INVESTIGATINGTHE WORLD

The Nature of Geography

Year 8 Global Geography : 4G1 Term 1

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THE NATURE OF GEOGRAPHY

• Geography is concerned with where people and places are located and the patterns of features on the Earth’s surface.

By studying Geography we can become active and informed citizens and do something to help protect our future

Ecological dimension

how humans interact with environments

Spatial dimension

the physical aspects of

where things are and why they are there

Geography involves two key dimensions:

LINGO LIST

KEY DEFINITIONS

Key Word Definition

Cartographer

Citizen

Condensation

Contour

Ecosystem

KEY DEFINITIONS

Key Word Definition

Cartographer A specialised geographer who draws maps

Citizen a person who is part of a society with the right toprotection from it and the responsibility of loyalty to it

Condensation the process by which water vapour turns to liquid

Contour a line on a map joining places of equal height

Ecosystem a community of organisms interacting with oneanother and with the environment in which they live

KEY DEFINITIONS CONT.

Key Word Definition

environment

evaporation

human features

Isobar

nutrient

KEY DEFINITIONS CONT.

Key Word Definition

environment The total surroundings

evaporation the process by which water turns from liquid tovapour

human features areas of the Earth's surface that have been built or changed by humans

Isobar a line on a synoptic chart joining places of equal air pressure

nutrient A source of nourishment

KEY DEFINITIONS CONT.

Key Word Definition

physical features

precipitation

relative humidity

settlement

temperature

KEY DEFINITIONS CONT.

Key Word Definition

physical features areas of the Earth’s surface that are naturally occurring or have been largely unaltered by humans

precipitation any form of water falling to the Earth’s surfaceincluding rain, hail and snow

relative humidity the amount of moisture in the air compared to the amount it could hold

settlement A place where people live

temperature a measure of the amount of heat energy

ENVIRONMENT CLASSIFICATIONS

WE CLASSIFY OUR ENVIRONMENT INTO 2 FEATURES:

• Human features are those that are man made • Examples of human

features include houses, schools, roads, railways, shopping centres and buildings.

Physical features are those that occur naturally

Examples include the weather, air, plants (flora), animals (fauna), rocks and soil, as well as the water in rivers, lakes and seas, and the sun (heat and light)

Physical Human

Geographers examine environments and are interested in the relationships between physical and human features.

ACTIVITY 1

• Is a natural feature or man made?

• Is it eroding? Is it getting polluted?

• What country / city is it in?

• Is it a statue or an island or?

What is it? Where is it?

Why is it there?

How is it changing?

Research famous human and physical features such as Angel Falls, Grand Canyon, Mount Rushmore, The Great Wall of China.

PHYSICAL ELEMENTS OF THE ENVIRONMENT

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ECOSYSTEMS

living • Living things, such as

plants and animals are called biotic

non living.• Non-living things, such

as water, rocks and soil are called abiotic

The way in which physical elements interact in a particular environment.

QUICK REVIEW

• Is the following biotic or abiotic?1. A tree2. A river3. An insect 4. Grass 5. Snow 6. A rock7. A dog8. Soil

THE 3 MAIN PROCESSES THAT CONNECT ALL PARTS OF AN ECOSYSTEM ARE:

THE ENERGY FLOWWATER CYCLE AND

NUTRIENT CYCLE

PHYSICAL ELEMENTS OF THE ENVIRONMENT

1. THE ENERGY FLOW

• Plants capture about 1% of the solar energy that reaches the Earth from the Sun.

• Through the process of photosynthesis plants convert this energy into carbohydrates that are a food source for their growth and the animals that eat them

• In an ecosystem:• the source of energy is the Sun• energy is stored in the plants

and animals, the biotic part• energy is used for growth and

generates heat

2. THE WATER CYCLE

• Water is essential for life and flows through all ecosystems.

• When heated by the Sun, water evaporates, turning into water vapour.

• If water vapour rises it cools and condenses forming clouds.

• Precipitation falls from the clouds and the water either soaks into the ground or flows over the surface back in to rivers

• In the water cycle (also known as the hydrological cycle):• clouds are made of water droplets• rain, sleet, snow and hail are all types of

precipitation• transpiration is water loss from plants

3. THE NUTRIENT CYCLE

• Plants gain the water and nutrients they need for growth from the soil.

• The nutrients then pass along a food chain as plants are eaten by animals and they, in turn, are eaten by other animals.

• Eventually the plants and animals die, and the nutrients are returned to the soil by the decomposers.

• In the nutrient cycle:• the plants are the producers• animals that eat plants are called

herbivores• animals that eat animals are called

carnivores

HUMAN ELEMENTS OF THE ENVIRONMENT

OVERVIEW

• There are very few environments left in the world that are completely natural.

• In most places humans have had some influence on the landscape.

• Land has been cleared for agriculture, rivers have been dammed to provide water. Industries have been developed to process raw materials and people have created settlements in which to live.

AGRICULTURE

• Agriculture involves human activities that shape the landscape. • In some parts of the world the natural

environment has been significantly changed by farming practices. • Patterns created by agriculture vary from

patchworks of tiny fields typical of subsistence farming in Asia to the featureless expanses created by modern commercial grain farming in North America.

SETTLEMENTS

• Settlements are where people live• They range in size from isolated farmhouses with

one or two people to huge world cities, such as Tokyo with a population over 35 million.• The buildings that people construct within

settlements often reflect their culture as well as the physical environment.

INDUSTRY

• The production of goods• Factors affecting location of industry include:

• Capital (money available)• Labour (people to work)• Market (need for the product)

HUMAN ELEMENTS OF THE ENVIRONMENT

Industry• Modern high-tech industries are more concerned

with access to their markets and reducing labour costs• Modern business parks exist today and factories

have moved from richer to poorer countries to reduce their costs

PHYSICAL OR HUMAN?