How They Help us Study Geography

 Gk. geographia "description of the earth's surface," from geo- "earth" + -graphia "description“ Geography: The study of the earth and its features and of the distribution of life on the earth, including human life and the effects of human activity. What is Geography?

 The 5 Themes offer a structured way of thinking about the world and can be used to study all kinds of geographic issues.  Location  Place  Human Interaction  Movement  Region What are the 5 Themes?

 Location: Where is it? Two Types:  Absolute  Relative Location

 Absolute Location: its exact position on the globe. Geographers use Latitude and Longitude Location

 Latitude: Imaginary lines that circle the Earth parallel to the equator. They:  Measure distance north or south of the equator  Equator is 0° Latitude  Sometimes called Parallels  Lines north of the equator are labeled N and lines south of the equator are labeled S Location

 Longitude: Imaginary lines east and west of the Prime Meridian (Long. Line that goes through Greenwich, UK). They:  Go from pole to pole  Measure distance east or west of the Prime Meridian  Lines east of the PM are labeled with an E. Lines west of the PM are labeled with a W.

 Relative Location: Where a place is located in relation to other places (yourself). Location

 Place: What is it like there?  Physical Features: Refers to things in nature that make a place unique  Climate  Mountains  Bodies of Water  Human Characteristics: Refers to aspects of the humans in a specific place  Religion  Language  Customs Place

 Human Interaction: What is the relationship between people and their environment?  How have humans destroyed the environment  How have humans improved the environment *Humanity doesn’t always do the right thing! We affect our environment even when we don’t realize it. Human Interaction

 The Aral Sea Prior to 1960:  Borders Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan  Formerly one of the world’s 4 largest lakes  Once a populated fishing area  Over 26,000 sq. miles Aral Sea

 The Aral Sea Now:  10% of it’s original size  Mostly a salt desert  Filled with pesticides  Riddled with abandoned boats Aral Sea

  The Soviet Union rerouted all the rivers to support the cotton farms  Pesticides were put into the soil to promote healthy cotton growth  The salt content grew since new water was not being flushed in  Fish cannot survive in the remaining waters, plants cannot be planted where the water used to be  Industry is now destroyed Why Did this Happen?

 Movement: How are people and places connected?  Communication:  Internet  Phones  Mail  Movement of People and Goods:  Cars  Planes  Boats  Walking (or NOT) Movement

 Name some of the most important inventions that changed communication: Name some of the most important inventions that changed transportation: Movement

 Region Region: How is the world divided/Unified?  Physical Regions  Andes Mountains  Mississippi River Basin  Ring of Fire  Human Regions  Countries  Religions  Languages

 Examples Look at the maps and try to guess the regions:

 Examples

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 Look at the maps and try to guess the regions: