Chapter One Sec. 1 Building Geography Literacy

One of the major goals of ancient geographers was to measure the size and shape of Earth. The appearance of Earth’s shadow on the eclipsing moon proved to most people that Earth was spherical. In the 200s B.C. Greek geographer Eratosthenes used angles of the sun over a specific distance to calculate the circumference of Earth. His estimate was off by only a few hundred miles.

Eclipse

I. The Elements of Geography Geographers are specialists who describe Earth’s physical and human features and the interactions of people, places, and environments. (p. 19) Question: List some of the tools geographers might use to describe the features of Earth and the relationships between them.

Five Themes of Geography

II. The World in Spatial Terms Spatial relations means “relations in space”: how places, people, and features of the earth are connected because of their locations. (p.20)

Locations A. Absolute location = the exact latitude and longitude at which a place is found on the globe. (p. 20) B. Relative location = describes a place’s location in relation to another place. (p. 20)

Location

Absolute Location

Relative Location

? Question: When is it useful to know the absolute location of a place? When is it useful to know its relative location?

III. Places and Regions A place is a particular space on Earth with physical and human meaning. A region, larger than a place, is a group of places that are united by shared characteristics. A formal, or uniform, region is an area defined by a common characteristic.

A functional region is a central place and the outlying areas linked to it by transit systems, for example. A perceptual region is defined by popular feelings and images rather than by objective data. (p. 21)

Discussion Question Give some examples of a place, a uniform region, a functional region, and a perceptual region.

IV. Physical Systems (p ) Physical systems – volcanoes, floods, and hurricanes – shape the earth’s surface. What kinds of physical systems have shaped the earth in the region where you live?

Earthquake Lake, MT

V. Human Systems People affect the earth by settling it, forming societies, and migrating. People also move goods and ideas to new places. What historical movements of people and ideas have changed the United States?

Homestead Act of 1862

Homestead Act or 1988 in Alaska

Great Migration of the 1920s

VI. Environment & Society People affect the environment by clearing or planting forests, building industries and cities, and hunting animals. Features of the environment such as mountain ranges and deserts often pose barriers to human migration. How can people overcome the physical obstacles of their environment?

Snake River Dam

Mt. Blanc, French Alps

River Canyon, Africa

Kalahari Desert, Africa

Salt Plains, Bolivia

Merced River, Yosemite

VII. The Uses of Geography Geographers provide important information about the planet’s physical features and processes, living things, and human systems that describes the planet and contributes to planning for future needs. What can a geographer tell you about your environment?

Chapter 1:2 – Building Geography Literacy Cartography, or mapmaking, began to develop in the Age of Exploration. Explorers such as Christopher Columbus and Ferdinand Magellan drew rough maps of the lands they found across the Atlantic Ocean. By the early 1500s, European maps showed entire unexplored continents between Europe and Asia.

I. Branches of Geography Physical geography focuses on the study of Earth’s physical features. Human or cultural geography studies human activities and their relationship to the environment. What kinds of questions would you ask a physical geographer? A cultural geographer?

II. Geographers at Work Direct observation – going to a geographic location to see what it is like. Sometimes geographers rely on aerial or satellite photographs. Mapping – Cartographers are people who design and make maps – graphic representations of places and regions and more complicated information about the relationships of people, places, and things.

Interviewing – cultural geographers often interview the people whose activities they study. Statistics – geographers use statistics to present data, find patterns, and study population. Technology – geographers use advanced technology – satellite photos, radar, and geographic information systems (GIS) – to study the environment, the weather, and human settlement patterns.

Types of Maps

II. Geographers at Work Why do geographers often rely on maps rather than on verbal descriptions?

III. Geographers and other Disciplines History and Government – geographers study history and government to understand changes that have taken place over time. Culture – Human geographers study sociology and anthropology to learn how people have interacted with their environment over time.

Economics – geographers study economics to understand how the location of resources affects the ways people make, transport, and use goods and provide services. What other areas of study might be useful to geographers?

IV. Geography as a Career Knowledge of geography helps people who work in many other fields. Name a job in which it would be helpful to understand geography. Explain.

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