Geography is the science of place and space. Geographers ask where things are located

on the surface of the earth, why they are located where they

are, how places differ from one another, and how people

interact with the environment.

Aims

• To identify the Important Geographical Ideas (IGIs or Concepts).

• To define and give examples of the important concepts covered in Geography.

IMPORTANT GEOGRAHPIC

IDEAS

WHAT ARE THE? = Important Geographic Ideas (Concepts)

As we go through this presentation you need to write down a definition

for each IGI, as they will be used throughout the year in Geography

I.G.I’s are the concepts that you need to understand when learning about Geography. They help you make sense of all the content you will be covering.

Do you remember the IGI’s?

Location

Distance

Accessibility

Pattern

Process

Region

Systems

Perception

Change

Culture

Interaction

All of the pictures on your sheet represent one of the important concepts in geography.

In your pairs write each concept (listed below) next to the picture which you think best represents it.

Pattern, change, perception, interaction, systems, culture, region, accessibility, process, distance, location.

THE ASIAN TSUNAMI: Examples of the IGI’s

To understand why these concepts are important and show how they relate to people, we are

going to look at the major catastrophic event that occurred on Boxing Day 2004: The Asian

Earthquake and Tsunami.

This photo was taken in China, 2002

The word “Tsunami” comes from Japan and literally means “Harbour Wave”. It is not a tidal wave, as a Tsunami has nothing to do with tides.

WHAT IS A TSUNAMI?

LOCATION and DISTANCE

• Where something is found

• How far away something is

LOCATION AND DISTANCE

• Where was the Tsunami located?

• What distance did the Tsunami travel?

PATTERN

• The arrangement of features in space.

PATTERNS

• The Tsunami was caused by an earthquake near Indonesia. The Indo-Australian plate and Eurasian plate collided. The up-lift of the plate caused a displacement of water which triggered the tsunami.

Earthquakes around the world (represented by black dots)

Study this map very carefully before moving onto the next slide

What pattern is produced from Earthquakes? (note that this map is not centered on the Pacific Ocean, like the

previous map)

REGION

• An area with at least one common feature

REGION - What did the region look like before?

Coral Reefs around tropical Indian Ocean waters.

Beautiful white sandy beaches.

Areas of cultivation – such as rice fields

Lush, tropical vegetation.

What did the REGION look like after the Tsunami…

Much of the environment has been washed away.

CULTURE

• A common way of life shared by a group of people

CULTURE

• Who are the people that live in this region? - What cultures are found here?

• Culture refers to the way of life of people…

Market in Sri LankaYoung girls dancing in a Thai school concert

Transport in Indonesia

• How have peoples culture changed? What happened to people during this event?

People after the event

Women in Sri Lanka overcome with grief.

Lives were lost - bodies need to be recovered quickly. Mass graves needed to be dug.

Many tourists stay on and either help in the clean-up or continue their holidays. Influence on tourist culture?

People are evacuated from small low-lying areas. Their home, cultural lands are gone.

Extended families have been severely affected – break-down of traditional family structure.

What other cultural activities have been influenced by the Tsunami? Cultures have been bought together are

influencing each other….

CHANGE

• Occurs in different places at different times and rates. Change makes something different.

CHANGE

• How has the natural and cultural landscape changed by the Tsunami?

Patong main street, Phuket, Thailand.

Before After

BEFORE

Banda Aceh, Indonesia - 23rd of June 2004

AFTER

Banda Aceh, Indonesia - 28th of December 2004

BEFORE

Banda Aceh, Indonesia - 23rd of June 2004

AFTER

Banda Aceh, Indonesia - 28th of December 2004

PERCEPTION

• People’s values and culture influence the way in which they perceive and use their environment.

How has this event changed people’s

perceptions?

PERCEPTION

This image was seen by millions

of Muslims around the world. Many viewed it as

proof that Allah had intervened and saved the

mosques.

What perceptions do tourists have? Have their perceptions changed?

Tourists and locals are getting tattoos to symbolise the Tsunami. Photo on the right shows this Swedish tourist with a Tattoo reading: Phuket, Tsunami 2004 tattooed on his chest.

ACCESSIBILITY

• How easy it is to get to a place

ACCESSIBILITY

How Accessible are resources that they

people need?

How do people get around? How do they get clean water and food? How will building materials get to isolated areas?

Access to basic necessities such as…

WATER

HOUSING FOOD

• How have people’s livelihoods been affected?

Fishing industries have been destroyed – the fish are still there,

but the boats are ‘stuck’ miles inland!

Market places

near the coast are

destroyed. Where will

people buy food?

How will they earn

an income?

A market place in Aceh has been destroyed.

The Tourism Industry supports many families – will tourists return? How will this impact on peoples livelihoods?

Beaches are

covered in debris

and water is

polluted.Emotional reunions as tourists

reunite with their families.

The damage of this region has made some areas inaccessible for equipment such as bull-dozers to clean up. To make the areas more accessible, elephants have been

used.

The Andaman and Nicobar Islands are so isolated that it took many days for relief teams reach them.

Aid took even longer.

INTERACTION

• A two-way action that takes place in the natural and cultural environment

INTERACTION

People interacting with each other – influencing each other and effecting each other…

What is the interaction you can see here?

Interaction of victims and health care workers from around the world… trying to make it accessible for everyone in the affected

region.

SYSTEM

• A set of features linked together to form a whole

SYSTEMS

• Aid can be seen as a system…

Inputs

Money

Food

Aid Workers

Processes

Transportation

Communication

Outputs

Clean water

Healthy children

Feedback

Child grows up and becomes an aid worker or donates money.

Food and Water is delivered as quickly as possible – inputs and processes in action!

Aid arrives at a isolated Sri Lankan village

A young boy ‘helps’ distribute food in Sumatra, Indonesia.

PROCESS

• A sequence of related actions

PROCESSThe process of body

identification and burial… What are the sequence of

related events happening here?

1 – find the bodies

2 – identify the bodies3 – burial of bodies

THE PROCESS OF AID: The children of the Tsunami show amazing resilience as they live

with the after affects of this disaster. Who will ensure they are cared for? How will aid and

support for children be organised.

Worldwide Aid

The cricket games have raised millions!

$50,000 for every ‘6’ and $1,000 for every run!

Globalisation is highlighted as

countries come together to help those

in need.

Women in Indonesia

collect donations

in umbrellas

Governments such as NZ send members of the Defence Force to help.

Concerts are held all

over the world –

like Sydney Opera House where Scribe

featured

Tsunami Aid

concert in the US

featured a huge

range of stars.

Geographic Concepts Quiz• 1. Location. Describe the location of Mt Ruapehu in New Zealand.• 2. Distance. Describe the distance in travel time by car between Wellington and

Taupo.• 3. Accessibility. Which is more accessible to Wellington by bicycle, Levin or

Masterton?• 4. Culture. Name one distinct cultural feature of Porirua.• 5. Perception. Describe the difference in perception of music between yourself and

your parents.• 6. Pattern. How does the climate and land change as you move from the North Pole

towards the equator.• 7. Change. How has the way we buy music changed from your parents to your

generation?• 8. Region. Describe one feature of the Fiordland region.• 9. Interaction. Describe one way that humans have interacted positively with the

environment in Wellington.• 10. Systems. How is a city a system?• 11. Process. Describe one process that leads to changes in the shape of the land.

World FactsDid you know . . ?

• The most populous country in the world? China… 1, 295, 401, 418

as of 5:00 p.m., May 27, 2004.

• The largest continent? – Asia with its 17,212,000 square miles.

• The largest island? – Greenland with its 839,999 square miles.

• The largest ocean? – Pacific Ocean …60, 060, 700 square miles.

• The largest sea? The Mediterranean Sea which is 1, 144, 800 square miles.

• The largest lake? The Caspian Sea at 152, 239 square miles.

• The longest river in the world? The Nile in Africa, measuring 4,180 miles in length.

• The longest mountain range? The Andes of South America measuring 5,000 miles in length.

• The lowest spot on earth? The Dead Sea is 1,290 feet below sea level.

• The largest waterfall? Angel Falls in Venezuela. It rises 3, 212 feet in height.

• The highest mountain? Mount Everest in the Himalayan Mountains, Nepal-Tibet. It rises 29,035 feet above sea level.

• The highest underwater peak? Mount Pico of the Azores Islands. It is 7,613 feet above sea surface, 20,000 feet below sea surface to sea floor.

• The deepest underwater trench? Mariana Trench which lies 200 miles southwest of Guam in the Pacific Ocean. It is 36,198 feet below the ocean surface.

• The deepest ocean? The Pacific with an average depth 13, 215 feet.

• The most destructive known earthquake? Occurred in Shansi China on January 23, 1556, killing 830,000 people.

• The lowest recorded temperature? -129 degrees F. Occurred in Antarctica in 1989.

• The highest recorded temperature? 136.4 degrees F. Occurred in Libya in 1922.

• The country that produces the most wheat? China

• The country that produces the most crude oil? Saudi Arabia