Geography

Why Study Geography?

What is Geography?

Geography - study of the earth and its features, including human life and the effects of human activity. Two main types: 1) Physical Geography 2) Human Geography

Physical Geography Study of the physical features of the earth Focuses on natural features

Human Geography Study of human landscape, examines the relationship between humans and their environment.

What we need to do is combine the two ideas. Take the Sahara Desert for example.

How does geography (the Sahara Desert) affect the people of North Africa? 1.Where to find sources of water? 2.Cannot live permanently in the desert! 3.Transportation  no roads or highways, travel is via camel! 4.How do we make a living? What about trade? 5.What do we eat?

Physical Map Shows the physical features of the Earth –Examples: mountains, canyons, and rivers

Political Map Show governmental (manmade) boundaries –Example: countries, states, counties, and the location of major cities.

Thematic Map Show a particular theme connected with a specific geographic area. –Example: religions, natural resources, precipitation, climate zones

Birth Rate The ratio of total live births to total population. It is often expressed as the number of live births per 1,000 of the population. Ex. - 15,000 live births - population of 1,000,000 people - Divide both by 1,000, birth rate is 15 per 1,000 people

Death Rate The ratio of total deaths to total population in a specified community. Expressed as the number of deaths per 1,000 of the population.

Infant Mortality Rate The number of deaths of infants under one year old in a given year for 1,000 that are born. This is often used as an indicator of the level of health in a country.

Education Levels

Gross Domestic Product (GDP) GDP - Measure of the market value of all final goods and services produced within a country in a given period Per capita – per person

Longitude The position east or west of the prime meridian.

Latitude The position north or south of the earth's equator

First World – the highly developed industrialized nations often considered the westernized countries of the world Second World – country that is more stable and more developed than a third-world country but less-stable and less-developed than a first-world country, “emerging” Third World – the underdeveloped nations of the world, especially those with widespread poverty.

First World Ex. U.S., England, France

Second World Ex. Russia, Czech Republic, Croatia, China

Third World