What is Geography?

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What is Geography?
Geography is the study of WHAT IS WHERE, HOW IT
GOT THERE, and WHY WE CARE.
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What is Human Geography Key Questions

1. What is human geography?
2. What are geographic questions?
3. Why do geographers use maps, and what do maps
   tell us?
4. Why are geographers concerned with scale and
   connectedness?
5. What are geographic concepts, and how are they
   used in answering geographic questions?

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What is Geography?
Geography is a representation of the whole known
world together with the phenomena which are
contained therein. Ptolemy, Geographia 2nd
Century A.D. Geography is the science of place.
Its vision is grand, its view panoramic. It
sweeps the surface of the Earth, charting the
physical, organic and cultural terrain, their
areal differentiation, and their ecological
dynamics with humankind. Its foremost tool is the
map. Leonard Krishtalka, Carnegie Museum of
Natural History, 20th Century A.D.
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Divisions of Geography

• Physical Geography
  Human/Cultural 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
• Geography is a bridge between the natural and
  social sciences. Geography is a holistic or
  synthesizing science.

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The Five Themes of Geography
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Geography of Food
Food Place of Invention Current
Production coffee Ethiopia Tropics oranges Sout
h Asia, India US, Mediterranean pork China,
South Asia Worldwide wheat Near East US,
Russia, Argentina tea China Asia oats Near
East Temperate Climates pepper South
America S. America, Worldwide
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The effects of the global food price changes
detailed in this graph must be understood in
geographic context.
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Coffee Consumption (per capita)
1   Norway 10.7 kgs  
2   Finland 10.1 kgs  
3   Denmark 9.7 kgs  
4   Sweden 7.8 kgs  
5   Netherlands 7.1 kgs  
6   Switzerland 7 kgs  
7   Germany 5.7 kgs  
8   Austria 5.5 kgs  
9   Belgium 5 kgs  
10   France 3.9 kgs  
11   Italy 3.2 kgs  
12   United States 3 kgs  
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COFFEE PRODUCTION
Top Ten Coffee Growing Countries (Yellow)
First domesticated in Ethiopia, coffee has come
to be a major export crop for colonial countries
and continues to provide much of the export
income in these less developed countries. In
Uganda, 70-80 of export revenue is generated by
coffee. Many issues are raised by the
continuation of such colonial economics.
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Tilt of the earth on its axis.

• The earth is tilted 23.5º from perpendicular to
  the plane of the ecliptic.
• Tilt is currently constantly toward Polaris

Animation
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Effects of the Seasons Daylength
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Population Concentrations
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Source Guardian News and Media, 2012
(www.guardian.co.uk)
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Geographic Information Science (GIS)

• GIS is "an organized collection of computer
  hardware, software, geographic data, and
  personnel designed to efficiently capture, store,
  update, manipulate, analyze, and display all
  forms of geographically referenced information."

Click on the map above to use the National Atlas
of the United States.
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REMOTE SENSING (click here)
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A suburb of Algiers, Algeria
What do the patterns, textures, and shapes
visible in this image tell us about this place?
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Jobs in Geography
Aerial Photo Interpreter Facilities Planner Land Developer
Site Researcher Agricultural Extension Agent Forestry Technician
Land Economist Soil Conservationist Air/Water Quality Control Manager
Geographer Land-Use Analyst Surveyor
Cartographer Geographic Area Specialist Location Expert
Systems Analyst Cartography Compiler Geographic Attache'
Map Analyst Teacher Climatologist
Geographic Information Systems Map Curator/Librarian Traffic Manager
Coastal Zone Manager Geophysics Assistant Map Editor
Transportation Analyst Community Developer Hazardous Waste Planner
Market Research Analyst Transportation Manager Computer Mapper
Health Services Planner Natural Resources Spec. Travel Agent/Specialist
Computer Programmer Health Services Organization Manager Outdoor Guide
Urban/Regional Planner Demographer Hydrologist
Park Ranger Weather Forecaster Earth Scientist
Industrial Developer Peace Corp Volunteer Wildlife Manager
Ecologist Industrial Planner Property Manager
Writer/Author Editor Intelligence Agent
Public Utilities Specialist Zoning Investigator Env. Impact Analyst
International Business Rep Real Estate Agent/Broker/Appraiser Environmental Quality Specialist
International Investment Analyst Remote Sensing Analyst College/University Professor














International Investment Analyst Remote Sensing Analyst College/University Professor
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Famous Geography Students
Prince William of Wales Majored in Geography at
University of Saint Andrews, Scotland
Michael Jordan Majored in Cultural Geography at
University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
Mother Teresa - Taught Geography and History in
Calcutta for 15 Years
Immanuel Kant the famous philosopher also
taught everything from geography to physics.
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Fieldwork Geographers as Modern Explorers and
Observers
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Rarotonga, Cook Islands, 2002
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Mt. San Jacinto State Park, Idylwild, CA, 2001
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Rocky Mountain National Park, 2003
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China, 2004
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Franz Joseph Glacier, New Zealand, 2002
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For more photos and slideshows go to

• http//www.glendale.edu/geo/reed/general/personal.
  htm