1. Physical Geography
Looking at the Earth
Geography involves the study of places: their
locations, their characteristics, and how humans
use and move around them.
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2. SECTION 1 The Five Themes of Geography
SECTION 2 The Geographer’s Tools
Physical Geography
Looking at the Earth
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3. Section 1
The Five Themes of
Geography
• Geographers view the world in terms of the
use of space.
• Geographers study the world by looking at
location, place, region, movement, and
human-environment interaction.
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4. The Geographer’s Perspective
Geographers and Historians
• Historians look at events over time
• Geographers look at:
- use of space on Earth
- interactions that take place there
- patterns and connections between people and
land
• Geography is the study of the distribution and
interaction of:
- physical features on Earth
- human features on Earth
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1
Continued . . .
The Five Themes of
Geography
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5. SECTION
1
Methods of Geography
• Geographers use a variety of tools:
- maps
- photographs
- charts, graphs, tables
- scale models
- five themes of geography
continued The Geographer’s Perspective
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6. Theme: Location
Where is it?
• Absolute location—exact place where a
geographic feature is found
• Relative location—location of a place compared to
places around it
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Continued . . .
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7. SECTION
1
Absolute Location
• Earth is divided into two equal halves, vertically and
horizontally
• Each vertical and horizontal half is called a
hemisphere
• An imaginary line, the Equator, divides north and
south halves
• Another imaginary line, the Prime Meridian, divides
east and west
continued Theme: Location
Continued . . .
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8. SECTION
1
Latitude Lines
• Geographers use latitude lines to locate places
north and south
• Latitude—imaginary lines that run parallel to the
equator
continued Theme: Location
Continued . . .
Longitude Lines
• Geographers use longitude lines to mark positions
east and west
• Longitude—imaginary lines that go over the poles
• Where latitude and longitude lines cross is the
absolute location
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10. Theme: Place
What is it Like?
• Place includes physical features and cultural
characteristics:
- physical features include climate, landforms,
vegetation
- cultural characteristics include dams, highways,
houses
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11. Theme: Region
How are Places Similar or Different?
• A region is an area united by similar characteristics
• Unifying characteristics—physical, political,
economic, cultural
• Three types of regions:
- formal
- functional
- perceptual
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Continued . . .
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12. SECTION
1
Formal Regions
• Defined by a limited number of related
characteristics
• Formal regions of the world:
- The United States and Canada
- Latin America
- Europe
- Russia and the Republics
- Africa
- Southwest Asia
- South Asia
- East Asia
- Southeast Asia, Oceania, and Antarctica
continued Theme: Region
Continued . . .
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13. SECTION
1
Functional Regions
• Organized around interactions and connections
between places
• Example: a city and its suburbs are connected
through human movement
continued Theme: Region
Perceptual Regions
• Region with characteristics people perceive in much
the same way
• Example: the American Midwest
• Sometimes perceptions differ: Does Midwest begin
in Ohio or Illinois?
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14. Theme: Human-Environment Interaction
How Do People Relate to the Physical
World?
• A relationship exists between people and their
environment
• People use and change the environment to meet
their needs
• People adapt to environmental conditions they
cannot change
• Often, people in similar environments adapt in
different ways
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15. Theme: Movement
How Do People, Goods, and Ideas Get from
One Place to Another?
• Geographers use three types of distance to analyze
movement:
- linear distance
- time distance
- psychological distance
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Linear Distance and Time Distance
• Linear distance—how far a person, product, or idea
travels
• Time distance—how long it takes for person,
product, idea to travel
Continued . . .
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16. SECTION
1
Psychological Distance
• Refers to the way people perceive distance
• Example: unfamiliar places may seem farther away
than familiar ones
continued Theme: Movement
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17. Section 2
The Geographer’s Tools
• Geographers use two- and three-dimensional
tools to learn about the earth.
• Geographers use computer-assisted
technology to study the use of the earth’s
surface.
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18. Maps and Globes
Visualizing Earth
• Oldest known map: Babylonian clay tablet, circa
500 B.C.
• Maps show locations of places, landforms, bodies
of water
The Geographer’s Tools
SECTION
2
Continued . . .
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19. SECTION
2
Two or Three Dimensions
• Globe—a three-dimensional representation (a
sphere) of Earth
• Map—a two-dimensional graphic representation of
Earth’s surface
• Cartographer (mapmaker) tries to accurately
reflect earth’s surface
• Map projection—way of showing Earth’s curved
surface on a flat map
continued Maps and Globes
Continued . . .
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20. SECTION
2
Types of Maps
• Three types of maps: general reference,
thematic, navigational
• A topographic map is one kind of general
reference map
• Topographic map—shows natural and man-made
features of earth
• Thematic map—shows specific data such as
climate, population density
• A navigation map is used by sailors, pilots
continued Maps and Globes
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21. The Science of Mapmaking
Surveying
• Surveyors observe, measure, record what they see
in a specific area
• Remote sensing, gathering geographic data from a
distance, includes:
- aerial photography
- satellite imaging
The Geographer’s Tool
SECTION
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Continued . . .
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22. SECTION
2
Satellites
• Best known satellites are Landsat and GOES
• Landsat is a series of satellites; can scan entire
planet in 16 days
• Geostationary Operational Environment Satellite
(GOES):
- orbits in sync with Earth’s rotation
- gathers images of atmospheric conditions
continued The Science of Mapmaking
Continued . . .
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23. SECTION
2
Geographic Information Systems
• Geographic Information Systems (GIS) is a
digital geographic database
• Combines and displays information from many
sources
continued The Science of Mapmaking
Global Positioning System (GPS)
• Uses series of 24 Navstar satellites to beam
information to Earth
• Hand-held GPS receivers on Earth display exact
position
• GPS used by explorers, sailors, drivers; also used
to track animals
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