1. Physical Geography
Looking at the Earth
Geography involves the study of places: their locations, their characteristics, and how humans use and move around them.
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2. Looking at the Earth Physical Geography The Five Themes of Geography
SECTION 1
The Five Themes of Geography
SECTION 2
The Geographer’s Tools
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3. The Five Themes of Geography
Section 1
The Five Themes of Geography
• Geographers view the world in terms of the use of space.
• Geographers study the world by looking at location, place, region, movement, and human-environment interaction.
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4. The Five Themes of Geography
SECTION
The Five Themes of Geography 1
The Geographer’s Perspective
Geographers and Historians
• Historians look at events over time
• Geographers look at:
- use of space on Earth
- interactions that take place there
- patterns and connections between people and
land
• Geography is the study of the distribution and interaction of:
- physical features on Earth
- human features on Earth
Continued . . .
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5. Methods of Geography • Geographers use a variety of tools:
SECTION 1
continued The Geographer’s Perspective
Methods of Geography
• Geographers use a variety of tools:
- maps- visual representations of a portion of the earth.
- photographs- gain visual evidence of a place
- charts, graphs, tables- organize information in to learn about geographic patterns and understand change over time
- scale models
- five themes of geography
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6. Theme: Location Where is it?
SECTION 1
Theme: Location
Where is it?
• Absolute location—exact place where a geographic feature is found
• Relative location—location of a place compared to places around it
Continued . . .
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7. SECTION 1
continued Theme: Location
Absolute Location
• Earth is divided into two equal halves, vertically and horizontally
• Each vertical and horizontal half is called a hemisphere
• An imaginary line, the Equator, divides north and south halves
• Another imaginary line, the Prime Meridian, divides east and west
Continued . . .
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8. Latitude Lines Longitude Lines
SECTION 1
continued Theme: Location
Latitude Lines
• Geographers use latitude lines to locate places north and south
• Latitude—imaginary lines that run parallel to the equator
Longitude Lines
• Geographers use longitude lines to mark positions east and west
• Longitude—imaginary lines that go over the poles
• Where latitude and longitude lines cross is the absolute location
Continued . . .
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9. SECTION 1
continued Theme: Location
Relative Location
• How a place is related to its surrounding environment
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10. Theme: Place What is it Like?
SECTION 1
Theme: Place
What is it Like?
• Place includes physical features and cultural characteristics:
- physical features include climate, landforms,
vegetation
- cultural characteristics include dams, highways,
houses
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11. Theme: Region How are Places Similar or Different?
SECTION 1
Theme: Region
How are Places Similar or Different?
• A region is an area united by similar characteristics
• Unifying characteristics—physical, political, economic, cultural
• Three types of regions:
- formal
- functional
- perceptual
Continued . . .
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12. SECTION 1
continued Theme: Region
Formal Regions
• Defined by a limited number of related characteristics
• Formal regions of the world:
- The United States and Canada
- Latin America
- Europe
- Russia and the Republics
- Africa
- Southwest Asia
- South Asia
- East Asia
- Southeast Asia, Oceania, and Antarctica
Continued . . .
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13. Functional Regions Perceptual Regions
SECTION 1
continued Theme: Region
Functional Regions
• Organized around interactions and connections between places
• Example: a city and its suburbs are connected through human movement
Perceptual Regions
• Region with characteristics people perceive in much the same way
• Example: the American Midwest
• Sometimes perceptions differ: Does Midwest begin in Ohio or Illinois?
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14. Theme: Human-Environment Interaction
SECTION 1
Theme: Human-Environment Interaction
How Do People Relate to the Physical World?
• A relationship exists between people and their environment
• People use and change the environment to meet their needs
• People adapt to environmental conditions they cannot change
• Often, people in similar environments adapt in different ways
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15. SECTION 1
Theme: Movement
How Do People, Goods, and Ideas Get from One Place to Another?
Places do not exist in isolation
Interconnectedness of the world changes the way places “look”.
People, Goods and Ideas move from place to place.
Examples:
Immigration from Latin America to United States
War in Iraq (troops, supplies, ideas, people)
Myspace, Facebook (ideas)
Continued . . .
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16. The Geographer’s Tools
Section 2
The Geographer’s Tools
• Geographers use two- and three-dimensional tools to learn about the earth.
• Geographers use computer-assisted technology to study the use of the earth’s surface.
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17. The Geographer’s Tools
SECTION
The Geographer’s Tools 2
Maps and Globes
Visualizing Earth
• Oldest known map: Babylonian clay tablet, circa 500 B.C.
• Maps show locations of places, landforms, bodies of water
Continued . . .
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18. Two or Three Dimensions
SECTION 2
continued Maps and Globes
Two or Three Dimensions
• Globe—a three-dimensional representation (a sphere) of Earth
• Map—a two-dimensional graphic representation of Earth’s surface
• Cartographer (mapmaker) tries to accurately reflect earth’s surface
• Map projection—way of showing Earth’s curved surface on a flat map
Continued . . .
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19. Types of Maps • Three types of maps: general reference,
SECTION 2
continued Maps and Globes
Types of Maps
• Three types of maps: general reference,
thematic, navigational
• A topographic map is one kind of general
reference map
• Topographic map—shows natural and man-made features of earth
• Thematic map—shows specific data such as climate, population density
• A navigation map is used by sailors, pilots
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20. The Geographer’s Tool The Science of Mapmaking Surveying
SECTION
The Geographer’s Tool 2
The Science of Mapmaking
Surveying
• Surveyors observe, measure, record what they see in a specific area
• Remote sensing, gathering geographic data from a distance, includes:
- aerial photography
- satellite imaging
Continued . . .
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21. Satellites • Best known satellites are Landsat and GOES
SECTION 2
continued The Science of Mapmaking
Satellites
• Best known satellites are Landsat and GOES
• Landsat is a series of satellites; can scan entire planet in 16 days
• Geostationary Operational Environment Satellite (GOES):
- orbits in sync with Earth’s rotation
- gathers images of atmospheric conditions
Continued . . .
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22. Geographic Information Systems
SECTION 2
continued The Science of Mapmaking
Geographic Information Systems
• Geographic Information Systems (GIS) is a digital geographic database
• Combines and displays information from many sources
Global Positioning System (GPS)
• Uses series of 24 Navstar satellites to beam information to Earth
• Hand-held GPS receivers on Earth display exact position
• GPS used by explorers, sailors, drivers; also used to track animals
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