections between people and land • Geography is the study of the distribution and interaction of: - physical features on Earth - human features on Earth Continued . . . NEXT

Methods of Geography • Geographers use a variety of tools: SECTION 1 continued The Geographer’s Perspective Methods of Geography • Geographers use a variety of tools: - maps- visual representations of a portion of the earth. - photographs- gain visual evidence of a place - charts, graphs, tables- organize information in to learn about geographic patterns and understand change over time - scale models - five themes of geography NEXT

Theme: Location Where is it? SECTION 1 Theme: Location Where is it? • Absolute location—exact place where a geographic feature is found • Relative location—location of a place compared to places around it Continued . . . NEXT

SECTION 1 continued Theme: Location Absolute Location • Earth is divided into two equal halves, vertically and horizontally • Each vertical and horizontal half is called a hemisphere • An imaginary line, the Equator, divides north and south halves • Another imaginary line, the Prime Meridian, divides east and west Continued . . . NEXT

Latitude Lines Longitude Lines SECTION 1 continued Theme: Location Latitude Lines • Geographers use latitude lines to locate places north and south • Latitude—imaginary lines that run parallel to the equator Longitude Lines • Geographers use longitude lines to mark positions east and west • Longitude—imaginary lines that go over the poles • Where latitude and longitude lines cross is the absolute location Continued . . . NEXT

SECTION 1 continued Theme: Location Relative Location • How a place is related to its surrounding environment NEXT

Theme: Place What is it Like? SECTION 1 Theme: Place What is it Like? • Place includes physical features and cultural characteristics: - physical features include climate, landforms, vegetation - cultural characteristics include dams, highways, houses NEXT

Theme: Region How are Places Similar or Different? SECTION 1 Theme: Region How are Places Similar or Different? • A region is an area united by similar characteristics • Unifying characteristics—physical, political, economic, cultural • Three types of regions: - formal - functional - perceptual Continued . . . NEXT

SECTION 1 continued Theme: Region Formal Regions • Defined by a limited number of related characteristics • Formal regions of the world: - The United States and Canada - Latin America - Europe - Russia and the Republics - Africa - Southwest Asia - South Asia - East Asia - Southeast Asia, Oceania, and Antarctica Continued . . . NEXT

Functional Regions Perceptual Regions SECTION 1 continued Theme: Region Functional Regions • Organized around interactions and connections between places • Example: a city and its suburbs are connected through human movement Perceptual Regions • Region with characteristics people perceive in much the same way • Example: the American Midwest • Sometimes perceptions differ: Does Midwest begin in Ohio or Illinois? NEXT

Theme: Human-Environment Interaction SECTION 1 Theme: Human-Environment Interaction How Do People Relate to the Physical World? • A relationship exists between people and their environment • People use and change the environment to meet their needs • People adapt to environmental conditions they cannot change • Often, people in similar environments adapt in different ways NEXT

SECTION 1 Theme: Movement How Do People, Goods, and Ideas Get from One Place to Another? Places do not exist in isolation Interconnectedness of the world changes the way places “look”. People, Goods and Ideas move from place to place. Examples: Immigration from Latin America to United States War in Iraq (troops, supplies, ideas, people) Myspace, Facebook (ideas) Continued . . . NEXT

The Geographer’s Tools Section 2 The Geographer’s Tools • Geographers use two- and three-dimensional tools to learn about the earth. • Geographers use computer-assisted technology to study the use of the earth’s surface. NEXT

The Geographer’s Tools SECTION The Geographer’s Tools 2 Maps and Globes Visualizing Earth • Oldest known map: Babylonian clay tablet, circa 500 B.C. • Maps show locations of places, landforms, bodies of water Continued . . . NEXT

Two or Three Dimensions SECTION 2 continued Maps and Globes Two or Three Dimensions • Globe—a three-dimensional representation (a sphere) of Earth • Map—a two-dimensional graphic representation of Earth’s surface • Cartographer (mapmaker) tries to accurately reflect earth’s surface • Map projection—way of showing Earth’s curved surface on a flat map Continued . . . NEXT

Types of Maps • Three types of maps: general reference, SECTION 2 continued Maps and Globes Types of Maps • Three types of maps: general reference, thematic, navigational • A topographic map is one kind of general reference map • Topographic map—shows natural and man-made features of earth • Thematic map—shows specific data such as climate, population density • A navigation map is used by sailors, pilots NEXT

The Geographer’s Tool The Science of Mapmaking Surveying SECTION The Geographer’s Tool 2 The Science of Mapmaking Surveying • Surveyors observe, measure, record what they see in a specific area • Remote sensing, gathering geographic data from a distance, includes: - aerial photography - satellite imaging Continued . . . NEXT

Satellites • Best known satellites are Landsat and GOES SECTION 2 continued The Science of Mapmaking Satellites • Best known satellites are Landsat and GOES • Landsat is a series of satellites; can scan entire planet in 16 days • Geostationary Operational Environment Satellite (GOES): - orbits in sync with Earth’s rotation - gathers images of atmospheric conditions Continued . . . NEXT

Geographic Information Systems SECTION 2 continued The Science of Mapmaking Geographic Information Systems • Geographic Information Systems (GIS) is a digital geographic database • Combines and displays information from many sources Global Positioning System (GPS) • Uses series of 24 Navstar satellites to beam information to Earth • Hand-held GPS receivers on Earth display exact position • GPS used by explorers, sailors, drivers; also used to track animals NEXT