COURSE OVERVIEW

In this course, students will have the opportunity to study the interaction of people and cultures, as well as natural and physical environments in the major areas of the world. The course is designed to familiarize students with the world and how they, along with their community, can play a role in the development of the world. Students will also study and develop an understanding of various regions of the world and will focus on several geographic topics in each region. In addition, students should develop an understanding of how physical geography impacts the way humans live and interact with their world and how humans have changed the world’s physical geography.  As citizens our lives are greatly impacted by the rest of the world and this is our opportunity to learn about many of these places and issues.

LOOKING AT THE WORLD

Unit Overview
Geography is the study of the earth and the way people live and work. Geography also includes locations of places and their relationship between people and their environments. Geographers are those who study geography.

There are five geographic themes centered on the study of geography. These themes are:

1. Location

2. Place

3. Human Environment/Interaction

4. Region

5. Movement

Location

The theme of location is concerned with answering the question “Where are we?” Geographers can study the location and distribution of almost every surface of the earth. The absolute location of a place is its exact location on the globe.

The equator is an important line that circles the earth midway between the North and South poles, dividing the earth into hemispheres or halves. The northern hemisphere includes all land and water between the Equator and North Pole, while the southern hemisphere includes the land and water between the Equator and the South Pole.

Some of the imaginary lines you have heard of are lines of latitude that circle the earth and measure distances north and south of the equator. The most important lines of latitude are the Tropic of Cancer, which is located at 23.5 degrees north, and the Tropic of Capricorn, which is located at 23.5 degrees south. These lines of latitude receive the most heat from the sun.

The second set of imaginary lines includes lines of longitude or meridian lines, stretching from pole to pole and measure east and west of the Prime Meridian. The Prime Meridian is the starting line, which lies at 0 degrees. Places east of the Prime Meridian up to 180 degrees are east longitude and places west of the Prime Meridian up to 180 degrees are west longitude. One must indicate if a location is east or west longitude, if not they may be in the wrong part of the world.

Lines of latitude and longitude form a pattern called a grid system, which it makes it possible to find exact places on the earth’s surface. By using degrees, we are able to find the precise place where a line of latitude crosses a line of longitude.

Absolute location is not usually the way people think about where a place is located. Instead, we think of a place in relation to other places called relative location. For example, we say New Orleans is near the mouth of the Mississippi River. By knowing the relative location of people, places, and things, we develop an awareness of the geography around the world.

Place
When we talk about place, we are talking about what it is like there. Every place on the earth has its own physical features. We can describe the land, plants, and animal life. Just like its physical features, every place also has a different element that can best describe a place. For example, Florida is known for its warm weather year round, so an element of Florida is its warm weather. How do we describe a place? The first way we describe a place is by something the place is known. No one place in the world is the same. Places can be defined by religion and cultural backgrounds.

Physical and Human Interaction with the Environment
What is important to know in geography is the relationship between Physical and Human Interaction with the environment. As you can see for yourself, all places have both desirable and undesirable elements. Ask yourself what attracts you to a certain place. Geographers are interested in how people adapt and change to their environment. For example, people never lived in the desert, but because of irrigation, people are now changing the desert into farmland.

Geographers also study how plants and animals create and support ecosystems, which is a community of plants and animals that depend on one another for survival.

Region
Region is an important theme in geography. Geography can divide the world based on physical features such as plant and animal life; regions are areas with similar characteristics. Those characteristics could be climate, landforms, religion, or even politics. There are three types of regions:

1. Formal Regions

2. Functional Regions

3. Perceptual Regions

A formal region is a region that has one common characteristic. For example, the Corn Belt is the area that spreads from Ohio to Nebraska. Why is the region from Ohio to Nebraska called the Corn Belt? It is because corn is the major crop.

A functional region is a central place and the surrounding area linked to it. Think of New York City as an example. Everything that surrounds New York City would be a functional region.

A perceptual region is a region that is based on a feelings rather than data. For example, this may be thought of as stereotyping, but some people believe that everyone from Texas is a cowboy.

Movement
Another important theme is movement. This theme answers the question of how people and places are connected. Throughout history, there have been movements of large groups of people from one place to another, this is called migration. People migrate for many different reasons, better land, religious/political freedom and the chance to earn a better living. Movement is a daily part of our lives. We use various means of transportation to move from one place to another.

Geographers are also interested in the movement of goods, information and ideas. Nearly everywhere, people are interdependent, relying on each other for goods, services and ideas. Geographers help us understand the importance of these movements as well.

The Uses of Geography
Geography is used to study politics, economics, and cultures. Geographers study culture to see how the ways of people affect the physical makeup of the earth. We use geography to study the relationship between the physical environment and social structures.

Geography is also used to study economics. We study geography to determine how the location of resources affects the decisions people make to produce and transport goods, while the location of a resource also helps answer the question of what to produce and who shall consume it. For example, if an area is near an ocean, how might they transport their goods? If you said, they would transport by ship that would be correct.

Geography also allows people to become interdependent on one another. New technologies such as the Internet have made it possible to have goods from all over the world.

Maps
A globe is a scale model of the earth. Why do we use a globe? The earth is round and since globes are round, a globe will provide the most accurate description of geography. Maps are printed representations of the earth. It is hard to show the earth as being round on a map, so that is why a flat map distorts the earth’s features. However, the advantage of using maps is that maps can show small areas in detail. There are two types of maps, political maps and physical maps. A political map is a map that shows political boundaries of countries, states, and cities. The diagram below is an example of a political map, which helps show how countries are networked or linked together, as well as showing the boundaries, capitals, and roads.

The second type of map is called a physical map, which shows the location of natural features such as mountains and rivers. An example of a physical map is below showing the location and topography, or a shape, of the earth’s physical features. These physical features are important because they help explain the development of a country. For example, mountains may act as a barrier to transportation, so a country has to use rivers for goods to travel in and out of the country. Physical maps also allow us to see relief, or the differences, in elevation or height in landforms.

Thematic Maps
By looking at maps, we can learn much about a country. A thematic map is a map that contains a single idea. There are maps that show climate, vegetation, and economic activities.

There are two types of thematic maps:

1. 1. Qualitative Maps

2. 2. Flow-Line Maps

A qualitative map is used to show historical information, such as what a country exports (goods sent out of a country) or imports (goods brought in from another country). The maps below are examples of a qualitative map, notice they look nothing like a map you are used to seeing. However, they are maps.

Qualitative Map #1

Qualitative Map #2

The second type of a thematic map is a flow-line map that illustrates the movement of people and animals, while also showing the movements of the glaciers and hurricanes. The map pictured below is a flow-line map.

Those who create maps are called cartographers, whose job is to select material that may be difficult for one to understand and present it in a way that is easier to understand. By creating maps, cartographers show features, patterns, relationships between people, and visual comparisons between places and regions.

Cartographers use numeric statistical data. Is not looking at a bar graph easier to understand than reading the text? By using statistics, we can see if our idea is correct or not. For example, if you think it rains a lot in your area, how would you determine if you are right? You would look at statistics on how much rain there has been to determine if you are correct.

Geographic Information Systems
Just like in your lives, technology has changed the way maps are made. Cartographers now use GIS or Geographic Information Systems, a system that receives information from a variety of sources including satellite images and statistics. That is also how a Global Positioning System (GPS) systems work. GIS systems are like the GPS systems people now have in their cars; they provide directions when you are traveling.

Unit Summary

Geography is the study of the location of people and places and the patterns in which they are arranged on Earth.

Physical geography focuses on the physical features and processes of Earth.

Human Geography focuses on the political, economic, or cultural characteristics of human populations.

An important element in geography is the interaction between people and their environment. Geographers try to understand how the Earth’s physical environment shapes are shaped by human activities.

To understand geography you need to understand how maps work, but globes are the most accurate depiction of the Earth.

Flat maps show projections that distort the Earth’s features in some ways.

Below are additional educational resources and activities for this unit.

Unit 1 Main Points Worksheet

Unit 1 Geography Themes