Upload
bryce-mills
View
219
Download
0
Embed Size (px)
Citation preview
World CulturesGeography
Exploring the World Around Us
Geography: the study of the Earth
• Geography comes from the Greek word geo meaning “earth” and graphy meaning “science of”
• Study of people, environment, and resources
• maps, globes, charts, and graphs
The 5 Themes of Geography
• Location
• Place
• Interaction between People and their Environment
• Movement
• Region
Location
• Position on the Earth’s surface• Two ways to determine location: Absolute and
Relative– Absolute Location: A place’s exact location on the
Earth• Latitude or parallels - are east-west circles around the globe;
these lines measure distances north and south of the equator
• Longitude or meridians - are lines that circle the globe from north to south; these lines measure distances east and west of the Prime Meridian
Location (continued)
• Relative location: This term explains where a place is by describing places near it– Oakley/Brentwood area is about 60 miles
southeast of San Francisco
Place
• Physical and human characteristics or features– physical features
• water• climate (hot or cold)• land (hilly, flat, etc.)
– human characteristics• reasons why people live in a certain area• how many people live in a certain place• what kind of work people do
Human-Environment Interaction
• The theme of interaction stresses how people affect their environment, the physical characteristics of their natural surroundings, and how their environment affects them
• People change their environment– clear forests
– dam rivers
– dig tunnels
• Consequences of people’s actions:– environmental impact such as erosion, pollution, and fertile land
Human-Environment Interaction (continued)
• People adapt– People change to suit environment
• Eskimo’s
• Chinese stir fry
– People change environment• deserts to fertile land
• valleys flooded for lakes, dams, etc.
Movement
• Movement helps explain how people, goods, and ideas get from one place to another
• Migration: the movement of people from one country or region to another in order to make a home– Why migrate?
• food, work, trade (imports and exports)
– Ideas spread– Cultural changes and Mix of cultures– Interdependence
• globalization and trade
Regions• Area with its own unifying Characteristics
– geographical or land– culture or history– political or economic– religion or beliefs
• Geographers use the theme of regions to make comparisons– On maps, geographers use color and shape or special symbols to
show regions– A place can be part of several regions at the same time
• Houston, Texas is both a plains region and an oil producing region