Chapter
2
Lesson 1
Interacting
With the World
I.
Living in the World
a.
Geographers study the relationship between people and their world. They
study the factors that influence where people settle and how they live.
i.
Topography: refers to the surface, or physical, feature of
an area. Example: mountains, and
valleys, rivers and lakes, sandy shores and grassy plains.
ii.
Climate: the
average weather conditions of an area, especially temperature, precipitation,
and wind.
1.
Precipitation: water
or ice that falls to the earth, such as rain, snow, or sleet.
iii.
The first human settlements, farms, and cities developed in places where
the climate and topography made farming possible.
II.
Moving Through the World
a.
People move to other areas for a variety of reasons.
i.
Temporary: travel
to and from school everyday. Going
to work. This type of movement happens over and over in a cycle.
It is also called a cyclic movement.
ii.
Periodic: move
to a new place and stay for a period of time.
Example-spending summer vacation at camp.
Eventually you return home.
iii.
Migration: leave
homeland to live permanently in another place.
b.
People move from place to place, they discover new ideas, language and
invention. Sometimes they adopt
things from a new culture, like religion or a custom and change it to fit their
own needs.
c.
Diffusion: the
spread of ideas and inventions from one culture to another.
III.
Looking at the World
a.
Geographers divide the world into regions
i.
Regions: areas
that have similar characteristics, but are different from other surrounding
areas.
b.
Boundary is a dividing line between regions, countries or
other areas of the world.
c.
There are two kinds of boundaries.
i.
Natural: geographical
features of the earth such as mountains or rivers that separate one country or
region from another.
ii.
Artificial: created
by humans. Example-borders between countries.
d.
The main purpose of boundaries is to show the extend of a state, country,
or region.
e. Another purpose is to prevent passage.
f.
Boundaries serve a purpose but they can also cause
problems. People don’t agree on
artificial boundaries. Example-1846-the
U.S. and Mexico went to war because of a dispute over boundaries.