Chapter 1 : Earth’s Land, People, & Environments Key Questions: What is geography? What are the 2 main branches of geography? What do geographers study? What tools to geographers use?

Father of Geography Eratosthenes 276-194 BC Greek Mathematician, Poet, Geographer, Astronomer Father of Geography

What is Geography? Geography- study of the Earth, its people, places, & environments 2 Main Branches of Geography 1. Physical Geography 2. Human Geography

Physical Geography Physical Geography- study of the world’s physical features Physical features – oceans, rivers, mountains, volcanoes, etc.

Physical Geography Why study the physical world? So that we can make…predictions

Human Geography Human Geography- study of the world’s people, communities, and landscapes What they do Where they live Why they live there What makes them move Why some places have no people Human features – villages, roads, tunnels

What about you??? If you had the option to study human or physical, which would you choose to study? Why?

Five Themes of Geography: Location (absolute & relative) Place Human-Environment Interaction Movement Regions

Location Absolute Location- a specific description of a location Examples: 36 °N, 51 °E 143 West Main Street, Greenwood

Location Relative Location- a general description of where a place is Example: Greenwood is just south of Indy

Place Place - the features that make an area unique Examples: Landscape, people, climate

Human-Environment Interaction HEI - how humans interact with the environment Environment-an area’s land, water, climate, plants & animals

Movement Movement - how & why people move around the world (push or pull?) Example: Do we need more roundabouts in Greenwood to deal with the traffic issues?

Regions Regions - Areas that share common characteristics Examples: Rocky Mountain Region Tropical Regions Sahara Desert Region

3 Levels of Geography Geographers examine the world at 3 levels: 1. Local Level 2. Regional Level 3. Global Level

Geospatial Technologies Geospatial Technologies- devices & maps that give us information on the location of physical & human features GPS – Global Positioning System GIS – Geographic Information System 30 satellites orbiting Earth send out radio signals, which devices receive

Satellite Images Used since 1970s to gather data 1st used by the US military Satellite images show things we can’t see from Earth’s surface weather, changes in vegetation and climate, soil

Geographers Tools Map- a flat drawing that shows all or part of Earth’s surface Globe- spherical, ball-shaped model of entire planet (Why are maps more popular than globes?) (Which do you think is most accurate?)

Scale of Maps Large Scale – shows small areas, up close (city) Small Scale – shows large areas, far away (continent) Greenwood, IN North America

3 Types of Maps Political Maps – boundaries of countries Physical Maps –shows natural features likes lakes, mountains, etc. Thematic Maps Population Climate Vegetation Natural Resources Roads

Fields of geography Cartography - the science of making maps -Today maps are made using computers and satellite images

Fields of geography Hydrology - is the study of water on Earth Hydrologists study rivers, rainfall, drinking water, droughts, floods

Fields of geography Meteorology - the study of weather and what causes it -Meteorologists predict weather and help keep us safe

Why Study Geography? Geography allows us to find answers to questions about the world around us. Allows us to make predictions! Geography lets humans make better-informed decisions. (e.g. –You know that you and your buddy should not travel across the desert in wool jackets with nothing to drink and a box of popsicles as your only food…)