• How do you

think the

location of the

Mall of

Georgia was

chosen? List

some answers

on a sheet of

paper.

Why Understand Geography?

Knowing the FUNDAMENTALS of geography will

help you understand the world around you…People

that are GEOGRAPHICALLY informed understand

the world’s countries and cultures, current events,

and global issues

Geography is a growing field that includes a wide

range of specializations…it offers many career

opportunities

Maps play important roles in people’s daily lives, and

a basic understanding of map elements and design

has great practical value.

Geography is the study of :

EVERYTHING ON EARTH!!!!

What is Geography?

Rocks to rainfall

People and places

How the natural environment

influences people

How peoples’ activities affect

the Earth

LOOK AT:

Cities

Cultures

Plants

Resources

Geographers use

perspective:

Spatial perspective:

Looking at patterns

Where things are

located

How they are arranged

Landscapes:

Scenery of a place

Human, physical, and

cultural features

Mt. McKinley

Human and Physical Geography

Human:

Distribution of world’s people

Characteristics of world’s people

Where people live and work

Way of life

How people make and trade

things that they need to survive

Physical:

Earth’s natural environment

Landforms, water features,

atmosphere

Animals, plants, soils

Human/Environment interaction

Alaskan Wildlife

Who uses Geography?? Cartographers

Study maps and mapmaking

Help study location

Use computers to generate satellite

images and photographs to create

maps

Meteorologists

Study weather

Forecast weather

Government agencies:

United States Geological Survey

(USGS)

Cities, States

Business

Schools: TEACHERS!!

Geography knowledge is

becoming more important as the

different areas of the world

become more closely linked.

Geographic knowledge is also

needed for good citizenship.

How Do We Study Geography?

Regions:

Area with one or more

common features that make

it different from

surrounding areas

Defined by their

PHYSICAL and HUMAN

FEATURES

Gobi Desert

Australian Suburb

Regions:

Physical Features:

Climate

River systems

Soils

Vegetation

Human Features:

Languages

Religions

Trade networks

Political Boundaries

Can be any size

Large: countries, deserts,

mountains

Small: suburbs, neighborhoods

Sub-regions

How Does One Study Geography?

Types of Regions

Functional Region Formal Region Perceptual Region

Three Basic Regions:

Formal Region:

One or more

common features that

make it different from

the surrounding areas

Population, income

levels, crops,

temperature, or rainfall,

physical features

Economic features:

industrial area

Rust belt (Northeastern

and Midwestern United

States)

Three Basic Regions:

Functional Region:

Made up of different

places that are linked

together and function as a

unit

City transit system: include

many different places…flow of

people, trains, and buses link

places together

Organized around a central

point

Cities: connect suburbs,

areas in the country, and

industry

Perceptual Region:

Reflect human feelings

and attitudes

Awareness and understanding

of the environment around us

Influenced by what is in the

region and also what is within us

“Back home”

Areas have their own special

features that make them different

People may view those

features in differing ways

Three Basic Regions:

1. World in Spatial Terms

Focuses on geography’s spatial

perspective and uses maps to study

people, places, and environments

2. Places and Regions

Deals with the physical and human

features of those places and how we

define and perceive various regions

Physical systems shape Earth’s

features. Geographers study

earthquakes, mountains, volcanoes,

weather patterns. They also study

how plants and animals relate to

these systems.

3. Physical Systems

Deals with the way of life we follow

and the things we produce and

trade, looks at causes and results of

conflicts between peoples, study of

governments, and settlements we

live in.

4. Human Systems

Looks at human activities and using

what the Earth provides. Basically,

the relationship between people and

the environment.

5. Environment and Society

Helps us understand the

relationships among people, places,

and environments over time. Helps

us interpret the past and present or

to plan for the FUTURE!

6. Uses of Geography

Lines of

Latitude

Lines of

Longitude

66.5N

23 ½ N

0 Degrees

23 ½ S

66.5S

Lines of Latitude:

Lines of Longitude:

Continents and Oceans

Atlas:

A collection of maps

Regional Maps

World Maps

Road Maps

School Maps

Map Projections:

Representation of the earth on a flat surface

All flat maps have distortion

Cylindrical Projection: based on the idea of wrapping a

piece of paper around a globe to make a cylinder.

Distorted

Conic Projections: based on the idea of placing a

cone over part of a globe.

Distorted

areas in

the middle

latitudes

Flat-plane maps: appear to touch the globe at one

point, such as the North or South pole.

Great Circle Route: the shortest route between

any two places on the planet.

Map Elements:

Distance scales

Directional

indicators/

compass

Legends

Climate Maps: show weather patterns and

atmospheric conditions. Use color to show various

climate regions.

Population Maps: snapshot of the distribution of

people in a region. Shows the average number of

people living within a square mile (ppsm)

Economic Maps: show a region’s important natural

resources and the way the land is used.

Elevation Profiles: shows the side view of a place or

area.

Topography: elevation (also known as contour maps).

Climate Graph: shows the average temperatures

and precipitation in a place

Population Pyramid of Argentina

1990 to 2050

Completed by Jennifer Simons