2. ▪ Students will
▪ Describe ways geographers use
latitude and longitude to study Earth.
▪ Identify the basic questions
geographers seek to answer in their
study of Earth.
▪ Identify the 5 themes of geography.
▪ Describe ways geographers use
location, place, region, movement,
and human-environment-interaction
to study and understand Earth.
3. Geography is the study of the
human and nonhuman features
of Earth, our home.
Geographers try to answer two basic
questions: Where are things located?
Why are they there?
They also study how Earth and its
people affect each other.
4. In order to study Earth,
geographers need to
measure it and locate points
on its surface.
Cardinal directions are north,
south, east and west.
Intermediate directions lie
between the cardinal
directions.
▪ Ex- Northeast, Southwest
5. Earth is almost a perfect
sphere, or round shaped
body.
Geographers have drawn
imaginary lines around
Earth to help locate places
on its surface. One of these
is the Equator, a line drawn
around the Earth between
the North and South Poles.
The Equator is the most
important line of latitude.
6. The Equator is also
known as the O
degree latitude line.
Latitude is the distance
north or south of the
Equator.
The Equator divides Earth
in half. Each half is
called a hemisphere.
7. Geographers have also
drawn imaginary north
south lines that run between
the North and South Pole on
Earth’s surface. One of
these lines is the Prime
Meridian.
The Prime Meridian and the
other north-south lines
measure longitude.
The Prime Meridian
establishes the Eastern and
Western hemispheres.
8. Geographers use five
different themes, or
ways of thinking.
These themes are
location, place, region,
movement, and
human-environment
interaction.
Using five themes can
help you make sense
of geography.
9. Geographers begin to
study a place by finding
where it is, or its location.
There are two ways to talk
about location.
Absolute location describes a
place’s exact position on
Earth in terms of longitude
and latitude.
Relative location, or the
location of a place relative to
another place, is another
way to describe location.
10. Geographers also study
place.
Place refers to the mix of
human and nonhuman
features at a given
location.
For example, you might
talk about how many
people live in a place and
the kind of work they do
there.
11. Geographers use the
them of region to group
places that have
something in common.
A region is an area with at
least one unifying physical
or human feature such as
climate, landforms,
population, or history.
12. The theme of
movement explores
how people, goods, and
ideas get from one
place to another.
Daily movement of
trucks, trains, and
automobiles supplies
the people of St. Louis
with food, fuel and
other basic goods.
13. The theme of human-
environment
interaction considers
how people affect their
environment, or their
natural surroundings,
and how their
environment affects
them.
The movement of water
from the Mississippi into
St. Louis’s water system
is an example of human-
environment interaction.
14. A globe is a model of Earth with
the same round shape as Earth
itself. With a globe, geographers
can show the continents and
oceans of Earth much as they
really are.
Photographs are images of
Earth’s surface taken from the
air. Satellite images are pictures
of Earth taken from orbit.
Flat maps and photos have one
major problem. Earth is round.
A map or photo is flat. There will
be areas stretched or bent.
15. Physical maps show physical,
or natural, features.
Road maps cover a specific
area and where roads are
located.
Political maps shoe political
units, such as countries or
states.
Special-purpose show the
location and distribution of
human or physical features.