Unit I: Foundations of Geography

I. The Five Themes of Geography

A. Geography: the study of the Earth

1. Where are things located?

2. Why are they there?B. Five themes help organize information about Earth and its people

C. Location: where a place is1. Cardinal directions2. Intermediate directions3. Latitude and longitude

D. Region: area with unifying characteristics

1. climate

2. land

3. population

4. history

E. Place: includes human and physical features at a specific location

1. climate2. land3. population4. work5. religion6. language

F. Movement: how people, goods, and ideas get from one place to another; cultural change

G. Human-Environment Interaction: how people affect their environment

Journal Entry

Predict, how might a geographer use each of the five themes to

describe the city where you live?

II. Types of MapsA. Political Map: shows the boundaries of countries, states, cities, etc.

B. Physical Map: shows features of the earth’s surface

III. Parts of a map

A. Title-tells the subject of the map

B. Compass Rose-shows direction

C. Key/Legend-indentifies all of the symbols and coloring on the map

D. Scale Bar-shows you how distances on the map compare to the actual distances.

IV. Latitude and LongitudeA. Latitude

1. lines run east and west 2. measure distances north and

south from the equator 3. Equator-zero degrees 4. Tropic of Cancer-23 ½ degrees N 5. Arctic Circle-66 ½ degrees N 6. North Pole-90 degrees N 7. Tropic of Capricorn-23 ½

degrees S 8. Antarctic Circle-66 ½ degrees S 9. South Pole-90 degrees S

B. Longitude1. lines run north and south2. measure distances east and

west from the Prime Meridian3. Prime Meridian-zero degrees4. International Date Line-180

degrees

V. Time ZonesA. Earth is divided into 24 time zones for each hour in a day B. There are 360 degrees in a sphereC. Each time zone is 15 degreesD. It takes the sun one hour to cross15 degrees of the rotating earth

E. International Date Line-new day begins when you cross the I.D.L. traveling west

Time Zone Websites

• http://www.worldtimezone.com/

• http://www.wisc-online.com/objects/ViewObject.aspx?ID=SOC3702

• http://www.ixl.com/math/grade-5/time-zones

Time Zone Word Problem

An airplane left New York at 9:15 a.m. to travel to London. If the flight took 5 hrs.

45 min., what was the local time when the plane landed in London?

8:00 p.m.Now work with your team to create a time zone word problem for your classmates to

solve!

VI. Climate: the usual or average weather a region receives over many years

VII.EnvironmentA. The surroundings or conditions in which a person, animal, or plant livesB. Physical features and climate create environmentC. Natural

1. deserts 2. tropical rain forests

D. Human-made 1. cities 2. roads, bridges

VIII. Economy: the wealth and resources of a country or region in terms of the production and consumption of goods

A. ProducersB. ConsumersC. Goods D. ServicesE. Industry

1. primary2. secondary3. tertiary4. quaternary

IX. Ethnic Diversity

A. Ethnic group: group of people who share common features or characteristicsB. Culture: how people live; what makes them who they are

1. customs2. beliefs3. language4. clothing5. food6. housing7. music8. religion

C. Diversity: many, or a variety of

Journal Entry

What ethnic group are you a member of?

Describe some of the cultural traits of your

ethnic group.