Transcript Chapter 1

Chapter 1
The Basics of Geography

What do geographers study?
Physical features of the earth, (mountains
and rivers).
Human features, (religion and ethnicity).
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How is geography different from history?
Historians are primarily concerned with
questions about time, whereas
geographers are concerned with questions
of space.
Facts about the earth
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The earth is not round but is slightly flattened at the
poles.
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The total distance from the highest point on the earth,
Mt. Everest (29,035), to the lowest point on earth,
Mariana Trench (35,840 ft. below sea level), is just over
12 miles.
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How many feet are in a mile?
* 5,280
Human Geography
People in different parts of the world have
special combinations of characteristics that make
them unique. Cultural geographers often use
these characteristics to define places and
regions.
Come up with a list of characteristics that may
separate one group of people from another.
Most Populated Countries in
the World
1China1,298,847,624
2India1,065,070,607
 3United States293,027,571
 4Indonesia238,452,952
 5Brazil184,101,109
 6Pakistan159,196,336
 7Russia143,974,059
 8Bangladesh141,340,476
 9Japan127,333,002
 10Nigeria125,750,356
 11Mexico104,959,594
 12Philippines86,241,697
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In your opinion is the global population
too large?
 Give reasons for your beliefs?
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Chapter 1 Section 1
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Five Themes of Geography
1. Location (Where is it?)
2. Place (What is it like?)
3. Region (How are places similar or different?)
4. Movement (How do people, goods, and ideas move
from one location to another?)
5. Human-Environment Interaction (How do people
relate to the physical world?)

What tools and methods are used by
geographers?
Maps, photographs, scale models, the five
themes of geography.
Location is key
Absolute location- The exact place on
earth where a geographic feature, such as
a city is found. (Basically where we use
longitude and latitude).
 Relative location- Describes a place in
comparison to other places around it.
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Place, what is it like?
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A location’s culture and its use of space
may change over time, thus the
description of a place may also change.

Place features examples; parks, plazas,
downtown, courthouse and parade
grounds.
Region, *Similarities & Differences
Regions are defined by a limited number
of related characteristics.
 What characteristics do the United States
and Canada have in common?
Location, size, landform, culture, history,
type of government and economy.
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How do the two countries differ?
Political power, climate zones, official languages
and amount of developed land.
Which characteristics do you think are most
important in making the United States and
Canada a formal region?
Location, culture, economy and standard of
living.
Human-Environment Interaction
How do people relate to the physical
world?
 As humans we learn to use what the
environment offers and to change the
environment to meet our basic needs.

What are some examples of the positive
and negative effects of people altering
their environments?
 Positive- Makes places safer and more
livable.
 Negative- Pollutes and destroys natural
beauty.

Movement
How do people, goods and ideas move
from one location to another?
 Geographers analyze movement by
looking at three types of distance.
1. Linear
2. Time
3. Psychological
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Linear distance- how far across the earth a
person, idea or product travels. (miles)
 Time distance- is the amount of time it takes for
a person, an idea or product to travel.
 Psychological distance- refers to the way people
view distance.
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