Chapter 1 : Earth’s Land, People, & Environments Key Questions: What is geography? What are the 2 main branches of geography? What do geographers study? What tools to geographers use?

Chapter 1 – Day 1 Define Geography Explain 2 main branches of geography 5 Themes of Geography

Father of Geography Eratosthenes 276-194 BC Eratosthenes Greek Mathematician, Poet, Geographer, Astronomer

What is Geography? Geography- study of the Earth, its people, places, and environments physical features – lakes, mountains, oceans, islands human features – cities, dams, tunnels

Physical Geography Physical Geography- study of the world’s physical features Geographers study the physical world to learn how it works so that they can make…predictions

Human Geography Human Geography- study of the world’s people, communities, and landscapes What they do Where they live Why they live there What makes them move Why some places have no people

What about you??? If you had the option to study people or places, which would you choose to study?

Five Major Themes of Geography: Location Place Human-Environment Interaction Movement Regions

Location Absolute Location- a specific description of a location Examples: 36 degrees N and 51 degrees E 143 West Main Street, Greenwood

Location Relative Location- a general description of where a place is Example: Greenwood is just south of Indy

Place Place refers to the features that make an area unique Examples: Landscape, people, climate

Human-Environment Interaction Geographers look at how humans interact with the environment Environment-an area’s land, water, climate, plants and animals

Movement Geographers study how and why people move around the world (push or pull?) Also study roads/routes that people use often

Regions Areas that share common characteristics Examples: Rocky Mountain Region Tropical Regions Sahara Desert Region

Chapter 1 – Day 2 3 Levels of Geography Geographer’s Tools – Maps and Globes

3 Levels of Geography Geographers examine the world at 3 levels 1. Local Level 2. Regional Level 3. Global Level

Local Level -Right where you live -Study a town/community -Can help town leaders decide where to build schools, malls, or sports complexes

Regional Level Region- part of the world that has common features that make it unique -Regions can be defined by physical features, climates, language, religion (Example: Rocky Mountains)

Global Level Issues that affect the whole world - like climate change, trade, communication, refugees, water shortages

Geographers Tools Map- a flat drawing that shows all or part of Earth’s surface Globe- spherical, ball-shaped model of entire planet (Why are maps more popular than globes?) (Which do you think is most accurate?)

Types of Maps Large Scale – shows small areas, up close (city) Small Scale – shows large areas, far away (continent) Greenwood, IN North America

3 Types of Maps Political Maps – boundaries of countries Physical Maps –shows natural features likes lakes, mountains, etc. Thematic Maps Population Climate Vegetation Natural Resources Roads

Parts of a Map Title – tells you what the map represents Key – explain colors, symbols, and lines Scale Bar – shows measurement of distance on the map Compass Rose – shows direction (NSEW) Latitude & Longitude lines – exact location on Earth

Chapter 1 – Day 3 Geospatial Technologies Fields of Geography

Geospatial Technologies Electronic devices and maps that give us information on the location of physical and human features GPS – Global Positioning System GIS – Geographic Information System 30 satellites orbiting Earth send out radio signals, which devices receive

Satellite Images Used since 1970s to gather data Satellite images show things we can’t see from Earth’s surface weather, changes in vegetation and climate, soil

Other fields of geography Cartography- the science of making maps -Today maps are made using computers and satellite images

Other fields of geography Hydrology - is the study of water on Earth Hydrologists study rivers, rainfall, drinking water, droughts, floods

Other fields of geography Meteorology- the study of weather and what causes it -Meteorologists predict weather and help keep us safe

Why Study Geography? Geography allows us to find answers to questions about the world around us. Geography lets humans make better-informed decisions. (e.g. –You know that you and your buddy should not travel across the desert in wool jackets with nothing to drink and a box of popsicles as your only food…)