Transcript What is Geography?

What is Geography?
Greek Definition
Geo = Earth
Graphy= Graph/to write About
Geo + Graphy= to write about the
Earth
Meet the “Father of Geography:”
Eratosthenes (b. 276 B.C.E)
• Respected Scholar who first used the term Geography
• Head librarian at Alexandria during the 3rd century
• Computed the Earth’s circumference
The Birth of Cartography
As long as there have been
humans, there have been maps!
Cartography is the “art of
making maps.”
A Cartographer is a person who
makes maps.
The Earliest Maps
 The world’s oldest map was found in 1993 on a stone
tablet in a cave in Northern Spain. It is believed to be
14,000 years old. It shows hunting grounds.
The Purpose of Early Maps
 Detailed maps were made for practical purposes such as
exploring uncharted territory, mostly for setting up trade
routes.
The First Geography Book
Claudius Ptolemy, a wellrespected scholar of math,
astronomy, geography, music &
poetry published his Guide to
Geography in the 2nd century.
Ptolemy’s Map of the World (150 A.D.)
Fast Forward…
We Will Focus on the Two Main “Branches of Geography:”
Physical Geography is the study of the natural world
* landforms (mountains, plains, plateaus, volcanoes, etc.)
* bodies of water (rivers, oceans, lakes, ponds, etc.)
* climate – the pattern of weather over a long period of time (desert)
* vegetation – plant life
* wildlife – all animals, bacteria, etc.
* natural disasters (tornadoes, hurricanes, earthquakes, blizzards)
Cultural Geography is the study of the earth’s people & their customs
* government - how people make and enforce laws
* economy – the products people produce and how they are exchanged
* language – how people communicate with one another
* religion – system of faith or worship
* other – food, clothing, music, education, festivals, etc.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j2
QEyL9zkU8
Why Geography Matters. What can you do with Geography?