Chapter 1

Geography

1.1 - Thinking Geographically

What is geography?

Geo “earth” Graph “write”

- To write and study the people, environments, and resources within a region

Five Themes of Geography

• Location • Place• Interaction• Movement• Regions

Location

• Exact – specific location of a place– Use latitude – measure distance N and S of Equator– Use longitude – measure distance E and W of

Prime Meridian • NY is 41`N/74`W

• Relative – location of a place in relation to another place– NYC is located where Hudson River empties into

the Atlantic Ocean

Place

• Physical and human features

• Natural resources – materials that humans can take from the environment to survive

• Impact choice to live, travel, or work

Interaction

• Humans have adapted to environments

• Native Americans created irrigation– Bringing water to dry lands

Movement

• Humans travel to obtain goods they need to survive

• U.S. was a place for liberty; people moved to enjoy their beliefs freely

Regions

• Certain unifying characteristics

• Great Plains:– Level land– Hot summers– Cold winters– Little rainfall

Maps and Globes

• Help people identify places, observe the sizes of places, locate landforms

• Cartographers – mapmakers

• Map projections – ways of drawing the Earth on a flat surface– Mercator and Robinson maps– Which do you think is better? Share with a partner.

Maps and History

• Thematic maps deal with specific topics

• Need to understand locations of boundaries, colonies, capitals, states, cities, bodies of water, locations of battles and more!– Make sure you can provide two examples of how

maps help understanding history

1.2 – Lands and Climates of The U.S.

• Wide variety of features

• Specific regions of the U.S.– Pacific Coast, Intermountain Region, Rocky

Mountains, Interior Plains, Ozark Highlands, Appalachian Mountains, Canadian Shield, Coastal Plains, Hawaiian Islands

Appalachian Mountains

• Stretch from Canada (N) to Georgia (S)

Coastal Plains

• Flat, lowland area

• First region settled by Europeans

• Atlantic Plain– Major eastern cities (Philly) to Florida

• Gulf Plain– Lies along Gulf of Mexico

American Rivers and Lakes

• Mississippi and Missouri Rivers very important to the U.S.

• The Great Lakes (border between U.S. and Canada)– HOMES (Huron, Ontario, Michigan, Erie, Superior)

• Rivers and lakes provide trade between regions

Climate and Weather

• Climate – average weather of a place over a period of time (20-30 years)

• Altitude – height of the land above sea level

• Climates of the U.S.– Marine, Mediterranean, Highland, Desert/Steppe,

Humid Continental, Tropical/Humid Subtropical, Tundra/Subarctic

Climates of the U.S.

• Highland– Cooler temperatures– High altitudes

• Humid Continental– Occasional precipitation – Mild summers and cold winters

1.3 – The Tools of History

• History only exists with historical evidence

• Primary source – firsthand information about people or events – Declaration of Independence

• Secondary Source – account provided after the fact by people who did not witness or participate in the event– Reading a history book with someone telling you about the

Declaration of Independence

Evaluating Sources

• Check for authenticity – Is this source actually what it seems to be?

• Check for reliability– Is this really what happened?

• Watch out for bias representations– Leaning toward or against a certain topic

Archaeology

• Artifacts – objects made by humans– Sculptures from Ancient Greece

• Archaeology – the study of evidence left by early people in order to find out how they lived

• Archaeologists will study the culture of people that lived in the past

Chronology

• History is easiest learned by dates in correct order– Past is linked to the present

• Chronology – sequence of events over time– Absolute: Abraham Lincoln died at 7:22 AM on

April 15, 1865– Relative: phrases “later that year” or “within three

months”

Eras

• Era - a long and distinct period of history with a particular feature or characteristic– Revolutionary Era is from 1763-1781– Early Republic is from 1789-1828

1.4 Social Sciences

• Economics• Political Science• Civics• Anthropology, sociology, psychology

• Social Sciences – related to human society and social behavior

Economics

• The study of how people manage their limited resources to satisfy wants and needs– Make products for consumers– Earn profit– Trade with other nations

Political Science and Civics

• Political Science – the study of government

• Civics – the study of the rights and responsibilities of citizens

Anthropology, Sociology, and Psychology

• Anthropology – the study of how people and cultures develop

• Sociology – the study of how people behave and interact in groups

• Psychology – the study of how people think and behave