physical and Human Geography

1. WORLD GEOGRAPHY
An Introduction

2. The Earth in Space
 Obvious Facts- third planet from sun in our
solar system, layer of air surrounding earth
called atmosphere (shields planet from harm),
earth rotates on axis (one complete spin 24
hours), complete orbit around sun every 365.25
days (to make up extra days we have leap year)
 Earth tilted on axis 23.5 degrees, seasons
change as earth revolves around sun, sunlight
falls directly on earth in different places as it
revolves around sun (direct rays= summer,
indirect rays= winter)

4. Earth in Space
 Beginning of seasons
 June 21- sun directly over Tropic of Cancer
(north of equator) summer solstice
 December 22- sun directly over Tropic of
Capricorn (south of equator) winter solstice
 March 21 and September 23 – sun directly
over equator, vernal and autumnal equinoxes

5. Forces that Shape the Earth
 Earth constantly changing and being reformed
 Forces beneath the earth- plate tectonics theory used to explain earths
structure
 Plates sit on top of liquid rock and often move in different directions
 Theory of plate movement known as continental drift
 When plates meet it causes earthquakes, push together to form
mountains, when two plates slide next to each other it forms fault lines

7. Forces that Shape the Earth
 To identify physical characteristics of
the Earth geographers study
landforms (individual features,
mountains, valleys)
 Once land is formed through plate
tectonics it is further shaped by
weathering and erosion
 Weathering breaks surface rock
down eventually into soil
 Water, frost, plants, chemicals
 Erosion- process of wearing away or
removing weathered material
 Rivers cause erosion carry away soil
 Water, wind and ice weather material
(rivers, glaciers)

8. Landforms and Waterways
 Mountains, hills, plateaus, plains, valleys,
canyons
 What makes them different? Elevation (height
above sea level)
 Plains- low lying areas of flat or gently rolling
land
 Plateaus- higher elevation, some have steep
cliffs, some flat areas surrounded by mountains
 Valleys- lie between mountains and hills
 Canyon- cut through plateaus cut by rivers

10. Other Landforms
 Some landforms defined by
their relationship with water
or larger land areas
 Isthmus- narrow piece of
land that connects two
larger pieces of land
 Peninsula- surrounded by
water on three sides

11. Bodies of Water
 Strait- narrow bodies of
water between two
pieces of land
 Wider passage of land
called a channel
 Mouth of river where it
flows into larger body of
water called a delta

12. Landforms in the Ocean
 Continental shelf- off the coast of each
continent Plateau underwater, drops off
steeply into deep ocean
 Tall mountains and deep valleys under ocean
(deep valleys called trench)
 Deepest part of ocean called Mariana Trench
in Pacific Ocean (over 35,000 feet)

13. Earth’s Water
 70% of Earth’s surface is
water
 Can’t drink most of it (only
3%)
 Ocean’s largest bodies of
water (97% of all water)
 Bays, seas, gulfs- smaller
bodies of water (66 named)
 Total amount of water on
earth does not change, water
is constantly moving (water
cycle)

14. Earth’s Water
 Only 3% of water on earth is freshwater and most of that is not
available, most is frozen or trapped underground and held in
aquifers
 Groundwater lies beneath earth’s surface
 Comes from rain, melted snow
 Wells and springs tap groundwater
 Many aquifers are drying up because of heavy human use, water
becomes degraded
 Efforts being made to make saltwater potable, process is
expensive, not energy efficient

15. Climates of the Earth

16. Weather and Climate
 Weather- day to day changes over a short period of time
 Climate- usual predictable pattern over a long period of
time
 What causes climates to vary? Originally the sun, also
latitude, winds, ocean currents, landforms and humans
 Latitude and Climate- part of earth-sun relationship
 Tropics- between 23.5 degrees north and south of the
equator sun’s rays hit directly on the earth
 Sun’s rays not as direct further south and north from this
area
 Latitude north or south creates climates that follows
general patterns
 Elevation influences climate
 Higher altitude has thinner, drier air that holds less heat

18. Climate
Wind and Climate
Sun heats up surface of planet unevenly
 air moves across planet in typical
prevailing patterns, distributes suns
heat across planet
 Warm air near the equator moves
toward poles, cold air from the poles
moves toward equator
 Air moves from areas of high pressure
to low pressure
 Earth rotates causes winds to curve
 Northern hemisphere winds blow
clockwise, Southern Hemisphere blow
counterclockwise known as the
Coriolis Effect
 Monsoon- wind pattern blows over
South Asia- dry in the winter and wet in
the summer months

19. Climate
Wind and Climate
• Hurricanes- extreme tropical
storms formed by seasonal
winds blowing off coast of
Africa that effect the western
hemisphere
• El Nino and La Nina-
combination of temperature,
wind and water changes in the
Pacific off the coast of South
America
• El Nino-Pacific warms, more
water evaporates, more clouds
form, this changes wind and
rain patterns in eastern Pacific
• La Nina- water cools and it has
effect on western Pacific

20. Climate
 Ocean Currents- streams of water carried across the
globe
 Like wind warm water flows from near equator to cooler
regions
 Cold water goes from the poles to warmer areas
 Currents effect climate of areas- Gulf Stream has effect
on Western Europe
 Gulf Stream starts in Gulf of Mexico, moves across the
Atlantic toward Europe
 Wind blows across the warm water and moderates
climate of Western Europe

22. Climate
 Landforms and Climate
 Coasts moderated by oceans,
less changeable weather
 Land effects climate, creates
local winds
 Mountains effect rainfall,
temperature
 Cooler air can’t hold as much
moisture, warm moist air falls on
windward side of mountain
range, as it passes over the
mountains the other side
(leeward) is dry called the rain
shadow effect

23. Climate
 Temperatures higher in cities
 Absorb more of the sun’s
rays and cools off slower
 Called urban heat island
effect
 Greenhouse effect- burning
of fossil fuels releases
gasses prevent heat from
releasing into atmosphere
(controversial)
 Clearing rainforests- burning
forests releases gasses into
air, trees hold moisture less
water will evaporate and less
rainfall occurs

25. Climate Zones and Vegetation
Tropical Climates- 23.5
degrees north and
south of equator, warm
weather
 Tropical Rain Forest-
100” of rain per year,
lush vegetation, thick
forests
 Tropical Savanna-
wet/dry seasons, has
broad grasslands called
savannas

26. Climate Zones and Vegetation
Midlatitude Climates- 23-60
degrees north and south of
equator
 Most of the worlds people
live here
 Most varied region
 Results from mixture of air
masses
 Marine West Coast Climate-
winds from oceans, winters
rainy and mild, variety of
vegetation
 Mediterranean Climate- mild,
rainy winters, hot, dry
summers. Vegetation shrubs
and short trees

27. Climate Zones and Vegetation
 Humid Conintential
Climate- winters long,
cold, snowy, short hot
summers. Vegitation
vast grasslands
 Humid Subtropical
Climate- rain all year,
hot, humid summers,
winters short and mild

28. Climate Zones and Vegetation
High Latitude Climates
• 60 degrees north/south to
the poles, generally cold
• Subarctic Climate- low
population density, huge
evergreen forests called
taiga
• Tundra Climate- vast
treeless plains, harsh and
dry. Lower layers of soil
permanently frozen
(permafrost). In summer
soil turns marshy. Few
trees, grass and shrubs

29. Climate Zones and Vegetation
High Latitude Climates
 Ice Cap Climate- bitterly
cold, lichens and moss only
vegetation
Dry Climates
 Little rainfall, hot days, cool
nights (can also have cold
winters) can be found at any
latitude
 Desert Climate- less than 10”
of rain per yr., scattered
scrub plants
 Steppe Climate- partially dry
grasslands, bushes, short
grasses cover this zone

30. Highland Climate
 Found in all climate zones
 Timberline- elevation where trees do not grow

31. Environmental Balance
 Humans have settled on all types of landforms
 Climate, availability of food, water, resources cause people to settle in particular
areas
 Four parts of earth’s physical geography, humans can have a huge effect on these
systems
 Atmosphere, lithosphere, hydrosphere, biosphere
 Atmosphere can be effected by humans through pollution
 Example- Acid Rain, pollutants combine with precipitation. It can destroy forests,
buildings

32. Environmental Balance
 Lithosphere
 Earth’s hard outer shell, land
areas
 Topsoil- vital part, if not
managed can be eroded and
degraded quickly
 Deforestation- cutting down
trees, another way topsoil
can be lost
 How can humans protect
topsoil?

33. Environmental Balance
 Hydrosphere- Limited supply
 Water Management- conservation most
effective technique
 Irrigation for crops wasteful, most water
evaporates
 Chemicals, pesticides, industrial processes
degrade and pollute water supplies

34. Environmental Balance
 Biosphere- increase in human population encroaches
on ecosystems, reduces biodiversity

35. THE HUMAN WORLD
Population, Culture, Political and Economic
Systems, Resources, Trade and the
Environment

36. World Population
 6.2 b people on earth
 Until Industrial Revolution
world’s population grew
slowly
 Birthrate growing faster
than death rate
 Natural increase
difference between
birthrate and death rate

37. Why population rates vary
 Improved healthcare, advanced technology,
better nutrition lower death rate
 In industrialized countries this accompanied by
low birthrate
 Some countries have reached zero population
growth
 Developing world (Latin America, Africa, Asia)
birthrate high
 Large families (cultural feelings)

38. Population Growth

39. Challenges of Population
Growth
 Food Supply
 Use resources
quickly
 Can technology
keep up?

40. Negative Population Growth
 Death Rate exceeds birth
rate
 Late 1900’s in Europe
 Difficult to keep economy
going- fewer workers
 Import laborers causes
tension between groups

41. Population Distrbution
 Human settlement is uneven
 Less than one- third of planet inhabited
 Most live near water, fertile soil and climate
that makes life sustainable
 Asia 60% of worlds population
 Europe, N.A. most live in urban areas

44. Population Density
 Determine how crowded a country is by how
many live in a square mile or kilometer of land
 Why is this not accurate?

45. Population Movement
 Migration movement from
one place to another
(urban to rural areas,
country to country)
 Why? push and pull
factors
 Population moving to
urban areas
 Reasons- jobs,
opportunity
 War, environmental
disaster, famine cause
forced migration

46. Global Cultures
 Culture- way of life shared by a group of
people
 Includes:
 Language
 Religion
 Subgroups
 Government
 Economics

47. Language
 Communicate information, share and pass on tradition,
values
 Unifies culture
 Worlds languages divided into language groups, groups
with similar roots

48. Religion
 Vary greatly around world
 Unify people, provides sense of identity
 Influences daily life- morals, values, holidays
 Religious symbols, stories shaped literature,
arts

49. World Religions

50. Social Groups
 Allow cultures to work together to meet basic
needs
 Family most important part of all cultures,
definition and makeup varies
 Social class- rank based on wealth, ancestry,
education, other criteria
 Some include diverse ethnic groups (share
common language, history, etc.)

51. Government
 Government reflects culture
 All maintain order, protection from outside
forces, supply services to people
 Organized by levels of power (national, state,
local)
 Type of authority- single leader, small group of
leaders, representative leaders

52. Economic Activity
 How cultures utilize resources
 How cultures produce, obtain, use and sell
goods and services

53. Culture Regions
 Divided into culture regions that share certain traits
 Economic systems, forms of government, social groups, language
 Share common history, art forms, religion

54. Cultural Change
 What creates cultural change?
 Within- lifestyles, ideas,
inventions
 Outside influences- trade,
movement of people and war
 Process of spreading new
knowledge and skills from one
culture to another cultural
diffusion

55. Agricultural Revolution
 10, 000 years ago
people first settled in
river valleys,
established permanent
settlements
 Shift from gathering
food to producing food
agricultural revolution
 3500 B.C. organized,
city based societies with
government, trade, art,
science established
(civilizations)

56. Culture Hearths
 First civilizations in areas called cultural hearths
 All emerged in areas with mild climate, fertile land and were
located near a major river or source of water
 Factors allowed people to grow surplus food

57. Specialization and Civilization
 Surplus food allowed development of other
economic activities and trade
 Increased wealth, formed complex
governments and societies
 Governments coordinated building projects,
harvests and military defense
 Creation of writing systems to record and
transmit information

58. Cultural Contacts
Causes of Change
 Contact between civilizations through trade and
travel
 Permanent migration
 Forced migration (slaves)
 Favorable conditions (climate, opportunity,
freedom) draw people from one region to another
 Cause tradition, practices, beliefs to blend across
cultures

59. Industrial and Information Revolution
 Industrial Revolution- 1750’s changes in
production b/c of mechanization led to
economic, social change
 People left farms for jobs, working and living
conditions improved
 End of 1900’s Information/ Technology
Revolution links cultures across globe

60. Political and Economic Systems
 Territory, population, sovereignty, freedom
from outside control managed by
governments
 Make and enforce laws that bind people
together
 Governments reflect historic, cultural
characteristics of each country
 Most have different levels of government

61.  RED indicates populistic system
 BLUE indicates democratic system.
 ORANGE indicates that political system of the country is now changing from populistic to democratic.
http://www.geocities.com/historymech/maps2.html
 WHITE means "not enough data to determine political system".
 GREEN indicates occupied countries (also "not enough data" to determine political system).
 Yellow dots mark countries that probably could become democratic in next few years.

62. Government Systems
Unitary System
 Gives all power to a central government
 Usually small, not ethnically diverse
 United Kingdom, France
Federal System
 Power divided between states and central government
 Each has sovereignty in certain areas
 U.S., Canada, Brazil, Australia, India

63. Types of Government
 Three major groups
 Autocracy- oldest most
common form of government
 Achieve authority by
inheritance, use of force
 Types- totalitarian (single
leader) controls all aspects of
life, monarchy (king, queen)
leadership inherited, have
supreme power of
government
 Constitutional monarchy-
monarch share power with
elected legislatures

64. Types of Government
 Oligarchy- small group
holds power
 Power from wealth,
military power, social
position (sometimes
religion)
 Control decisions made
by elected legislatures,
give appearance of
representing people
 Usually suppress all
political opposition

65. Types of Government
 Democracy- leaders rule with consent of citizens
 Citizens have ultimate power
 Representative democracy- elect people to make laws, conduct
government (legislature)
 Republic- all major officials elected, head of state elected for
certain term

66. Economic Systems
Three Basic Decisions
 What and how many goods and services should be
produced
 How they should be produced
 Who gets the goods and services produced
Three types of economic systems
1) Traditional
2) Market
3) Command

67. Economic Systems
Traditional Economy
 Habit and custom define activity
 Not free to make decisions, do what was done
in the past
 Not many left

68. Economic Systems
Market Economy (Capitalism)
 Individuals, private groups makes decisions
 Based on free enterprise (make what people will buy)
 Free enterprise based on right to make a profit w/o gov’t
interference
 People decide where to work
 Mixed economy- gov’t supports and regulates free
enterprise, keep competition free and fair
 Gov’t influences economies by spending
 United States is an example

69. Economic Systems
Command Economy
 Gov’t owns means of production- land, labor,
capital
 Directs all economic activity
 Belief that it is good for society
 Citizens have no say in how money is spent by
gov’t

70. Resources, Trade and the
Environment
 Natural Resources
 Two types- renewable,
nonrenewable
 Nonrenewable resources –
minerals, fossil fuels
 Need to be conserved
 Renewable resources-
hydroelectric power, solar
energy, nuclear energy
 Can be expensive, possible
environmental consequences

72. Economic Development
 Uneven distribution of resources affects global
economy
 Some countries develop economies based on
their natural resources
 World Economic Activities divided into four
types
 Primary, Secondary, Tertiary, Quaternary

73. Economic Development
 Primary Economic Activity- taking and
using natural resources, primary
economic activity takes place near
natural resources
 Secondary Economic Activity- adds
value to raw materials (manufacturing),
activity occurs close to markets
 Tertiary Activity- professional, wholesale
or retail activities
 Quaternary Activity- processing,
management and distribution of
information (white collar professionals)

74. Economic Development
 Developed Countries- mfg., service industries employ
most people
 Commercial farming, don’t need as many people to grow
food
 High standard of living

75. Economic Development
 Developing Countries
 Development is based
on how well a nation
provides food,
education, shelter, and
levels of economic
production

76. Economic Development
 Developing Countries- mainly in Africa, Asia, Latin
America
 Working toward manufacturing, mostly agricultural
 Subsistence farming
 Most people poor

77. Economic Development
 Characteristics of Developing
Countries
1. Low per capita GDP
2. Low energy usage, because no
infrastructure or manufacturing
3. Most of population in agriculture
(subsistence farming)
4. Unemployment rates high
5. Education system inadequate, children
needed to work on farms; literacy rates
low
6. Most of population is rural (not always)
7. Poor diet, access to health care lead to
high infant mortality and lower life
expectancy
8. Physical geography makes development
difficult

78. Economic Development
Political Factors of developing countries
Colonial legacy
 Many were former colonies with economies based
on extraction of raw materials
 Raw materials shipped to colonizers, turned into finished
products, rely on colonies for manufactured goods
 After WWII many became independent, turned to central
planning (command economy), many are now turning to free
enterprise
Corruption in government
 Policies and political decisions to only benefit a
small minority, leaving many with needs unmet
 Civil wars and social unrest have plagued many countries
 Military leaders spend huge sums of money at the expense of
other societal needs

79. Economic Development
 Wealth in developed world leads to
resentment
 Militant groups form to strike back and
heighten influence to promote change
(terrorists)

80. World Trade
 Unequal distribution of resources causes
global trade networks to develop
 Multinational companies (MNC’s) stimulate
trade
 Based in developed countries, set up
assembly operations in smaller countries to
keep down labor costs, sell to developed
countries

81. World Trade
Barriers to Trade
 Countries mange trade to
benefit them
 Set up restrictions on goods
from other countries (tariffs,
quotas, embargoes)
 Recent movement to free
trade (removal of trade
barriers)
 Regions join together to
remove restrictions (NAFTA,
European Union)

82. People and the Environment
 Human economic activity has affected
environment
 Water, air, land pollution
 Deforestation
 Expansion of human communities threatens
natural ecosystems (desertification is an
example)
 Need for more resources to support growing
population and technology leads to
degradation of environment