Looking at the Earth

Exploring the World Around Us What is Geography? – Geo- “the earth” –graphe “to describe” –The study of people, their environments and their resources.

Geographer’s tools Maps-visual representations of a portion of the earth Photographs-create charts, graphs or tables to understand patterns Technology

5 Basic Themes #1 Location: The exact position on the Earth’s surface Lines of LATITUDE- measures distances north/south of the Equator. Line of LONGITUDE- measures distances east or west of the Prime meridian.

#2 Place Geographers describe places in terms of their physical and human characteristics. Physical characteristics: landforms, climate,soil and animal life Human characteristics: people’s way of life-their activities, means of transportation, religion and languages

#3 Movement Migration Trade- goods exported or imported Spread of ideas Interdependence-dependence of countries on goods, resources and knowledge from other parts of the world.

#4 Region An area with its own unifying characteristics. These can be physical characteristics such as landforms or climate. Or-cultural political or economic features. One country can belong to several regions

#5 Interaction Between People and Their Environment How people adapt to the world around them. Hidden costs? Negative examples of how people interact with their environment

Let’s review Give two examples of how people have reshaped their environment. Two examples of how they have adapted to their environment. How have modern communication and transportation affected movement? Describe 3 different ways to identify the region in which you live