Transcript World Geography Basics - Ms. Xiques' Classroom

World
Geography
Basics
Ms. Xiques
SSWG1 The student will explain
the physical aspects of
geography.
 a.
Describe the concept of place by explaining
how physical characteristics such as landforms,
bodies of water, climate, soils, natural vegetation,
and animal life are used to describe a place.
 b.
Explain how human characteristics, such as
population settlement patterns, and human
activities, such as agriculture and industry, can
describe a place.
 c.
Analyze the interrelationship between physical
and human characteristics of a place.
Essential Question
 What
does a “Geographer” do?
A Geographer’s “Tools”
 Maps
 Models
 Photos
 Graphs
 Charts
 Tables
5
Themes
Do you have a sense of
direction?
Different
Kinds
of Maps
 Topographical

natural and mad-made
 Thematic


specific kinds of informationclimate or population density
 Navigation

sailors and pilots
Distortion

A conformal projection primarily preserves shape, an
equidistant projection primarily preserves distance,
and an equal-area projection primarily preserves
area.

http://geology.isu.edu/geostac/Field_Exercise/topo
maps/distortion.htm
How to Make a Map
 Surveying
 Remote
Sensing
 Satellites
 Landsat

Series of satellites (16
days)
 GOES
(Geostationary
Operational Environment
Satellite)

Weather
 GIS
(Geographic
Information Systems)

 GPS
Digital database
(Global Positioning
System)
What are the five themes?
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Location
Place
Movement
Region
Human Environment Interaction
5 Themes of Geography
Tools geographers use to study features on
earth.
 1.

 2.

 3.

 4.

 5.

Location
Where is it?
Place
What is it like?
Region
How are places similar or different?
Movement
How do people, goods, and ideas move
from one location to another?
Human-Environment Interaction
How do people relate to the physical
world?
Location


Describes where places are on earth.
Types of Location:
 ABSOLUTE: exact location on earth (fixed)
 Doesn’t change


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

Latitude/Longitude
Hemispheres
Grid System
Address
RELATIVE: compared to other places (variable)
 Changes dependent upon where you’re
comparing it to.



Miles
Distance
Direction
Absolute Location
 Examples:
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

Rome is located at 38°43'
North 90°14' West
Argentina is located in the
southern hemisphere
Ecuador is located in Tropic of
Cancer.
Relative Location
 Examples:



Rome is located near the Mediterranean
Sea.
Argentina is near Brazil.
Ecuador is south of Mexico.
Place

A place is defined by it’s unique
characteristics.


Physical characteristics
Cultural characteristics
Physical Characteristics



Specific to THAT place, not generic.
 The way a place looks.
Created by nature.
 Mountains
 Rivers, Lakes, Seas
 Climate
 Vegetation
Examples:
 Andes Mountains are in South America.
 Amazon River flows through Brazil.
 Pampas are located in Argentina.
 The isthmus of Panama connects Central & South
America.
Cultural Characteristics



Specific to THAT place, not generic.
 Peoples activities change the way a place looks or is
represented.
Man-made or invented.
 Language
 Unique buildings
 Religious Practices
 Celebrations/traditions/holidays
Examples:
 Portuguese is the official language of Brazil.
 Many Mexicans are Catholic.
 Mayan ruins are located in Mexico.
 Cinco de Mayo is a national holiday in Mexico.
Movement

Places do not exist in isolation.
 Interconnectedness of the world changes the
way places“look”.

People, goods & ideas move from place to
place.
Examples
 Immigration from Latin America to US.
 War in Iraq (troops, supplies, ideas, people)
 Myspace, Facebook (ideas)


Today: “globalization”
Region

The world is divided into different regions based
upon similarities & differences.

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

Climate
Location
Beliefs
Languages
Ethnicity/Race
Types:


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Formal
Functional
Perceptual
Formal Region

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
Most common/familiar.
Determined by the distribution of
a uniform characteristic (physical
or cultural)
 Location
 Climate
 Religion
Examples

Central America (Mexico,

Latin America (spanish-speaking

Tropics (countries located near
Guatemala, Nicaragua, Panama)
nations)
equator)
Functional Region


Serves a purpose that affects places around it.
 Distributes goods/people
 Serves specific purpose
Examples:
 Panama Canal
 Amazon River Basin
 Hollywood
Perceptual Region
 Groups
of areas that provoke a certain
stereotype or feeling.
 Examples:
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
The Bronx
The “ghetto”
Chinatown
HEI


The environment & people are interconnected.
Consequences to those actions depend upon
how people choose to interact with the world and
use their resources.
 Positive/Negative
 Intentional/Accidental
 Favorable/Destructive
HEI
 Current
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Enviromental Issues:
Climate Change (global warming)
Energy Resources
Water Conservation
Deforestation
Prime MeridianGreenwich, England