Chapter 1 Ntes Using Gegraphy Skills Sectin 1: Thinking Like a Gegrapher Gegraphy is used t interpret the past, understand the present, and plan fr the future. Gegraphy is the study f the Earth. It is used t analyze the Earth s physical and human features. Peple can use gegraphic infrmatin t plan, make decisins, and manage resurces. The Five Themes f Gegraphy Gegraphers use the Five Themes f Gegraphy t help them study the Earth. Gegraphy is the study f the Earth and its peple, and peple wh study gegraphy are gegraphers. Lcatin is the psitin f a place n the Earth s surface. Abslute lcatin is the exact spt n Earth where a gegraphic feature, such as a city r muntain, is fund. Relative lcatin describes where that feature is in relatin t the features arund it. Place describes the characteristics f a lcatin that make it unique, r different. A place can be defined by physical features, such as landfrms, plants, animals, and weather patterns. Other characteristics f a place, such as the language spken there, describe the peple. Human-envirnment interactin describes hw peple affect r change their envirnment, r natural surrundings, t meet their needs, and hw their envirnment affects them thrugh cnditins they cannt cntrl. Mvement explains hw and why peple, ideas, and gds mve frm place t place. Regins refers t areas f the Earth s surface that have several cmmn characteristics, such as land, natural resurces, r ppulatin. A Gegrapher s Tls Gegraphers use many different tls t help them study and analyze Earth s peple and places. Physical gegraphers study Earth s land areas, bdies f water, plant life, and ther physical features. They als study an area s natural resurces, such as water, frests, land, and wind, and help peple decide hw t manage the resurces. Human gegraphers lk at peple s religins, languages, and ways f life; cmpare different places t see hw they are similar and different; and help plan cities and aid in internatinal business. Similarly, studying histry helps gegraphers understand hw places appeared in the past and changed ver time. Histry is divided int blcks f time knwn as perids. A perid f 10 years is called a decade.
A perid f 100 years is knwn as a century. A perid f 1,000 years is a millennium. Satellites circling the Earth prvide infrmatin fr maps in the frm f detailed digital images, phtgraphs, and measurements f temperatures and the amunt f pllutin in the air r land. Other satellites make up the Glbal Psitining System (GPS), r a system using radi signals t determine the exact lcatin f every place n Earth. Gegraphic Infrmatin Systems (GIS) are cmputer hardware and sftware that gather, stre, and analyze gegraphic infrmatin and then display it n a screen. It can display maps and even shw infrmatin such as types f sil and vegetatin. Gvernments at all levels hire gegraphers fr different kinds f tasks, such as helping decide hw land and resurces might be used and fr analyzing ppulatin trends. In business, gegraphers ften wrk as researchers and analysts, helping cmpanies decide where t lcate new buildings r prviding infrmatin abut ther places and cultures where cmpanies d business. As mre schls recgnize the imprtance f gegraphy educatin, the demand fr gegraphy teachers is expected t grw. Sectin 2: The Earth in Space Physical prcesses shape Earth s surface. Earth has different seasns because f the way it tilts and the way it rtates arund the The warmth f the sun s rays makes life n Earth pssible. The Slar System The Earth is ne f eight planets in the slar system. It rtates n its axis every 24 hurs and takes a year t rbit the Earth, seven ther majr planets, thusands f smaller bdies, and the sun frm ur slar system. The inner planets Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars are relatively small and slid. The uter planets Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune are larger and cmpsed mstly r entirely f gases. Plut was nce cnsidered a majr planet, but an internatinal grup f scientists in 2006 decided t call it a minr planet. Each planet fllws its wn path, r rbit, arund the Earth takes almst 365¼ days, r ne year, t make ne revlutin, r a cmplete circuit, arund the Every fur years, the extra furths f a day are cmbined and added t the calendar as February 29th. A year that cntains ne f these extra days is called a leap year. As Earth rbits the sun, it rtates, r spins, n its axis.
The axis is an imaginary line that passes thrugh the center f Earth frm the Nrth Ple t the Suth Ple. Earth rtates in an easterly directin, making ne cmplete rtatin every 24 hurs. As Earth turns, different parts f the planet are in sunlight r in darkness. The part facing the sun experiences daytime, and the part facing away has night. We d nt feel Earth mving as it rtates because the atmsphere, the layer f xygen and gases that surrunds Earth, mves with it. Sun and Seasns The tilt f Earth and its revlutin arund the sun lead t changing seasns during the year. Because Earth is tilted 23½ degrees n its axis, seasns change as Earth makes its year-lng rbit arund the Sunlight falls directly n the nrthern r suthern half f Earth at different times f the year. Direct rays cause the warmth f summer in a hemisphere, and indirect rays allw the cld f winter. Fur days in the year are significant because f the psitin f the sun in relatin t Earth. These days mark the beginnings f the fur seasns. On r abut June 21, the Nrth Ple is tilted tward the On nn f this day, the sun appears directly verhead at the Trpic f Cancer. In the Nrthern Hemisphere, this day is the summer slstice the day with the mst hurs f sunlight and the beginning f summer. In the Suthern Hemisphere, that same day is the day with the fewest hurs f sunlight and marks the beginning f winter. Six mnths later n r abut December 22 the situatin is reversed. The Nrth Ple is tilted away frm the At nn, the sun s direct rays strike the Trpic f Capricrn. In the Nrthern Hemisphere, this day is the winter slstice the day with the fewest hurs f sunlight and the beginning f winter. This same day marks the beginning f summer in the Suthern Hemisphere. Spring and autumn each begin n a day that falls midway between the tw slstices. These days are the equinxes, when day and night are f identical length in bth hemispheres. On r abut March 21, the spring equinx ccurs. On r abut September 23, the fall equinx ccurs.
On bth days, the nn sun shines directly ver the Equatr. Earth s temperatures als are affected by the The sun s rays directly hit places in the Trpics, the lw-latitude areas near the Equatr between the Trpic f Cancer and the Trpic f Capricrn. As a result, temperatures in the Trpics tend t be very warm. At the high latitudes near the Nrth and Suth Ples, the sun s rays hit indirectly, s temperatures in these regins are always cl r cld. Maps, Charts, & Graphs