LOCATION One of the first questions people ask about a place is: Where is it located? and then maybe they wonder, How did that place get there? Location allows you to discuss places in the world in terms everyone can understand. Absolute location is the exact spot on Earth where a place can be found. Latitude lines run parallel to the equator. Longitude lines run between the North and South Pole.
Another way to define location of a place is to describe its relation to other places.For example, if someone asked you where Panama is, you might say "South of Costa Rica." This is called the relative location.
PLACE Every place on Earth has a distinct group of physical features like climate, bodies of water, plant and animal life and landforms. (Landforms are features on the Earth's surface like valleys, mountains, and plains).
Places can also have human characteristics that human beings create, like cities, towns, governments and cultural traditions.
GEOGRAPHY IS THE STUDY OF PLACES, AND THE RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN PEOPLE AND THEIR ENVIRONMENT(S)
LA GEOGRAFICA ES EL ESTUDIO DEL LUGARES Y LOS RELACIONES ENTRE LA GENTE Y SUS ENTORNOS
Did you know that back in 1912, a scientist proposed the idea that all the continents were once joined together as one big mass of land. He believed that over time, pieces broke off and drifted away but the separated continents still seem to fit together, like a puzzle. For example, the east coast of South America fits snugly against the west coast of Africa. Eventually, the scientific community accepted that this movement was possible because of tectonic plates (giant slabs of the Earth's surface) causing the continents to drift. This creates earthquakes, volcanoes and mountains.
To help you think about the world the way geographers do, let's look at these five themes (Cinco temas sobre la geografia)
1. location (ubicacion en el mapa)
2. place (lugar, y las caracteristicas humana del sitio)
3. region (area)
4. movement (movimiento)
5. human-environment interaction (interaccion hombre-ambiente)
REGION A region is a group of places that have physical features and/or human characteristics in common. The world can be divided into ten natural regions that range from tropical rain forests to cool forests to high mountains.
MOVEMENT People, products and ideas move from one place to another. So do animals, plants, and other physical features of Earth. Sometimes people move within a country, like moving from farms to cities. Migrate means to move from one area to settle in another. When people emigrate, they take their ideas and customs with them. They may also adopt new ideas from their new home. Migration is a result of "push and pull" factors. Problems in one place push people out; advantages in another place pull people in. Natural barriers such as mountain ranges, canyons and turbulent rivers can make migration difficult. Oceans, lakes, calm rivers, and flat land can make it easier. Modern transportation systems also make it easier for people to move back and forth.
HUMAN-ENVIRONMENT INTERACTION Human society and the environment cannot be separated. Human-environment interaction occurs because humans depend on, adapt to and modify the world around them. Each shapes and is shaped by the other. Some places are the way they are because people have changed them. Human changes may help or hurt the environment. Pollution is an example of a harmful effect. The environment can also harm people. For example, hurricanes wash away beaches and houses along the shore; earthquakes cause fire and destruction.
Humans have often adapted their way of life to the natural resources that their local environment provided. For example, in the past, people who lived near oceans where fish were abundant, learned to become expert fishermen. Those who lived near rich soil learned to farm. Cultural choices such as what clothes to wear, what foods to eat and what sports to participate in often reflected the environment. But modern technas changed that. For example, airplanes can quickly fly frozen fish from the coast to towns far inland that do not have easy access to fish. But technology also has a negative side. when there are a lot of cars being used, the gasoline that is burned causes air pollution. Bicycling, on the other hand does notl so it is better for the environment. And when the environment is healthy, the people who live in it can lead healthier lives.
REGION es un grupo, un area donde conditiones de temperatura, lluvia y vegetacion estan similar. Y a menudo, los ambientes cultural son similar tambien.
1. How does the geography of a country affect the development of that country (either positively or negatively).
2. How does the geography of a country affect the people who live in that country (either positively or negatively).
