Unit 1 Geography Notes

What is Geography? The study of where people, places, and things are located and how they relate to each other.

What are the Five Themes of Geography? 1. Location 2. Place 3. Human-Environment Interaction 4. Movement 5. Region

Location Two types 1) Absolute : the exact spot on Earth (use coordinates) ↔ Equator ↕ Prime Meridian latitude longitude

Location Continued 2) Relative: the position of a place in relation to other places Ex. north, south, downhill, down the road What is the relative location of Louisville from here? What is the relative location of Wal- Mart from here?

Place Geographers describe places in terms of physical and human characteristics *** Physical: landforms, climate, soil, animal life, etc. Human: culture, roads, buildings, etc. Now describe E’town using both….

Human-Environment Interaction People are constantly interacting with their surroundings People adapt and change their environment Examples?***  Ex. Clearing forests  Eskimos building homes out of ice How do people affect the environment everyday and how could we change those habits

Movement People, goods, and ideas move continuously Migration* – Trade*- Ideas Spread* for food/freedom/jobs communication/transportation How are ideas spread? Export- goods sent outside country Import – goods brought in country

Push factor – force that drives people away from a place Pull factor – factor that draws people to a location

Interdependence: the dependence of countries on goods, resources, and knowledge from other parts of the world What are some examples?

Region An area defined by common characteristics Physical, cultural, political, or economic features*** Ex: What other regions can you think of? landforms – Rocky Mtns Muslim World Developing Country

Regions Regions of KentuckyRegions of United States Why is it important to know about our town’s geography?

Maps Map Projections: show the curved Earth on a flat surface Cartography – the study and making of maps

Mercator Projection World Map Africa is actually 14 times larger than Greenland

Adopted by National Geographic in 1988 Robinson Map – correct size and shape of most landmasses

Interrupted Projection Equal-Area Projection

Peters Map correct areas, but distorted

Maps continued Political: borders divide nations from one another Physical: shows features *Topography - features of a place or region Vegetation: plant life

Climate Climate: avg. weather over 20/30 years Factors that affect climate: Location (Latitude) Elevation: height above sea level Air cools as it rises

4 Major Land Forms 1. Mountains High, rugged, steep elevation (2,000ft.) 2. Hills Raised land (below (2,000 Ft.) 3. Plains Level/gently rolling 4. Plateaus High, flat elevated land Good farmland, relief from temperature Ex. Mexico City

Government Democracy: people have supreme power Republic: people choose leaders to represent them Dictatorship: ruler or group holds power by force

Governments continued Theocracy – government led by religious leaders or rule Oligarchy - government in which all power is with a few persons or in a dominant class (rich/elite) Monarchy– government in which a king or queen serves as head of state (true monarchy vs. modern monarchy)

4 Economic Systems 1. Traditional: People produce most of what they need to survive 2. Market: people make decisions and no government control

3. Command: government makes all the decisions and has total control 4. Mixed: people and government have a say

Culture All things that make up a people’s way of life Clothes Food Jokes Beliefs

Below is a list of words found on clay tablets in an archaeological dig. These words express characteristics of the culture Fish Mud Straw Pebbles Linen Bricks Onions Cabbage Lettuce Water Rebirth Plow Farming Gods Marriage Dancing Singing Marriage Canoe Dry Camel Flood Family Hot Slave Salt Tax Stone Columns Reeds Scorpion Hunt War

Family Nuclear: wife, husband, and children live together Extended: several generations live together grandparents, aunts, cousins, etc

Social Class Most cultures rank people in order of status, but some mobility How might we rank people in our society?

Religion Monotheism: worship of one god Polytheism: more than one god

How Cultures Change Technology : skills and tools people use Tools of stone and bone vs. cars Diffusion: movement of customs or ideas from one place to another Music, inventions, etc. Subculture : a group of people within a society who share certain beliefs, values, and customs Hippies, gypsies, etc.

Understand Others Ethnocentrism: judge other cultures by the standards of own culture What are some examples? Racism: belief that one racial group is superior to another What are some examples?

Time Zones Before 1800 time was a local matter In 1884, 27 countries met to set time zones World divided about every 15 degrees of longitude. (25 different time zones)

Each new day begins at the international date line. Cross the line from east to west and a day is added Cross the line from west to east and a day is subtracted