Introduction to Geography

Do you live in a city, or in a small town? Or do

you live on a farm or a ranch? Has your family
lived there a long time or a short time? How
does living where you do affect the way you
live? For example, do you need special
clothes in the winter? Is your favorite food
grown nearby, or is it brought in from far
away?

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All these questions have to do with geography.
Geography is the study of our home—the earth—
and how our lives are affected by it. Almost every
detail of our lives is affected by geography. The
clothes we wear, the food we eat, the things we do
for fun, and the kinds of homes in which we live
are all connected to geography.

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Geography is the study of WHAT
IS WHERE and HOW IT GOT
THERE.

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 Five “Key Spatial Themes” of Geography

1. Location – specific location, where?

2. Place – unique properties of a place
3. Movement – diffusion, communications
4. Region – an area’s uniform characteristics
5. Human-Earth Relationships –
human interaction with an environment

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 What is Physical Geography?
Geography is a bridge between the natural and social sciences.
Geography is a holistic and synthesizing science.

Physical Geography
Natural Science Human Geography
Rocks and Minerals Population
Landforms Settlements
Soils Economic Activities
Animals Transportation
Plants Recreational Activities
Water Religion
Atmosphere Political Systems
Rivers and Other Water Bodies Social Traditions
Environment Human Migration
Climate and Weather Agricultural Systems
Geotechniques
GIS, GPS, Remote-Sensing, Cartography
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 Fields of Physical Geography
Geomorphology - studies the various landforms on the
Earth's surface.

Pedology - is concerned with the study of soils and their

relationship to vegetation and farming.

Biogeography - is the science that investigates the

spatial relationships of plants and animals.

Climatology - studies the effects of weather on life and

examines the circulation of the atmosphere over longer
time spans.

Cartography - the art and science of making maps.

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Cartography: The Art and Science of
Mapmaking (Click for more info)

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REMOTE SENSING

La Conchita Landslide, January 2005

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Rarotonga, Cook
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Islands, 2002 9
 Costa Rica, 2004

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Honolua Bay, Maui, Hawaiian
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Islands, 2003 11
Physical Geography Student,1 Zion National Park, Utah, 2002 12
 Special Lines of Latitude
Take a look at a globe of the world. Can you
see lines that run east and west? These
parallel lines, which are all the same distance
from each other, are lines of latitude. They are
imaginary lines used to measure distance
between north and south.

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Some lines of latitude have special names. The
equator, for example, circles the center of the
globe. Distances north and south of the
equator are measured in degrees of latitude.
They are numbered from zero to 90 in each
direction. The 0° mark is on the equator. The
90° mark is on each pole.

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The latitude line at 231/2° north is called the
Tropic of Cancer. The line at 231/2° south is
called the Tropic of Capricorn. The region
between these two lines is known as the
tropics. Most parts of the tropics have a very
distinct climate.

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Year around temperatures there range from
warm to hot. Only in the tropics does the sun
ever shine directly overhead. These direct
rays produce higher temperatures than
slanted rays.

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In the tropics, the amount of daylight differs
little from season to season. That means the
temperature never changes very much.

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Two more special lines of latitude are the
Arctic Circle (661/2° north) and the Antarctic
Circle (661/2° south). Some features of these
regions are unlike anywhere else on the Earth.

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On the Arctic Circle’s longest day of summer,
about June 21, the sun never sets. During the
shortest day of winter, about December 21,
the sun never rises.

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The same phenomenon occurs in the
Antarctic Circle at the opposite time of year.
Just as winter comes to the Arctic Circle,
summer begins in the Antarctic Circle.

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 GEOGRAPHY WORD SEARCH

1. What seven-letter noun in the reading means

“an imaginary circle around the middle of the
Earth that lies directly between the North and
South Poles”?
e___________________________

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2. What eight-letter noun in the reading means
“the distance north or south of the equator,
measured in degrees”?
l___________________________

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3. What five-letter noun in the reading means “a
round model of the Earth showing the
continents, oceans, and other important
features”? _g__________________________

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4. What eight-letter adjective in the reading
describes things that are lying in the same
direction, always the same distance apart, and
never meeting?
__p_________________________

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 SYNONYMS
Complete with words from the reading. Clue
words are synonyms (words with a similar
meaning) of the answer words.
• 1. different 5. unreal
• 2. area 6. contrary
• 3. a happening
• 4. sloped

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 WORD FORMS
Fill in the blank with a different form of the
boldface word. Then use the word you wrote
in an original sentence. The first one has been
done for you.
1. imagine (verb) _ imaginary (adjective)
The equator is an imaginary line that circles
the globe.

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2. tropics (noun) ____________________
(adjective)
_______________________________________
_________________________

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3. differ (verb) _________________(adjective)
_______________________________________
_________________________
4. distinct (adjective) _____________ (adverb)
_______________________________________
_________________________

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INFERENCE

Write a letter to match each boldface word

with its language source:

1. arctic 2. antarctic 3. Capricorn

4. Cancer 5. equator

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a. from a Greek word meaning “the goat”; it is a
sign of the zodiac that names a constellation
of stars
b. from the ancient Greek word arktikos,
meaning “northern”

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c. from the ancient Greek word antarktikos,
which means “southern”

d. from the Latin word aequator, which means

“equalizer of day and night”

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e. from a Greek word meaning “the crab”; it is a
sign of the zodiac that names a constellation
of stars

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 THINKING ABOUT THE READING
Circle a letter to show how each sentence
should be completed.
1. Only in the tropics is the sun ever
a. cold.
b. directly overhead.
c. hidden for a whole day.

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2. The Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of
Capricorn are
a. lines of latitude that mark the edges of the
tropics.
b. star patterns seen in the night sky.
c. other names for the North Pole and the South
Pole.

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WORDS IN CONTEXT
• Use a word to complete each definition. Use a
dictionary for help.
devastation – hostile- legislation- pacifist-
recession
1. A ____________________ is a person who
opposes war of any kind.

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2. Although business is poor during a
____________________, economic times are
not as bad as during a depression.

3. The dust storms of the 1930s brought

____________________ to the Great Plains of
America’s Midwest.

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4. The U.S. Congress often enacts new
____________________ to protect the rights
of citizens.

5. One who is ____________________ is

unfriendly and may be warlike.

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• Circle a word to correctly complete each
sentence. Use context clues to help you
select the appropriate word

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6. The ( cartographer / legislation ) drew a map
that showed the new boundaries between
counties.
7. Italy was a ( devastation / fascist ) state when
it was ruled by the harsh dictator Mussolini.

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8. In an act of ( neutrality / genocide ), Hitler
ordered the murder of millions of Jews.

9. During World War II, Switzerland and

Sweden both claimed ( neutrality / recession )
by refusing to take sides.

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10. The Spaniards, who were newcomers to
Mexico, conquered the Aztecs, who were an (
indigenous / pacifist ) tribe.

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ANTONYMS

Write a letter to match each boldface word with

its antonym (word that means the opposite).
1. _____ pacifist a. foreign
2. _____ hostile b. friendly
3. _____ recession c. warrior
4. _____ fascism d. democracy
5. _____ indigenous e. upturn

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