Geography & The Five Themes Chapter One

GEOGRAPHY The study of the Earth and the ways people live and work on it.

3 Branches of Geography Physical - climate, landforms, hazards, disasters, the distribution of plants and animals, etc. Cultural - also known as human geography, includes language, religion, medicine, cities, entertainment, etc. Economic – development, industry, how we move ourselves and our goods, how people make a living, etc.

LOCATION Where is it? How do I get there?

LOCATION Absolute location – position on the globe using latitude and longitude ex. Anchorage, Alaska 61°N, 150°W Relative location – location in relation to other areas ex. Madison Central is located across from Daniel Boone Elementary and next to the Madison County Country Club

Richmond’s Location Absolute - 37° N, 84° W Relative - Richmond is located south of Lexington and north of Berea in the central part of Kentucky

PLACE Every place on Earth has features that distinguish it from all other places.

PLACE What is it like there?

PLACE Physical characteristics – landforms, climate, vegetation Human characteristics – languages, customs, beliefs, government types, economies

What is unique about Madison County?

What is unique about Kentucky?

How are people and places connected? MOVEMENT How are people and places connected?

MOVEMENT Places do not exist in isolation People, goods, and ideas move between places

Movement in Madison County Interstate 75 Many people travel to Lexington to work every day Mail from Richmond is transported to Lexington to be postmarked

HUMAN/ENVIRONMENT INTERACTION How do people relate to the land? How have people changed the environment? What are the consequences of those changes? How do people respond to changes in the environment?

HUMAN/ENVIRONMENT INTERACTION We adapt to the environment in many ways. Examples - wearing a coat when it is cold, using terraced farming on a hillside, irrigating a desert region to farm, making snow to ski Often when humans modify or change the environment the result is negative. (air pollution, water pollution, waste materials)

H/E Interaction in Richmond Martin Bypass – How did that development change the environment? Recycling Pollution - Kentucky River Concrete wastelands Army Depot ???

REGION Geographers create regions to help classify places. What regions do you live in?

REGION Formal regions – places with similar attributes (ex. Corn Belt) Functional regions – places connected by movements (ex. Larger cities and the smaller cities that surround it – people travel there to meet their needs)

Kentucky’s Physical Regions

Madison County’s Regions Formal – Bluegrass Functional – Lexington and the smaller communities that surround it like Richmond – many people travel to Lexington to work, shop, entertainment, doctor, etc.