Elements of Geography

The World in Spatial Terms
• How to use maps and geographic tools to acquire, process, and report
information from a spatial perspective.
• How to use mental maps to organize information about people, places and
environments in spatial context.
• How to analyze the spatial organization of people, places, and environments on
earth’s surfaces.

Place and Region
• Physical and human characteristics of place
• That people create regions to interpret earth’s complexity.
• How culture and experience influence people’s perceptions of places and regions.

Physical Systems
• The physical processes that shape the patterns of earth’s surface
• The characteristics and spatial distribution of ecosystems on earth’s surface

Human Systems
• The characteristics, distribution, and migration of human populations on earth
• The characteristics, distribution, and complexity of earth’s cultural mosaic
• The patters and networks of economic interdependence on earth’s surface
• How the forces of cooperation and conflict among people influence the division
and control of earth

Environment and Society
• How human actions modify the physical environment
• How physical systems affect human systems
• The changes that occur in the meaning, use, distribution, and importance of
resources

The Use of Geography
• How to apply geography to interpret the past
• How to apply geography to interpret the present and plan the future