Section1 The Study of Geography

Why is Texas among the fastest growing states?

How many professional sports teams does San Francisco have?

Is Michigan part of the Rust Belt? Where is Zanzibar? How did the invention of the

refrigerated train car affect farmers?

Which of those questions has to do with geography?

How do geographers use tools to understand the world?

What are the five themes of geography?

How do geographers identify location, place, and region?

Why do geographers study movement and human-environment interaction?

Geography GIS Absolute location Hemisphere Relative location Character of a place Perception Formal region Functional region Perceptual region

GEOGRAPHIC THEMES ANNAPOLIS

Place

Region

Location

Movement

Human-Environment Interaction

Geography is the study of where people, places and things are located and how they relate to each other.

SONAR- SOund, NAvigation, and Ranging• 1906-to detect icebergs; important military

tool for detecting submarines

Landsat• Remote-sensing technology

GPS• Global positioning system• 24 satellites analyzing info about a location

GIS• Combination of data from satellite photos,

census results, or tax assessors• “layered” info

What is the location of a place? What is the character of a place? How are places similar to and

different from other places? How do people, goods, and ideas

move between places? How do people interact with the

natural environment of a place

Absolute Location

Relative Location

Character of a place: both physical and human characteristics

Formal regions: ex. Chinatown

Functional regions: ex. Amazon River Basin

Perceptual regions: ex. Upper Midwest

Which is greater, the impact of the earth on people or the impact of people on the earth?

How do scientists classify the earth’s major physical characteristics?

What physical processes affect the earth’s crust?

What theories help scientists understand the earth’s past?

The Earth’s Layers

Land, Air, and Water• Lithosphere• Atmosphere• Hydrosphere• Biosphere

Volcanoes Movements in the Crust

• How do these two physical processes shape the earth?

Landforms and Water Bodies

CONVECTION!! Think lava lamp!

MAKING PHYSICAL MAPS!• Each group will be assigned a specific continent.• Each group will draw a physical map for their

continent, including mountains, hills, plains, and plateaus.

• Groups may use their physical maps to guide them.

• Then write a short explanation of how plate movement or volcanic activity may have created some of the continent’s many features! These will be presented!

What are the lasting effects of the two kinds of weathering-mechanical and chemical-on the physical landscape of a place?

How do the three most common causes of erosion—water, wind, and glaciers—alter the physical landscape of a place?

Weathering Mechanical weathering Chemical weathering Acid rain Erosion Sediment Loess Glacier Moraine

How does this image display weathering?

Explain what you think happened to this rock:

The movement of weathered materials such as gravel, soil, and sand. Three most common causes:• Water• Wind• Glaciers

What is sediment?

Why is erosion necessary for plant life?

How does erosion hurt some places and help others?

How does erosion affect people?

Draw three simple illustrations depicting wind, water, and glacial erosion.