Connecting Themes

Introduction

The study of geography attempts to answer two huge, overarching questions, “Why there?” and “Why care?” According to the Oxford Dictionary, geography is the study of 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. That’s a lot. Let’s simplify it a little. Geography is the study of the Earth's land, people, and how they interact. Let’s look at a definition of geography from another perspective. The word "geography" is of Greek origin. It is derived from two Greek words: "geo," meaning "earth," and "graphia," meaning "writing" or "description." "Geography" essentially means "earth description." So, if we define geography simply based on what the word literally means, geography is the study of different descriptions of Earth. Therefore, we will describe everything about the entire Earth, all of the land, people, and all interactions in this one course. Well... that would be a little difficult. Instead, we will learn about different ways to “describe the Earth” and use specific examples from around the world to help us. There are, of course, many ways to describe Earth. Maps are one important way to describe Earth. You will most definitely explore maps in this course. But maps about what? Well, there are maps about different geographic perspectives – physical, cultural, political, population, environmental, and economic geography. As you will learn, those perspectives are the subject of future modules in this course. First though, this module will prepare you to learn thematically about these different geographic perspectives, introduce you to the five themes of geography, and help you make a personal connection to the study of geography.

Guiding Questions 🧭

In this module, we will be unraveling these knowledge-based questions:

What is geography?
Why learn about geography thematically?
What are the five themes of geography and how am I affected by them?

Key Terms

Absolute Location | Precise coordinates (latitude and longitude) that pinpoint a location's position on Earth.

Bodies of Water | Includes oceans, seas, lakes, rivers, and other water features on Earth.

Cultural Geography | Explores how culture influences the landscape, including traditions, language, art, etc.

Economic Geography | Focuses on the spatial distribution of economic activities, resources, and trade.

Environmental Geography | Examines the relationship between humans and their environment, including issues like pollution and conservation.

Geography | The study of Earth's physical features, human societies, and their interactions.

Human Geography | Examines human societies, including cultures, governments, populations, economies, and their relating impact on the natural environment.

Landforms | Natural features of Earth's surface, such as mountains, valleys, and plateaus.

Physical Geography | Focuses on Earth's natural features like landforms, bodies of water, ecosystems, and those things affected by physical geography, like climate.

Political Geography | Studies the distribution of political boundaries, governments, and their effects on regions.

Population Geography | Investigates the distribution, migration, and characteristics of human populations.

Relative Location | Describes a place's position in relation to other landmarks or locations.

[CC BY-NC-SA 4.0] UNLESS OTHERWISE NOTED | IMAGES: LICENSED AND USED ACCORDING TO TERMS OF SUBSCRIPTION - INTENDED ONLY FOR USE WITHIN LESSON.