Map Skills
Branches of Geography
Elements of Geography
Themes of Geography
Vocabulary to Know
400
An imaginary line that runs around the center of Earth, halfway between the North and South Poles at 0 degrees latitude.
What is the equator?
400
These are the two main branches of geography.
What are human and physical geography?
400
This element of geography is most related to the theme of human-environment interaction.
What is environment and society?
400
The theme of geography that describes where something is.
What is location?
400
The study of the world, its people, and the landscapes they create.
What is geography?
800
Imaginary lines on Earth that run between the North and South Poles.
What are lines of longitude?
800
A weatherman would fall under this branch of geography.
What is meteorology?
800
This element focuses on the physical and human characteristics of places.
What is places and regions?
800
The theme of geography that describes the features that make a site unique.
What is place?
800
A spherical, or ball-shaped, model of the entire planet.
What is a globe?
1200
The measure of degrees for both the Prime Meridian and the Equator.
What is 0 degrees?
1200
A geographer who studies economics, politics, and city life would be categorized under this main branch of geography.
What is human geography?
1200
The processes, patterns, and functions of human settlement are a part of this essential element of geography.
What is human systems?
1200
Areas that share common characteristics.
What are regions?
1200
A place's ___________________ is all the human and physical features that make it unique.
What is landscape?
1600
According to pages 550 and 551 in your books, 20 degrees S and 140 degrees E run through this country on our globe.
What is Australia?
1600
A geographer who studies landforms, bodies of water, climates, soils, and plants would be studying this type of geography.
What is physical geography?
1600
The physical processes that shape the patterns of Earth's surface fall under this essential element of geography.
What is physical systems?
1600
This theme looks at how and why people and things move.
What is movement?
1600
A field that studies people and the relationships among them.
What is social science?
2000
On pages 550 and 551 in your Social Studies book, this major United States city's coordinates are approximately 41 degrees N and 75 degrees W.
What is New York City?
2000
A map-maker would fall under this branch of geography.
What is cartography?
2000
The six essential elements of geography are human systems, physical systems, environment and society, places and regions, and these two other elements.
What is the world in spatial terms and the uses of geography?
2000
This theme examines the many ways in which people interact with their environments.
What is human-environment interaction?
2000
A part of the world that has one or more common features that distinguish it from surrounding areas.
What is a region?