1. Elements of Geography Mrs. Minks World Geography and Cultures

2. Spatial relationships  Links people and places have to each other because of their locations  Reference point for geographers  Location stated in terms of latitude (north or south) and longitude (east or west)  Dallas, Texas is at latitude 32 N and longitude 96W.  Most people use relative location – New Orleans is near mouth of Mississippi River.

3. Places and Regions  Place: particular space with physical and human meaning  Geographers group places into regions  Region defined by physical and human characteristics  Three types of regions:  Formal  Functional  perceptual

4. Physical and Human Systems  Physical Geography  Earth’s physical features  Climate, land, water, plants, animal life  Human Geography  Cultural geography  Study of human activities and their relationship to the cultural and physical environments  Focuses on political, economic, social, and cultural factors

5. Physical and Human Systems  Ecosystem  Community of plants and animals that depend on one another and their surroundings for survival  Movement  People, goods, ideas

6. Environment & Society  Human Environment Interaction  Relationship between people and their physical environment  How do people use their environment?  How and why do they change it?  What consequences arise from these changes?

7. Geography Research Methods  Direct Observation  Mapping  Interviewing  Analyzing statistics

8. Homework  Five themes of geography activity – see handout.  Due Thursday, August 14 th.

9. Exit Ticket: Critical Thinking  How can discussion with an area’s inhabitants evolve into a greater understanding of a region’s people?