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