The Basics of Geographygeography- the study of the distribution and interaction of physical and human features on the earth

Vocabulary absolute location- exact place on earth where a

place is found using latitude and longitude relative location- describes a place in

comparison to other places around it latitude- lines that run parallel to the equator

Vocabulary longitude- lines that go over the earth

around the poles

Vocabulary• prime meridian- imaginary line diving the

earth east and west• map projection- is a way of drawing the

earth’s surface that reduces distortion caused by presenting a round earth on flat paper

• topographic map- a general reference map; it has natural and man-made features of earth

• Landsat- a series of satellites that orbit more than 100 miles above Earth and can scan the Earth in 16 days

Vocabulary• physical map- shows natural features of

Earth; landforms, bodies of water and other physical characteristics of a location

• political map- show features on the Earth that humans have created; cities, states, countries

• qualitative maps- use colors and patterns to show a specific idea– Check the title– Study the legend closely– Determine the theme– Determine the relationships among the data

Vocabulary Geographic Information System

(GIS)- stores info about Earth in a digital database; it can combine info from a variety of sources and keep it in one place

Five ThemesLocation

Where is it?Describe location using absolute location and relative location

Five themes Place

-What is it like?-includes physical features (climate,

landforms, vegetation)-includes cultural characteristics of a

location -human influence (dams, highways,

houses, building, bridges)

Five Themes

RegionHow are places similar or different?

Area of the earth’s surface with similar characteristics

Regions(1)Formal region- a region that has a limited number of related characteristicsThe US and CanadaLatin AmericaEuropeRussia Southwest AsiaSouth Asia

Regions Functional region- a region organized

around a set of interactions and connections between places a hub or central place and links to that

place New York city is a functional region

because it is a main hub with many suburbs surrounding it

Regions Perceptual regions- in region where

people perceive the characteristics of a region in the same way

*perceptual regions can be different from person to person because everyone views how regions are defined differentlyex: everyone knows what the Southwest region is but they may differ on what states it contains

Five Themes Human-Environment Interaction

the relationship between humans and the environment

people learn what the environment can give them and uses it to meet their needs

living with aspects of the environment they can’t control

Altering the environment (irrigation ditches, bridges)

Five Themes Movement- how do people, goods, and ideas

move from one location to another? Geographers analyze movement by looking at three

types of distance (1) linear- how far across the earth a person, idea,

or product travels (2) time- the amount of time it takes a person,

idea or product to travel (3) psychological- the way people view distance

(thinking something is farther away than it really is)

Practice Turn to page 23 and answer questions 1-5 Turn to page 25 and answer questions 1-3

under the Geographic Skills section

How have modern technologies such as the airplane, television and Internet affected people’s perceptions of linear distance, time distance and psychological distance?