Geog 100 Themes in World GeographyWhat is geography?Slide 3Five fundamental themes of geographySlide 5Slide 6Slide 7Slide 8Geog 100Themes in World GeographyDr. Julie CidellFall 2004Section 7What is geography?•The study of spatial variation•How – and why – things differ from place to place on the surface of the earth•The study of how observable spatial patterns evolved through timeWhat is geography?•Geography is a spatial science•Spatial behavior of people•Spatial relationships between places•Spatial processes that create or maintain those behaviors and relationshipsFive fundamental themes of geography1) Location: the meaning of relative and absolute position on the earth's surfaceSample terms: Latitude and longitude, site and situation, direction, distance, scaleSkills: Map reading, identificationQuestions: Where is ____? Where is ____ relative to where I am?2) Place: the distinctive and distinguishing physical and human characteristics of localesSample terms: Physical and cultural landscapes, sense of placeSkills: Description, compare and contrastQuestions: What does ____ look like? Why? How is it different from ____?Five fundamental themes of geography3) Relationships within places: the development and consequences of human-environment relationshipsSample terms: Ecosystems, natural resources, environmental pollutionSkills: Evaluation, analysisQuestions: What human-environment relationships are occurring? How do they affect the place and its inhabitants?Five fundamental themes of geography4) Movement: patterns and change in human spatial interaction on the earthSample terms: Migration, diffusion, globalizationSkills: Explanation, predictionQuestions: How has this spatial pattern developed? Will it continue to change? What does it mean for the places involved?Five fundamental themes of geography5) Regions: how they form and changeSample terms: Formal vs. functional regionsSkills: Synthesis, applicationQuestions: How has this spatial pattern developed? Will it continue to change? What does it mean for the places involved?Five fundamental themes of
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