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Section 1: Studying Geography Geography as a Science Geography as a Social Science Geography is the study of the world, its people, and the landscapes they create. A place’s landscape is all the human and physical features that make it unique. Geography is a science because geographers ask questions about how the world works and gather and interpret data. A social science is a field that studies people and their relationships. Geography is a social science because it deals with people and how they live. Geographers who study social science visit places and talk to people who live there. 2

Looking at the World Geographers look at the world at the local, regional, and global levels. Geographers who study issues at a local level ask questions such as: 1. How do people in a town or community live? 2. What it the local government like? 3. How do people who live there get around? 4. What do they eat? Geographers who study the world at the regional level divide the world into regions, parts of the world that have features that make it different from surrounding areas. Geographers who study the world on a global level try to find relationships among people who live far apart. 3

The Geographer’s Tools A geographer’s tools include maps and globes, satellite images, and notebooks and tape recorders. A map is a flat drawing that shows all or part of Earth’s surface. They are useful because they are easy to work with and show a great deal of information. However, details may be altered (changed) in order to get the information on a flat surface. A globe is a spherical, or ball-shaped, model of the entire planet. They can show the world as it really is but are expensive to make and usually only show where places are and what features they have. Geographers use satellite images to see what an area looks like above Earth. The best tools a geographer can use while talking to people are notebooks and tape recorders. 4

Section 2: Geography Themes and Essential Elements The five themes of geography are: location, place, human-environment interaction, movement, and regions. Location is a description of where something is. A specific description, such as your street address, describes absolute location. A general description of where a place is located is relative location. Place refers to features that make an area unique. Human-environment interaction studies how people and their physical environment affect each other. Land, water, climate, plants, and animals are all part of an area’s environment. Geographers study movement if they want to know why and how people move. Geographers also learn about movement by studying roads and routes. Geographers divide the world into regions to compare different places. 5

Section 2: Geography Themes and Essential Elements The six essential elements of geography help describe the five themes of geography in more detail. Those six elements are: 1. The world in spatial terms 2. Places and regions 3. Physical systems 4. Human systems 5. Environment and society 6. The uses of geography 6

Chapter 1 Section 3: The Branches of Geography The two main branches of geography are physical geography and human geography. 7

Physical Geography The Physical World Uses of physical geography Physical geography is the study of the world’s physical features- its landforms, bodies of water, climates, soils, and plants. Physical geographers want to know specific things like why rivers flow in certain directions. Studying the changes that take places on Earth can help us to prepare to live with those changes. For example, knowing what causes terrible storms can help us to prepare for them 8

Human Geography The Human World Uses of Human Geography Human geography is the study of the world’s people, communities, and landscapes. Human geographers study: 1. the world’s people, past and present 2. where people live and why 3. what people do A human geographer could study specific issues like economics and politics. Common needs of all people include food, water, and shelter Human geographers study how people in different places address those common needs. A human geographer might conduct research on what crops are growing in an area. 9

Other Fields of Geography Economic geography is a branch of human geography that focuses on how people make and spend money. Urban geography is a branch of human geography that studies cities and how people live in them. Cartography is the science of making maps. Hydrology is the study of the water on Earth. 10

Other Fields of Geography Meteorology is the study of weather and its causes. If this guy is on your TV with his sleeves rolled up and his tie loosened, things are about to get really bad! 11