Chapter 1 – Section 1

Geography

The study of the earth’s surface and the

processes that shape it.

Physical Geography: The study of the natural “physical” environment.

Cultural “Human” Geography: The study of human characteristics and cultures around the world

Five Themes

of Geography1. Location: Where is the place?

2. Place: What is the place like?

4. Region: How is a place similar/different to other places?

5. Human Interaction: How have people changed a place?

3. Movement: How do people, goods, & ideas move in a place?

LOCATION1. Absolute Location –

Where a place is located on the earth

2. Relative Location – Where a place is located in relation to another place

Grid System

A system that uses lines of latitude and longitude to locate places.

Absolute Location is determined by using lines of latitude and longitude to form a grid.

latitude – parallels of latitude measure distance north or south from the equator

Equator – an imaginary line that circles the earth at its widest point - 0°

longitude – meridians measure distance east or west from the Prime Meridian.

Prime Meridian – line of longitude that runs through Greenwich, England - 0°

Hemisphere - ½ of the earth’s surface

The relative location of Lyford is about 15

miles north of Harlingen

PlaceWhat is a place like?

This includes physical features and cultural characteristics

culture – Every part of the way people live.

RegionsFormal Regions – Defined by a limited number of related characteristics.Example: Europe, Africa

Functional Regions – Based on a set of interactions or connections between places.Example: A city and its suburbs

Perceptual Regions – A region that people perceive. May not be the same to everyone.Example: The Midwest

Culture Regions Areas connected by similar cultural

characteristics and patterns.

Human–Environment Interaction

The relationship between people and their environment

Movement How people, goods, and

ideas move from one location to another.