The Global Environment: Understanding People and their Surroundings

1. AH9 – Outline #1 – Chapter 1

2. Wherever people live, they have shaped their environment to suit their needs. The Human ability to change the environment, however, is limited. Often, people must adapt their agriculture, industry, arts, and daily habits to their surroundings. It is important to see the connections between people and their environment.

3. I.  The Global Environment

4. A.     Geography =

5. Study of people, their environments and their sourcesHow the natural environment affects the way we live and how we affect the environment

6. B.     The 5 Themes of Geography

7. 1.      Location = Where did it happen? To answer this we turn to relative and exact location.

9. a.      Relative Location =

10. the location of a place in relation to anothercan help explain why people settled in certain areas or why battles took place in certain areas

11. b.      Exact (absolute) Location =

12. use of grid numbered lines on a map or globe

13. c.       Latitude =

14. measure North and South from the Equator

15. + Equator =

16. imaginary line at 0 degrees latitude, divides the Earth into two halves called hemispheresmiddle from the two poles

17. d.      Longitude =

18. measures distance East and West of the Prime Meridian

19. + Prime Meridian =

20. runs through Greenwich, EnglandZero degreesmiddle of nothing

21. 2.      Place = Geographers describe places in terms of their physical and human characteristics.

22. Physical Features =

23. include climate, soil, vegetation, animal life, and bodies of waternatural resources (or materials that humans can use from the environment)

24. Human Features =

25. kinds of houses, means of transportation, ways of earning a living, languages, and religions

26. 3.      Interaction between People and their environment = wherever people live, they change the world around them. They may clear forests, blast tunnels through mountains, or plow fields.

27. How did the Native Americans adapt =

28. learned to plant seeds and grow food, not having to be nomadicIrrigation or bringing of food into dry lands with American southwest natives. Arid lands into productive lands

29. b. Today’s Adaptations =

30. Advanced technology changes the environment dramaticallywiped out peststake oil from the ocean floor

31. 4. Movement = the fourth theme is Movement, the movement of people, goods, and ideas.

32. a. Why does movement occur? =

33. because people and resources are scattered unevenly around the globe

34. b. Migration =

35. people travel from place to place to get what they needearly hunters followed the herds of large animals to the AmericasFreedom of religion, etc. to the Americas

36. 5.  Region = has unifying characteristics, either physical or human / cultural

37. a.      Physical Characteristics =

38. a region's climate or landforms dictate an areas attributes

39. b. Human / Cultural Characteristics =

40. the language, culture, customs of a particular region

41. II. Tools of Geography = geographers use globes and maps to represent the Earth. Globes tend to be more accurate than maps due to globes being shaped more like the Earth. A map is a drawing of the surface of the Earth or part of the Earth. Globes are the most accurate, but are awkward to use.

42. + Cartography – the act of mapmaking

43. A.     Map Projections =

44. ways of drawing the Earth on a flat surfacebenefits and drawbacks, show sizes or shape, but distorts

45. 1. Mercator Projection =

46. most widely used map projectionsdeveloped in 1569 by Flemish cartographergave sailors an accurate picture of ocean distances and shape of landmasses

47. a.      Problems with Mercator Projection =

48. distorts size, especially places that are far from the EquatorGreenland appears as big as all of South America

49. 2.      Robinson Projection =

50. show correct sizes and shapes of landmasses for the most partfairly accurate view of the relationship between landmasses and waterused often todaydistortion along the edges