• Position on the earths surfacePosition on the earths surface

• Absolute and relative location are two ways of Absolute and relative location are two ways of describing the position of people and place on describing the position of people and place on the earth’s surfacethe earth’s surface

• Physical and human characteristicsPhysical and human characteristics

• All places on earth have distinctive All places on earth have distinctive tangible and intangible tangible and intangible characteristics that give them characteristics that give them meaning and character and meaning and character and distinguish them from other places.distinguish them from other places.

• Geographers generally describe Geographers generally describe places by their physical or human places by their physical or human characteristicscharacteristics

Italy

Africa

RainforestRainforest

• All places on the earth All places on the earth have advantages and have advantages and disadvantages for disadvantages for human settlement.human settlement.

• High population High population densities have densities have developed on flood developed on flood plains, for example, plains, for example, where people could take where people could take advantage of fertile advantage of fertile soils, water resources, soils, water resources, and opportunities for and opportunities for river transportationriver transportation

• By comparison, By comparison, population densities population densities are usually low in are usually low in deserts.deserts.

• Yet flood plains are Yet flood plains are periodically subjected periodically subjected to severe damage, to severe damage, and some desert and some desert areas, such as Israel, areas, such as Israel, have been modified have been modified to support large to support large population population concentrationsconcentrations

Saudi Arabian Desert

Irrigation

Transportation on the Nile

• Humans interacting on the earthHumans interacting on the earth• Human beings occupy places unevenly across the Human beings occupy places unevenly across the

face of the earthface of the earth• Some live on farms or in the country; others live in Some live on farms or in the country; others live in

towns, villages, or cities.towns, villages, or cities.• Yet these people interact with each other-that is, Yet these people interact with each other-that is,

they travel from one place to another, they they travel from one place to another, they communicate with each other, or they rely upon communicate with each other, or they rely upon products information, and ideas that come from far products information, and ideas that come from far beyond their immediate environment.beyond their immediate environment.

• The most visible evidence of global The most visible evidence of global interdependence and the interaction of places are interdependence and the interaction of places are the transportation and communication lines that the transportation and communication lines that link every part of the worldlink every part of the world

Refugees

Farm In the Country

Villages

People on the Subway

• The basic unit of geographic study is the region, an area that displays unity in terms of selected criteria

• How they form and change• We are all familiar with regions showing the

extent of political power, such as nations, provinces, countries, or cities, yet there are almost countless ways to define meaningful regions, depending on the problems being considered

• Some regions are defined by one characteristic, such as a government unit, a language group, or a landform type, and others by the interplay of many complex features