1. Ch. 1, L1 How Geographers View the World
I. Geographers Think Spatially
A. Thinking Spatially
1. Geography is the study of the Earth and its peoples, places, and environments.
2. Geographers look at space and place.
3. Spatial refers to Earth’s features in terms of their locations, their shapes, and their relationships to one another.
4. Physical features such as mountains and lakes can be located on a map.
a) Height, width, and/or depth.

2. Ch. 1, L1 How Geographers View the World
b) Geographers study the size and shape of cities, states, and countries.
c) Geographers also think about the relationships between human features and physical features.
5. Spatially means looking at the characteristics of Earth’s features.
a) Differences between mountains, fish, moving around cities, etc.
B. The Perspective of Space
1. Locations on Earth are made up of different combinations of physical and human characteristics.
a) Physical examples are climate, landforms, vegetation, etc.
b) Human examples are population, economic activity, land use, etc.

3. Ch. 1, L1 How Geographers View the World
2. Places are locations on Earth that have distinctive characteristics that make them meaningful to people.
a) Places that we live, work, go to school, etc.
3. Landscapes are portions of Earth’s surface that can be viewed at one time and from one location.
a) As we study geography, note the differences in the world’s landscapes.
C. The Perspective of Experience
1. By learning about geography in school, we can better appreciate and understand this world in which we live.
D. A Changing World

4. Ch. 1, L1 How Geographers View the World
1. Earth is dynamic or always changing.
a) Rivers shift course, volcanoes erupt, surf changes shore lines, etc.
b) People can also change the environment.
2. Geographers study how places change over time.
II. The Five Themes of Geography
A. Location
1. Location is where something is found on Earth.
a) Relative Location describes where a place is compared to another place.
b) Absolute Location is the exact location of something.

5. Ch. 1, L1 How Geographers View the World
2. Lines of latitude run east to west, but they measure distance on Earth in a north-to-south direction.
a) The Equator, circles the middle of Earth.
b) Other latitude lines are assigned a number from 1° through 90°.
3. Lines of longitude run from north to south, but they measure distance on Earth in an east-to-west direction.
a) The Prime Meridian is the starting point for measuring longitude. (It runs through Greenwich, England.)
b) Other meridian lines are listed from 1° through 180°.
c) The meridian which is 180° is also known as the International Date Line.
d) Latitude is always listed first. (Washington D.C. = 38°N, 77° W)

6. Ch. 1, L1 How Geographers View the World
B. Place
1. The features that help define a place can be physical or human.
C. Region
1. Places that are close to one another and share some characteristics belong to the same region.
a) Some regions are defined by physical characteristics. (Southern California, climate and coastal)
b) Some regions are defined by human characteristics. (North African countries, Islam)
D. Human Environment Interaction
1. The physical characteristics of a place affect how people live.

7. Ch. 1, L1 How Geographers View the World
2. People affect the environment too.
a) Blast tunnels improves transportation.
b) Overdevelopment can harm ecosystems.
3. The environment is the natural surroundings of a place which includes several features.
a) One is landforms, or the shape and nature of the land.
b) Another is climate, which is the average weather in a place over a long period of time.
c) Resources are materials that can be used to produce crops or other products.
E. Movement
1. Geographers also look at how people, products, ideas, and information move from place to place.

8. Ch. 1, L1 How Geographers View the World
a) Ideas move the fastest.
F. The Six Essential Elements of Geography
1. The World in Spatial Terms
2. Places & Regions
3. Physical Systems
4. Human Systems
5. Environment & Society
6. The Uses of Geography
a) pg. 24
III. Skill Building

9. Ch. 1, L1 How Geographers View the World
A. Interpreting Visuals
1. Maps, graphs, charts, diagrams, & photographs.
B. Critical Thinking
1. Geographers ask analytical questions.
a) Analytical questions can be applied to other subjects.