Charmaine L.

Cabutihan

BSEd- Social Studies 2

Geography 2 (Physical Geography)

GEOGRAPHY: A FIELD OF INQUIRY

GEOGRAPHY

- the scientific study of the earth which focuses on the physical features of the earth and its
atmosphere, and of human activity as it affects and is affected by these, including the
distribution of populations and resources, land use, and industries.

REASONS TO STUDY GEOGRAPHY

- To understand basic physical systems that affect everyday life (e.g. earth-sun relationships,
water cycles, wind and ocean currents).
- To learn the location of places and the physical and cultural characteristics of those places in
order to function more effectively in our increasingly interdependent world.
- To understand the geography of past times and how geography has played important roles in
the evolution of people, their ideas, places and environments.
- To develop a mental map of your community, province or territory, country and the world so
that you can understand the “where” of places and events.
- To recognize spatial distributions at all scales — local and worldwide — in order to understand
the complex connectivity of people and places.
- To be able to make sensible judgements about matters involving relationships between the
physical environment and society.
- To appreciate Earth as the homeland of humankind and provide insight for wise management
decisions about how the planet’s resources should be used.
- To understand global interdependence and to become a better global citizen.

WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN PHYSICAL AND HUMAN GEOGRAPHY?

 Physical geography (also known as geosystems or physiography) is the branch of natural science
which deals with the study of processes and patterns in the natural environment like the
atmosphere, hydrosphere, biosphere, and geosphere
 Human Geography is a branch of geography that deals with the study of people and their
communities, cultures, economies, and interactions with the environment by studying their
relations with and across space and place. Human geography attends to human patterns of
social interaction, as well as spatial level interdependencies, and how they influence or affect
the earth's environment.

The Spatial Perspective

 Geographers can study anything that has a significant spatial component. Geographers
concentrate on the "where" and by doing this they may be able to gain a better understanding
of what is being studied than if the "where" were ignored.
 It is peculiar to the study of geography.
 FIVE THEMES OF GEOGRAPHY

Location

 a position of an object that could be put on a map.

 location doesn’t need to be on the Earth’s surface, it can be below, within the oceans, the
atmosphere, or even in space.
 it is divided into 3 namely: nominal, relative and absolute location.

TYPES OF LOCATIONS

NOMINAL LOCATION- Name of place

RELATIVE LOCATION - described using objects, landmarks, or places that are near a certain place

- can be expressed in terms of distance, travel time, or cost.

ABSOLUTE LOCATION- the latitude and longitude of a specific place.

PLACE- Place refers to the physical and human aspects of a location. This theme of geography is
associated with toponym (the name of a place), site (the description of the features of the place), and
situation (the environmental conditions of the place).

HUMAN-ENVIRONMENT INTERACTION - the study how humans affect the environment and how the
environment affects human. Humans can have positive and negative effect on humans

MOVEMENTS- describing and discussing the effects of anything that moves across the earth.

REGION- An area on the planet that is composed of places with a unifying characteristic

FORMAL REGION- A region whose boundaries are formally defined is known as a formal region.

FUNCTIONAL REGION- encompasses a central point with defined boundaries and the area around it that
is connected via a well-developed network of transportation and communication systems that facilitates
the movement of people, goods, and ideas within that system.

VERNACULAR REGION- When places in the world share unifying characteristics, we tend to imagine
these places being bound by an "imaginary border".

Maps and Earth/Landforms

Map- is a visual representation of an entire area or a part of an area, typically represented on a flat
surface. The work of a map is to illustrate specific and detailed features of a particular area, most
frequently used to illustrate geography.

HISTORY OF MAP MAKING

- Humans have long recognised the importance and value of maps to their lives. Indeed, the
history of mapping can be traced to more than 5,000 years ago. Maps are essentially tools
which:
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