Chapter 1 , Section

World ExplorerWorld Explorer

Chapter 1

The World of Geography

Copyright © 2003 by Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Prentice Hall, Upper Saddle River, NJ. All rights reserved.

Chapter 1 , Section

World ExplorerWorld Explorer

Copyright © 2003 by Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Prentice Hall, Upper Saddle River, NJ. All rights reserved.

Section 1: The Five Themes of Geography

Section 2: The Geographer's Tools

Chapter 1: The World of Geography

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The Five Themes of GeographyThe Five Themes of Geography

• What is geography?

• How can the five themes of geography help you understand the world?

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The Five Themes of GeographyThe Five Themes of Geography

Key Terms• geography- the study of Earth’s surface and the processes that

shape it; the connections between places and the relationships between people and their environment

• latitude lines- the series of imaginary lines, also called parallels, that circle Earth parallel to the Equator; used to measure a distance north or south of the Equator in degrees

• parallel- in geography, any of the imaginary lines that circle the Earth parallel to the Equator; a latitude line

• degree- a unit of measure used to determine absolute location; on globes and maps, latitude and longitude are measured in degrees

• equator- an imaginary line that circles the globe at its widest point (halfway between the North and South poles), dividing the Earth into two halves called hemispheres; used as a reference point from which north and south latitudes are measured

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The Five Themes of GeographyThe Five Themes of Geography

Key Terms (continued)• longitude lines- the series of imaginary lines, also called

meridians, that run north and south from one pole to the other; used to measure a distance east or west of the Prime Meridian in degrees

• meridian- an imaginary line that circles the globe from north to south and runs through the North and South poles; the lines of longitude on maps or globes are meridians

• prime Meridian- an imaginary line of longitude, or meridian, that runs from the North Pole to the South Pole through Greenwich, England; it is designated 0° longitude and is used as a reference point from which east and west lines of longitude are measured

• plain- a large area of flat or gently rolling land usually without many trees

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The Study of the EarthThe Study of the Earth1

• Geography is the study of the Earth, our Geography is the study of the Earth, our home.home.

• Geographers analyze the Earth from many points of view.

Things that geographers study:• oceans• plant life• landforms• people• how the Earth and its people affect each

other

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The Themes of Geography: Five Ways to Look at the EarthThe Themes of Geography: Five Ways to Look at the Earth

Two questions guide geographers in their work.• Where are things located?• Why are they there?

To answer these questions, geographers use five themes to organize information. The first is below.

Location• Geographers use location, or where something is, to

begin their study of a place. There are two ways to talk about location:– Absolute location is a place’s exact position on the

globe. Geographers identify the absolute location by using lines of latitude and longitude.

– Relative location is a place’s position in relation to its surroundings.

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Five Ways To Look At The Earth (continued)Five Ways To Look At The Earth (continued)

Place• A location’s place includes its physical and human

features.

Human-Environment Interaction• The theme of interaction stresses how people affect

their environment, the physical characteristics of their natural surroundings, and how their environment affects them.

Movement• The theme of movement helps explain how people,

goods, and ideas get from one place to another.

Regions• The theme of regions is used to make comparisons. A

region has a unifying characteristic such as climate, land, population, or history.

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How Latitude and Longitude Form the Global GridHow Latitude and Longitude Form the Global Grid1

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The HemispheresThe Hemispheres1

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The Five Themes of Geography–AssessmentThe Five Themes of Geography–Assessment

Geography isa) the study of mammals.b) the study of postage stamps.c) the study of space.d) the study of the Earth.

Which of the following are themes of geography?a) Locationb) Human-environment interactionc) Regionsd) All of the above

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Chapter 1 , Section

The Five Themes of Geography–AssessmentThe Five Themes of Geography–Assessment

Geography isa) the study of mammals.b) the study of postage stamps.c) the study of space.d) the study of the Earth.

Which of the following are themes of geography?a) Locationb) Human-environment interactionc) Regionsd) All of the above

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The Geographer’s ToolsThe Geographer’s Tools

• What are some of the different ways of showing the Earth’s surface, and why do geographers use them?

• What are the advantages and disadvantages of different kinds of maps and globes?

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The Geographer’s ToolsThe Geographer’s Tools

Key Terms• globe- a round model of the Earth that shows the continents

and oceans in their true shapes• scale- the size of an area on a map as compared with the

area’s actual size• distortion- a misrepresentation of the true shape; each map

projection used by a cartographer produces some distortion• projection- a representation of the Earth’s rounded surface on

a flat piece of paper• compass rose- a map feature that usually shows the four

cardinal directions • cardinal direction- one of the four compass points: north,

south, east, and west• key- the section of a map that explains the symbols for the

map features; also called a legend

Key PeopleGerardus Mercator Arthur Robinson

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Globes and MapsGlobes and Maps

• The most accurate way to present information on the islands, continents, and bodies of water of the world is to put it all on a globe, a round ball like the Earth itself.

• The only difference between a globe and the Earth itself is the scale, or size, represented on the globe.

• Globes have a disadvantage: They cannot be complete enough to be useful and at the same time be small enough to be convenient. Therefore, people invented flat maps.

• Maps try to show the Earth, which is round, on a flat surface. This causes distortion, or a change in accuracy of the shapes and distances of places. It is impossible to show the Earth on a flat surface without some distortion.

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• In 1569, a geographer named Gerardus Mercator created a flat map to help sailors navigate long journeys across the globe.

• The Mercator projection, or method of putting a map of the Earth onto a flat piece of paper, is used by nearly all deep-sea navigators.

• The Mercator projection is a conformal map, meaning that it shows correct shapes, but not true distances or sizes.

• There are many types of other projections of the globe.

Getting It All On the MapGetting It All On the Map

The World: Mercator Projection

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There are many ways to show a globe on a flat map. The interrupted projection map, on the left, shows real sizes and shapes of continents. The equal area map , below left, shows size accurately. The Peters projection, below, shows land and oceans areas and correct directions accurately

The World: Three ProjectionsThe World: Three Projections2

Interrupted Projection

Equal-Area Projection Peters Projection

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The World: A Robinson ProjectionThe World: A Robinson Projection2

ARCTIC OCEAN

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The Parts of a MapThe Parts of a Map

Compass Rose• A compass rose is a model of a compass. It tells the cardinal

directions, which are north, south, east, and west.

Scale• The scale on a map tells you the relative distance on the map

to the real world. For example, a map’s scale may tell you that one inch on the map equals one mile in the real world.

Key• The key, or legend, on a map explains what the symbols on a

map represent, such as triangles representing trees.

Grids• Some maps use a grid of parallels and meridians. On a map of

a small area, letters and numbers are often used to help you find your location.

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The most accurate way to represent the Earth’s landmasses and bodies of water is to use

a) an orange peel map.b) a Mercator projection.c) a globe.d) a Robinson projection.

Which part of a map will tell you the cardinal directions?a) The keyb) The compass rosec) The legendd) The title

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The Geographer’s Tools–AssessmentThe Geographer’s Tools–Assessment

Chapter 1 , Section 2

The most accurate way to represent the Earth’s landmasses and bodies of water is to use

a) an orange peel map.b) a Mercator projection.c) a globe.d) a Robinson projection.

Which part of a map will tell you the cardinal directions?a) The keyb) The compass rosec) The legendd) The title

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The Geographer’s Tools–AssessmentThe Geographer’s Tools–Assessment