The Discipline of Geography

Ms. Maria Karmela Dalangin

Instructor
Lesson Objectives:
Interpret Geography, identify the fields, areas of inquiry
and methods of Geography.
Connect geography with its historical and social
foundations
Articulate key concepts in geography
Explain the differences in the fields of geography
Articulate the current applications in geography
ACTIVITY One: SOUNDS LIKE:

Identify through the use of different set of words that sound

like specific geographic features the following:
Example: 1. Mt. Everest= Mouth-Eve- Rey- East
Identify!!:
 Geography

The study of the interaction of all physical and human

phenomena at individual places and of how
interactions among places form PATTERNS AND
ORGANIZE SPACE.
 The Nature of Geography
6

Geographers apply the spatial perspective

whereas historians apply the time perspective
For maximum understanding, the geographer
must also be aware of the time perspective and visa
versa.
 GEOGRAPHIC FOCUS
7

What geographers look for

 Distributions

 Distances

 Directions

 Shapes & forms

 Patterns

 Cores

 Boundaries
Basic Geographic Concepts:
8
Location, Direction and Distance
Size and Scale
Physical and Cultural Attributes
Attributes of Place are Always
Changing – a dynamic reality
Interrelations Between Places
Place Similarity and Regions
What Is Geography? 9

Systematic Perspective
 Physical
– subdivisions
 Human/ Cultural – subdivisions

Regional Perspective
Tools of Geography
Cartography (tool & means of expression)
Geographic Information Systems (GIS)
 Subfields of Geography
10

Physical Geography studies  Human Geography studies

 Origin & nature of  Growth & distribution of population
continents & landforms  Nature of cities
 Origin & nature of oceans  Communications networks
 Climates (past & present)  Location of businesses & industries
 Rivers  Growth & collapse of empires &
 Glaciers nations
 Others  Spread of culture traits
 Soils  Technology
 Animals  Trends & styles
 Plants  Religions & ideologies
 ORIGINS OF GEOGRAPHIC STUDY
11

Ancient civilizations/empires made maps

Greek philosophy
 Geography = geo (earth) + graphy (inscribe – write about)
 Why are things where they are & why are they the way they
are – causations and conclusions
 The 5 Themes of Geography
12

Location

Place

Movement

Human/Environment Interaction

Regions
Earth’s 4 Interrelated Physical Systems
13
 The Geographic Grid (absolute location)
14

Longitude
 Measures distance east to west around the globe beginning at the
Prime Meridian
 Prime Meridian
 International Date Line
 0-180 degrees East or West
Latitude
 Location on the Earth’s surface between the equator and either
the north or south pole
 Parallels
 0-90 degrees North or South
 A Grid:
15

Latitude and longitude may be combined on a globe or map to create a

grid. One specific parallel will only intersect a specific meridian at
one place on the earth. Using the two together allows for locating
places precisely.
Location, Location,
Location!
Vocabulary: Hemisphere

 Half of a sphere; half of the Earth

Label the Hemispheres
Label each map to show which hemisphere
it is.
Vocabulary: Latitude Lines

 Imaginary lines that run east and west

across the Earth
Vocabulary: Longitude Lines

 Imaginary lines that run north and

south around the Earth
Clear up the confusion

 Lines of LATITUDE run from EAST to WEST, BUT they are named NORTH and
SOUTH because they are NORTH AND SOUTH of the EQUATOR.
Clear up the confusion

 Lines of LONGITUDE run from NORTH to SOUTH, but they are named EAST
and WEST because they are EAST AND WEST of the PRIME MERIDIAN.
Vocabulary: Equator

 An imaginary line around the Earth that splits it into two equal parts (north and
south).
Vocabulary: Prime Meridian

 An imaginary line around the Earth that splits it into two equal parts (east and west).
Draw!
 Draw and label the
Equator and the Prime
Meridian on the map.
Vocabulary: Absolute Location

 Absolute location tells us

EXACTLY where something is
located using latitude and
longitude
Which color is the line of latitude?
Which color is the line of longitude?
Where are we located?
Vocabulary: Relative Location
 Relative location describes where something is
located in relation to other things.
 My house is located 2 miles from the mall.
(distance)
 Our school is located one block over from Rock n
Roll Tacos. (landmarks)
 Dallas is 3.5 hours from Austin. (time)
 Texas is south of Oklahoma. (direction)
Hmmm…Big Thoughts

What is the difference between absolute and relative

location?
 How are
Different Types
of Maps
Distinguished?
 The Map is the medium or language of geography
32

Can convey much information quickly and effectively

Can be used to establish theories
Can be used to solve geographic problems
May reveal possible interactions and connections
Can illustrate patterns, flows, distributions, connections,
sequent occupance, etc.
Five Requirements of a Good Map
33

1. Grid – to facilitate locating places

2. Direction arrow or compass rose – to orient the
map to the real world
3. Scale – to translate map distances to real-world
distances
4. Key or Legend – to interpret symbols used on the map
5. Title – to alert the map reader to the topic or theme of
the map
Political Maps
Usually colored by country or by state
Political colors make it easy to compare size, shape, and location
Bold letters often make the country names stand out
Symbols make it easy to tell capitals from other cities
Political maps also name certain physical features, such as rivers and
lakes
World Political Map
Physical Map
Has colors that make natural patterns stand out
The colors on the map can stand for types of
vegetation, mountain, and natural features
Names of big natural features are easy to see
Physical maps also include some political
information, such as boundaries
World Physical Map
 Climate Map
The climate of a place is the weather it has season by
season, year after year
Rainfall and temperature are climate’s main
ingredients
Climate is affected by elevation, distance from the
ocean, and latitude
World Climate Map
Land Use Resource Map

These maps show how land is being used.

This might refer to:
vegetation

crops being grown

forest vs. Agriculture

mines and wells

city zoning.
 Contour maps
Contour lines
represent the
elevation at that
line. If you
were to walk across
a line, you
are changing
elevation.
Elevation Maps
Maps that
show elevation
change by
using color or
shading.
 Topographic Map

These maps generally represent a small area

with a lot of detail. They show elevation with
contour lines, natural and man-made
features.
Topographic Map