1. Studying Geography

2. Five Themes of Geography
1. Location- Where something is
Absolute Location- a place’s exact position on Earth surface
Ex. Tokyo, Japan is located at 37N latitude and 140E longitude
Relative Location- where a place is in relation to another place
Ex. Belleville is west of Detroit.
2. Place- The physical and human characteristics that make a location unique
Ex. Landforms, climate, flora/fauna, language, culture, etc.
3. Region- Areas that share common characteristics
Ex. Middle East, North Africa, Latin America, “The South,” etc.

3. Five Themes of Geography
4. Movement- How and why people and things move and are connected
Natural phenomena (weather, earthquakes, etc.)
Migration, Trade, Cultural Diffusion, Internet
5. Human-Environment Interaction- the relationship between people and their environment
Influence of surroundings
Ex. Detroit’s location on the Detroit River
Influence on surroundings
Ex. Detroit’s pollution of the Detroit River

4. Globes and Maps Globe- 3-dimensional scale model of the earth
Map- 2-dimensional symbolic representation of all or part of the planet
Distortion occurs when converting from a globe to a map
Ex. Great Circle Routes
Map Projections
Planar
Cylindrical
Conic
Winkel Triple
Robinson
Goode’s Interrupted Equal-Area
Mercator

5. Determining Location
Latitude- horizontal lines (parallel to the Equator) measure the distance north or south of the Equator
Equator= 0
Lines above the Equator are called “north latitude”
Lines below the Equator are called “south latitude”
North and South Poles= 90
Divide the earth into two hemispheres
Northern Hemisphere
Southern Hemisphere

6. Determining Location
Longitude- vertical lines (meridians) run from Pole to Pole and measure the distance east and west of the Prime Meridian
Prime Meridian= 0
Lines to the right of the PM are called “east latitude”
Lines to the left of the PM are called “west latitude”
Prime Meridian runs through Europe and Africa
Counterpart on the other side of the globe known as “International Date Line”
Divide the earth into two hemispheres- Western Hemisphere and Eastern Hemisphere

7. Reading a Map Title Korea and the 38th Parallel Compass Rose
Boundary Lines
Capitals
Cities
Scale Bar
Key

8. Reading a Map Small-Scale Maps- shows a large area with little detail
Large-Scale Maps- shows small area with great detail

9. Reading a Map
Physical Maps- use shading and texture to show landforms and elevation
Political Maps- show mainly human-made features like countries, roads, cities, boundaries, etc.

10. Reading a Map Thematic Maps
Qualitative Maps- use colors, symbols, dots, etc. to show specific information
Flow-Line Maps- use arrows to show the movement of people, ideas, or physical systems