GEOGRAPHY OVERVIEW 5 THEMES

1. LOCATION "Where are we?"   is the question that the theme Location answers. Location may be absolute or it may be relative.  These locations, whether relative or absolute, may be of people or places.

An absolute location is a latitude and longitude (a global location) or a street address (local location). Examples: Florence, AL is 34o46'North latitude and 87.40' West longitude Paris, France is 48o51' North latitude and 2.20' East longitude

Relative locations are described by landmarks, time, direction or distance from one place to another and may associate a particular place with another. Examples: How far is it from Lakeside to downtown Atlanta? In what direction would you travel from Georgia to California?

2. PLACE Places have both human and physical characteristics, as well as images. What kind of place is it?  What do you think of when you imagine China?  Japan?  Russia?  Saudi Arabia? Physical characteristics include mountains, rivers, soil, beaches, wildlife, soil. Places have human characteristics also.  These include the ideas and actions of people that result in changes to the environment, such as buildings, roads, clothing, and food habits.

3. Human/Environmental Interaction How do humans and the environment affect each other? Do they? We change the environment and sometimes Mother Nature changes it back. Examples: Hurricane Katrina, earthquakes, mudslides, floods, etc. There are three key concepts to human/environmental interaction:  Humans adapt on the environment.  Humans modify the environment.  Humans depend on the environment

In what way do people depend on the environment? Example: People depend on their local rivers for water, transportation, etc. How do people adapt to their environment? People adapt to their environment by wearing clothes suitable for whatever the season or weather may be – rain or sun – winter or summer How do people modify their environment? People modify their environment by using air conditioning in summer, heating in winter, buildings to get out of the weather, etc.

4. MOVEMENT The movement of people, ideas and goods, and mass communication have played major roles in shaping our world.  People everywhere interact.  They travel from place to place and they communicate.  It is said that we live in a global village and global economy.

5. REGIONS A region is the basic unit of study in geography. A region is an area that displays a unity in terms of the government, language, or possibly the landform or situation.  3 types: Formal – defined by governmental or formal boundaries – i.e. United States, city limits of Atlanta Functional – provides a service – like an airport, train station, etc. If the function ceases to exist, so does the region Vernacular – region defined by people’s perceptions – i.e. the South, the Middle East

2. Give an example of a “relative” location. 1. What is the difference between “absolute” location and “relative” location? 2. Give an example of a “relative” location. 3. What types of physical characteristics does a geographic place have? 4. In what ways do humans modify their environment? 5. What 3 words sum up human interaction with their environment? 6. Give a specific example of these types of regions A. formal B. functional C. vernacular

BE SURE TO READ THE DIRECTIONS GIVEN FOR ANSWERING THE QUESTIONS! Using your textbook (that should be under your desk), answer the following questions on your own paper. BE SURE TO READ THE DIRECTIONS GIVEN FOR ANSWERING THE QUESTIONS! Page 9-Main ideas - #1,2,3 Page 13 –Main ideas - #1,2,3 Page 19 –Map Practice -#1,2,3,4,5 Page 23 – Map Practice - #1,2,3,4,5

HISTORY OF GEOGRAPHY