1. Studying Geography Preview Section 1: Themes and Essential Elements
World Geography Today
4/23/2017
Studying Geography
Preview
Section 1: Themes and Essential Elements
Section 2: Skill Building: Using the Geographer’s Tools
Chapter Wrap-Up
Chapter 1

2. Section 1: Themes and Essential Elements
Read to Discover
What are the two main branches of geography?
How do we use geography?
What are some ways we can organize our world and the study of geography?

3. Section 1: Themes and Essential Elements
Question
What are the two main branches of geography?

4. Section 1: Themes and Essential Elements
Human Geography
Physical Geography
Both
• Studies distribution and characteristics of the world’s people (where people live and what they do)
• Examines how people make and trade things that they need to survive
• Focuses on Earth’s natural environments, including landforms, water features, plants, animals, and other physical features
• Studies the processes that shape physical environments
• Studies how people interact with their environments

5. Section 1: Themes and Essential Elements
We Use Geography:
In Government—For mapmaking and planning
In Business—For marketing and development
In Schools—For education
Every Day—To find our way in town or on trips, when we watch the news and weather, when we read about other countries, when we make decisions about locations for events or businesses

6. Section 1: Themes and Essential Elements
Organizing the World by Regions
Formal—Has one or more common features that make it different from surrounding areas
Functional—Different places that are linked together and function as a unit
Perceptual—Reflects human feelings and attitudes

7. Section 1: Themes and Essential Elements
Organizing the Study of Geography
Organizing the Study of Geography
By Five Themes
Location—Exact or relative spot of something on Earth
Place—Physical and human features of a location
Human-Environment Interaction—Ways people and environments interrelate with and affect each other
Movement—How people and things change locations and the effects of these changes
Region—Geographic areas with one or more shared characteristics

8. Section 1: Themes and Essential Elements
By Six Essential Elements
The World in Spatial Terms
How to use maps and other tools
How to use mental maps to organize information
How to analyze the spatial organization of people, places, and environments
Places and Regions
The physical and human characteristics of places
How people create regions to interpret Earth
How culture and experience influence people’s perceptions of places and regions

9. Section 1: Themes and Essential Elements
By Six Essential Elements
Physical Systems
Human Systems
Environment and Society
The physical processes that shape Earth’s surface
The distribution of ecosystems on Earth
The characteristics, distribution, and migration of human populations
The complexity of Earth’s cultural mosaics
The patterns and networks of economic interdependence on Earth
The patterns of human settlement

10. Section 1: Themes and Essential Elements
By Six Essential Elements
Physical Systems
Human Systems
Environment and Society
The forces of cooperation and conflict
How human actions modify the physical environment
How physical systems affect human systems
The distribution and meaning of resources
The Uses of Geography
Apply geography to interpret the past
Apply geography to interpret the present and plan for the future

11. Section 2: Skill Building: Using the Geographer’s Tools
Read to Discover
How do geographers and mapmakers organize our world?
What kinds of special maps do geographers use?
How do geographers use climate graphs and population pyramids?

12. Section 2: Skill Building: Using the Geographer’s Tools
Geographers and Mapmakers Organize
By drawing lines on the globe
By identifying hemispheres, landmasses, and bodies of water
By making and using maps

13. Section 2: Skill Building: Using the Geographer’s Tools
Question
What are characteristics of the three map projection types?

14. Section 2: Skill Building: Using the Geographer’s Tools
Map Projection
Advantages
Disadvantages
Cylindrical
Used by navigators because it shows true direction and shape
Exaggerates landmasses at high latitudes
Conic
Accurate for areas with long east-west dimensions
Not as accurate for areas that extend mostly north to south
Used by pilots and navigators because it shows true direction and area sizes
Flat-Plane
Distorts shapes

15. Section 2: Skill Building: Using the Geographer’s Tools
Special-Purpose Maps
Climate and Precipitation Maps—Show weather patterns and atmospheric conditions
Population and Economic Maps—Show the distribution of people, natural resources, and land usage patterns
Elevation Profiles and Topographic Maps—Show physical features of the land

16. Section 2: Skill Building: Using the Geographer’s Tools
Important Geographic Characteristics
Climate graphs show average temperatures and precipitation in a place.
Population pyramids show percentages of males and females by age group in a country’s population. They help us understand population trends.

17. Chapter Wrap-Up Understanding the Main Ideas
World Geography Today
4/23/2017
Chapter Wrap-Up Understanding the Main Ideas
What are two main branches in the study of geography?
What six essential elements help us organize the study of geography?
How are the three kinds of regions defined?
What are the advantages and disadvantages of the three main map projections?
What are six kinds of special-purpose maps?
Chapter 1