1. 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?

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

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

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

5. 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

6. 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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

16. 3 Levels of Geography Geographers examine the world at 3 levels
1. Local Level
2. Regional Level
3. Global Level

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

18. 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)

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

20. 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?)

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

22. 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

23. 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

24. Chapter 1 – Day 3
Geospatial Technologies
Fields of Geography

25. 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

26. 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

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

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

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

30. 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…)