Chapter 1Physical Geography: Looking at the Earth

Looking at the Earth

Geography involves the study of places: their locations, their characteristics, and how humans use and move around them.

Section 1 Five Themes of Geography

Geographers view the world in terms of the use of space.

Geographers study the world by looking at location, place, region, movement, and human-environment interaction.

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The Geographers Perspective

Geographers and Historians

Historians look at events over time

Geographers look at:

use of space on earth

interactions that take place there

patterns and connections between people and land

Methods of Geography

Geographers use a variety of tools:

Maps

Photographs

Charts, graphs, tables

Scale models

The Five ThemesSatellite images taken from space - such as this of Baja California - help geographers create accurate maps.

Theme 1: Location

Asks the question: Where is it?

Absolute Location — exact location where a geographic feature is found

Relative Location — location of a place compared to places around it

Theme 1: Location Absolute Location

Absolute Location

Earth is divided into two equal halves, vertically and horizontally

Each vertical and horizontal half is called a hemisphere

An imaginary line, the Equator, divided north and south halves.

Another imaginary line, the Prime Meridian, divides east and west.

Earth’s Hemispheres

Theme 1: Location Earth’s Grid System

Latitude Lines

Geographers use latitude lines to locate places north and south

Latitude — imaginary lines that run parallel to the equator

Longitude Lines

Geographers use longitude lines to mark positions east and west

Longitude — imaginary lines that go over the poles

Where latitude and longitude cross is the absolute location

Theme: Location Relative Location

How a place is related to its surrounding environment.

Theme 2: Place

Asks the question: What is it like?

Place includes physical features and cultural characteristics:

physical features include climate, landforms, vegetation

cultural characteristics include dams, highways, houses.

The skyline of New York, NY as seen from a river boat shows physical and cultural characteristics of a place.

Place

Theme 3: Region

Asks the question: How are places similar or different?

A region is an area united by similar characteristics

Unifying characteristics — physical, political, economic, cultural

Three types of regions:

Formal

Functional

Perceptual

Theme 3: Region Formal Regions

Defined by a limited number of related characteristics

Formal regions of the world:

The United States and Canada

Latin America

Europe

Russia and the Republics

Africa

Southwest Asia

South Asia

East Asia

Southeast Asia, Oceania, and Antartica

Theme 3: Region Functional Regions

Organized around interactions and connections between places.

Example: a city and its suburbs are connected through human movement.

Theme 3: Region Perceptual Regions

Region with characteristics people perceive in much the same way

Example: The South

Sometimes perceptions differ from person to person: Does the south include Virginia or not?

Theme 4: Human-Environment Interaction

Asks the question: How do people relate to the physical world?

A relationship exists between people and their environment.

People use and change the environment to meet their needs

People adapt to environmental conditions they cannot change.

Often, people in similar environments adoption different ways.

Theme 5: Movement

Asks the question: How do people, goods, and ideas get from one place to another?

Geographers use three types of distance to analyze movement:

Linear Distance

Time Distance

Psychological Distance

Theme 5: Movement Linear and Time Distance

Linear Distance — how far a person, product, or idea travels

Time Distance — how long it takes for person, product, idea to travel

Theme 5: Movement Psychological Distance

Refers to the way people perceive distance

Example: unfamiliar places may seem farther away than familiar ones