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Geography: Defining the Discipline
• Geographia (Greek origins)– Geo (earth) + graphein (to describe or write)– To write or describe the surface of the earth
• The study of the spatial arrangement and association among elements on and/or in contact with the earth’s surface
• Explaining the “big picture”
Geography: Defining the Discipline
• Three defining questions…– What is located where?– Why are things located where they are?– What is the significance?
The Geographic Perspective
• Understanding the ways in which humankind perceives and interacts with the Earth’s surface, its resources, and its people
• Geography lies at the intersection of both social and physical sciences
• Explain the processes that give rise to spatial distributions---it’s not all about maps!
• Geographic landscapes are social creations
The Geographer’s Perspective
• From Greek term geographia – “To describe the earth”– Look at use of space
• Methods– Maps– Atlases, books,
electronic media– Imagery (photos, etc)– Five themes
Theme One: Location
1) Location: the meaning of relative and absolute position on the earth's surface
Sample terms: Latitude and longitude, site and situation, direction, distance, scale
Skills: Map reading, identification Questions: Where is ____? Where is ____
relative to where I am?
LOCATIONWhere are we?
• Absolute Location– A latitude and longitude
(global location) or a street address (local location).
– Paris France is 48o North Latitude and 2o East Longitude.
– The White House is located at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave.
• Relative Location– Described by landmarks,
time, direction or distance. From one place to another.
– Go 1 mile west on main street and turn left for 1 block.
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Absolute Location
• A specific place on the Earth’s surface• Uses a grid system• Latitude and longitude• A global address
Location• Absolute
– Grid system– Imaginary lines – Hemispheres by
• Equator• Prime meridian
• Parallels of latitude– Equator is zero– Location N or S of zero– Aka “parallels”
North CarolinaAbsolute Location
• North Carolina36° N Latitude 79° W longitude
• Chapel Hill35° 55' N Latitude 79° 05' W Longitude
Absolute Location
• Examples:– Rome is located at 41 N, 12 E– Argentina is located in the southern hemisphere– Ecuador is located in Tropic of Cancer.– LNE is located in Lincoln, NE.
Relative Location
• Where a place is in relation to another place
• Uses directional words to describe– Cardinal and
intermediate directions
North Carolina
• North Carolina is bordered by Virginia on the north, South Carolina and Georgia on the south, and Tennessee on the west.
• The Atlantic Ocean forms North Carolina's east coast.
• North Carolina is one of the Southeastern States
Relative Location
• Examples: – Rome is located near the Mediterranean Sea.– Argentina is near Brazil.– Ecuador is south of Mexico.– Lincoln is 50 miles from Omaha.
2) Place: the distinctive and distinguishing physical and human characteristics of locales
Sample terms: Physical and cultural landscapes, sense of place
Skills: Description, compare and contrast Questions: What does ____ look like? Why?
How is it different from ____?
Theme Two: Place
PLACE
What is it like there, what kind of place is it?• Human
Characteristics• What are the main
languages, customs, and beliefs.
• How many people live, work, and visit a place.
• Physical Characteristics
• Landforms (mountains, rivers, etc.), climate, vegitation, wildlife, soil, etc.
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.
Activity: How does this song describe a place? What kind of place is this? What are its physical and human characteristics? What other
songs do you know that describe places?
Home on the RangeOh, give me a home where the buffalo roam
Where the deer and the antelope playWhere seldom is heard a discouraging word
And the skies are not cloudy all day
Home, home on the rangeWhere the deer and the antelope play
Where seldom is heard a discouraging wordAnd the skies are not cloudy all day
How often at night when the heavens are bright
With the light from the glittering starsHave I stood there amazed and asked as I
gazedIf their glory exceeds that of ours
Home, home on the rangeWhere the deer and the antelope play
Where seldom is heard a discouraging wordAnd the skies are not cloudy all day
Where the air is so pure, the zephyrs so freeThe breezes so balmy and light
That I would not exchange my home on the rangeFor all of the cities so bright
Home, home on the rangeWhere the deer and the antelope play
Where seldom is heard a discouraging wordAnd the skies are not cloudy all day
Oh, I love those wild flow'rs in this dear land of ours
The curlew, I love to hear screamAnd I love the white rocks and the antelope flocks
That graze on the mountaintops green
Home, home on the rangeWhere the deer and the antelope play
Where seldom is heard a discouraging wordAnd the skies are not cloudy all day
3) Relationships within places: the development and consequences of human-environment relationships
Sample terms: Ecosystems, natural resources, environmental pollution
Skills: Evaluation, analysis Questions: What human-environment
relationships are occurring? How do they affect the place and its inhabitants?
Theme Three: Human and Environment Interaction
Theme 3: Human Environment Interaction
How People Interact With Their Environment
People . . .• Adapt to Their Environment• Modify Their Environment• Depend on Their Environment
http://www.fotosearch.com/comp/corbis/DGT119/BAG0017.jpg
Human-Environment Interaction
• People use/change & live with environment– Live with climate– Drain swamps– Dig irrigation ditches
• Problems caused– Pollution– Habitat disappears– Desertification
HUMAN-ENVIRONMENT INTERACTION
• How do humans and the environment affect each other?– We depend on it.
• People depend on the Tennessee River for water and transportation.
– We modify it.• People modify our environment by
heating and cooling buildings for comfort.– We adapt to it.
• We adapt to the environment by wearing clothing suitable for summer (shorts) and winter (coats), rain and shine.
North Carolina: Human Environment Interaction
http://aam.wcu.edu/grant/images/Fontana%20Dam%20Shirley.jpg
http://www.ee.duke.edu/~sag8/Duke/02-03/PiKA/Fall%20Break/Fall_Break_02.htm
http://www.dukemagazine.duke.edu/dukemag/issues/091002/images/mallc.jpg
InteractionA. Interaction between people and their environment
Activity: List ways that people affect their environment. Are these harmful or helpful?
4) Movement: patterns and change in human spatial interaction on the earth
Sample terms: Migration, diffusion, globalization
Skills: Explanation, prediction Questions: How has this spatial pattern
developed? Will it continue to change? What does it mean for the places involved?
Theme Four: Movement
MOVEMENT
• How are people, goods, ideas moved from place to place?– Human Movement
• Trucks, Trains, Planes
– Information Movement• Phones, computer (email), mail
– Idea Movement• How do fads move from place to place?
TV, Radio, Magazines
Movement
• Places do not exist in isolation.– Interconnectedness of the world changes the way
places“look”.• Today: “globalization”
– People, goods & ideas move from place to place.• Examples
– Immigration from Latin America to US.– War in Iraq (troops, supplies, ideas, people)– UNL (people, ideas)– Myspace, Facebook (ideas)
North Carolina: Movement
http://www.marad.dot.gov/Gallery/MoreheadCity/pages/Ming%20Europe.htm
http://www.evertize.com/land/images/I-40-64%20interchange.JPG
Movement: Activity: Find the origin of manufacture of as many items as you can on your body or in your bookbag. Examples: shirt, sneakers, jewelry, backpack, folders, pens pencils, and anything else you can find out the origin of manufacture.
Make a list of the item and where it was made. How many of the items in the classroom can you name that have been manufactured in another country?
What are the raw materials needed to make these items, the most likely place of production or manufacture, and the most likely form of transportation from the place of manufacture to the classroom?
5) Regions: how they form and change Sample terms: Formal vs. functional regions Skills: Synthesis, application Questions: How has this spatial pattern
developed? Will it continue to change? What does it mean for the places involved?
Theme Five: Regions
Region• Similar or different?
– Similar characteristics– Usually more than one
• Formal regions– Related characteristics– Continent & culture
• Functional regions– Set of connections (greater
DC)• Perceptual regions
– People see characteristics same way – e.g., Midwest
Formal Region
• Most common/familiar.• Determined by the distribution of a uniform
characteristic (physical or cultural)– Location– Climate– Religion
• Examples– Central America (Mexico, Guatemala, Nicaragua, Panama)
– Latin America (spanish-speaking nations)
– Tropics (countries located near equator)
Functional Region
• Serves a purpose that affects places around it. – Distributes goods/people– Serves specific purpose
• Examples:– Panama Canal – Amazon River Basin– Hollywood– Havana, Cuba
Perceptual Region
• Groups of areas that provoke a certain stereotype or feeling.
• Examples:– The Bronx– The “ghetto” – China town
5 Physical Regions of the U.S1. Pacific Coast and Intermountain Region
a) includes mountains along coast2. Rocky Mountains
a) highest peaks in the U.S, above tree level3. Great Plains
a) flat grassland with little trees4. Appalachian Mountains
a) lower and less rugged than the Rockies5. Atlantic Coastal Plain
a) flat lowlands along the coast
Remembering the 5 themes
• If you can’t remembering what they are just ask MR. HELP!!!• M – Movement• R – Regions• HE – Human Environment Interaction• L – Location• P - Place
Use the five themes of geography and answer the following questions THREE of the following questions:
1. What is geography?2. Choose one of the five themes of geography and tell how
it has affected your life.3. If you described the means of transportation available to
and from school, what theme would you be using?4. Why might two places be identified as part of the same
region?5. What sports are examples of human-environment
interaction?6. Which theme would you be using if you wrote a letter
describing your town?
The Geographer’s Tools• Globes
– Three dimensions– Accurate not portable
• Maps & charts– Two dimensional– Drawn to any scale– Different projections
• Scale models• Types of maps
– General reference, thematic, navigational
• Five Themes
Key Terms & Places
• Globe – A three-dimensional representation of the earth.
• Map – Two-dimensional graphic representations of selected parts of the earth’s surface.
• Cartographer – A person who makes maps or charts.
Understanding the Globe• Earth is a huge sphere, like a ball. Most maps show the earth’s surface as flat. A globe is a sphere. Because of this, it provides an accurate map of our planet.
• Compass: An instrument for finding directions. • Cardinal Points: the four main points on a compass – north, east, south, and west.
• Intermediate Points: points in between cardinal points – northeast, northwest, northwest, southeast, and southwest.
Understanding the Globe
• Equator: An imaginary line circles Earth halfway between the north and south pole and divides the Earth into two half spheres, called hemispheres.
•Prime Meridian: Another imaginary line that cuts the Earth in half from the North Pole to the South Pole.
Equator
Prime Meridian
Western Eastern
Understanding the Globe• Over 70% of our planet is covered in water,
mainly oceans.• Oceans are the largest bodies of water. There
four oceans. From largest to smallest, they are– Pacific Ocean– Atlantic Ocean– Indian Ocean– Arctic Ocean
Understanding the Globe• Oceans surround large landmasses called
continents• The seven continents on Earth, from largest to
smallest, are Asia, Africa, North America, South America, Antarctica, Europe, and Australia.
Types of Maps• General reference
– AKA topographic– Natural & man-made
features of earth• Thematic
– Specific information– Climate, population
• Navigational– AKA charts– Pilots’ & sailors’ use
Nautical Chart (detail)
Geographic Skills• Finding a location
– Use of maps, charts, GPS, compass, etc
• Reading a map– Title, compass rose,
labels, legend (key), parallels of latitude, meridians of longitude, scale, symbols, colors
The Parts of a Map
Compass Rose• A compass rose is a model of a compass. It tells the
cardinal directions, which are north, south, east, and west.
Scale• The scale on a map tells you the relative distance on
the map to the real world. For example, a map’s scale may tell you that one inch on the map equals one mile in the real world.
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Key• The key, or legend, on a map explains what the
symbols on a map represent, such as triangles representing trees.
Grids• Some maps use a grid of parallels and meridians.
On a map of a small area, letters and numbers are often used to help you find your location.
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Understanding Latitude and Longitude
• latitude and longitude – types of measurement that can pinpoint any spot on Earth
• Latitude lines – run west to east (p.14)– Always have the same distance in between
them. – Are measured starting at the equator. – Equator – 0 ° latitude– North Pole - 90° latitude– South Pole - 90° latitude
Understanding Latitude and Longitude
• Longitude lines – lines that run from the North Pole to the South Pole. – Not always the same distance apart– Starting place for measuring them is the
Prime Meridian– Prime Meridian is at 0 degrees longitude
Understanding Latitude and Longitude
• To note a place on Earth, first name its latitude, then its longitude.
• For example, one location on Earth’s surface is at 30 degrees N, 90 degrees W. Can you find this location on the map on page 15?
Geographic Skills – 3Scale
• Scale– How much detail – Ratio scale– Bar scale
• How to remember:– “Small” = small amount
of detail– “Large” = large amount
of detail
Geographic Skills -4Using the Grid
• Parallels of latitude– 90° North latitude– 90° South latitude
• Longitude– 180° W longitude– 180° E longitude– International date line
• Degrees, minutes, seconds
• Locate any point on earth– Dakar: 14°43’N
17°28”W
Getting It All On the Map
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• In 1569, a geographer named Gerardus Mercator created a flat map to help sailors navigate long journeys across the globe.
• The Mercator projection, or method of putting a map of the Earth onto a flat piece of paper, is used by nearly all deep-sea navigators.
• The Mercator projection is a conformal map, meaning that it shows correct shapes, but not true distances or sizes.
• There are many types of other projections of the globe.
The World: Mercator Projection
The World: Three Projections
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There are many ways to show a globe on a flat map. The interrupted projection map, on the left, shows real sizes and shapes of continents. The equal area map , below left, shows size accurately. The Peters projection, below, shows land and oceans areas and correct directions accurately
Interrupted Projection
Equal-Area Projection
Peters Projection
Geographic Skills – 5Projections
• How to show– Curved surface– Flat mat– Distortion inevitable– “Choose your poison”
• Mercator (cylindrical) projection
• Conical projection
Geographic Skills - 8Thematic Map
The idea of a united Europe stretches back thousands of years. The early enthusiasts were seldom as high-minded as their modern successors (www.economist.com)
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