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.