What is geography?
the study of the earth and
man’s interaction with it
The Five Themes of
Geography
1. location
2. place
3. human/environment interaction
4. movement
5. region
1. Location
• “Where is it?”
• absolute location – a place’s position on the globe
• relative location – location of a place in relation to
something else
• hemisphere – half of the earth
• latitude – imaginary lines that measure distance
north or south of the equator (also called parallels)
• longitude – imaginary lines that measure distance
east or west of the Prime Meridian (also called
meridians)
- ends at the International Date Line 180°
• grid system – network of lines used to find location
1. Location (cont.)
2. Place
• “What is it like there?”
• describes landforms, culture, history, language,
religion, clothing, education, art, etc.
• place is how you would describe an area to
someone
3. Human-Environment Interaction
• “What is the relationship between people & their
environment?”
• describes how the environment affects the
people & how people affect the environment
(pollution, use of resources, settlement
patterns, conservation, adapting to the climate,
etc.)
• people adapting to or changing their
environment
• people’s activities within their environment
4. Movement
• “How are people & places connected?”
• describes why people move from one
place to another & how they get around
• concerned with the movement of three
things: people, goods, ideas
• interdependent – relying on one another
for goods, services, and ideas
4. Movement (cont.)
4. Movement (cont.)
5. Region
• “How are places alike?” (What common
characteristics?)
• a way to group & organize the world
• 2 types of regions:
1. uniform region – an area with some
common characteristic throughout
(religion, language, climate, crops, etc.)
Ex: The Middle East, The Sunbelt
5. Region
Uniform Regions:
5. Region
Uniform Regions:
Sunbelt
5. Region
2. functional region – an area that functions
together
Ex: The Baton Rouge Metropolitan Area
Maps & Globes
• A map is a flattened out portion of a globe.
• The oldest known map is a Babylonian
clay tablet created 2,500 years ago.
• cartographer – map maker
Maps used to be
made by manually
observing,
surveying, and
recording
information about
a place.
• By the 1940s, cartographers began to use
aerial photography to aid in map making.
• Now, we use satellites & computers to
render images of the earth.
GIS
(Geographic Information Systems)
–stores geographic
information in a
digital database
–users can select
the layers of info
they need & GIS
creates a
composite map
GPS
(Global Positioning System)
• developed for the
military
• uses 24 satellites,
called Navstars,
to beam info to
the earth
Parts of Maps: TODALSIG
• T = title
• O = orientation
• D = date
• A = author
• L = legend (key) – explains the symbols used
on a map
• S = scale – the relationship between
measurements on a map to actual
measurements on earth
• I = index
• G = grid
• compass rose – directional marker on a
map
• cardinal directions – north, east, south,
west
• Globes are the most accurate
representation of the earth, because all
maps are distorted in some way.
• great circle path – shortest distance
between two places on the earth’s surface
Types of maps:
• physical – shows physical features like
mountains, rivers, deserts, etc
• political – shows the boundaries
between countries, states, parishes, etc.
• special purpose (thematic) – focuses on
one aspect like population, religion,
climate, land use, languages, etc.
Charts, Graphs & Diagrams
• graph – a visual way of presenting information
• bar graph – uses bars to compare data
• line graph – reveals trends and relationships
between data (shows changes over time)
Charts, Graphs & Diagrams
(cont.)
• circle graph (pie chart) – uses
percentages to compare the parts to the
whole
• pictograph – uses pictures to present info
• chart – shows facts arranged in columns
& rows
• diagram – shows what something is or
how something is done
Create the best graph to represent
each of the following sets of info:
1. Last week Mrs. Lipscomb gave 2 homework
assignments. Mrs. Spence gave 3 homework
assignments. Mrs. Devall & Mrs. Chaves each
gave 1 homework assignment.
2. Of Mrs. Devall’s 30 students, 15 have brown
eyes, 10 have blue eyes, and 5 have green
eyes. (show percentages)
3. The number of students earning college
scholarships has doubled every year, starting
with 10 in 2004 and 160 in 2008.
Know the continents & oceans: