World Studies Midterm Study Guide
Unit 1
Five Themes of Geography
Location:
Absolute Location:
Absolute location is the exact placement of an area. This is
important, because it allows for people to use tools like longitude and latitude to
find where a place is exactly.
Relative Location:
Relative location is describing a place by the relative environment
or connections to places. This is important, because it allows one to find a place by
using what they know about the environment or another place.
Place:
Place is the physical geological or human architectural characteristics of an area.
Place is important, because it describes an area for one using the natural and manmade
structures.
Human-Environmental Interaction:
Human-Environmental Interaction is how humans
change their environment in a positive or negative way. This is important, because it
allows one to see how humans affect the environment.
Movement:
Movement is the transportation of people, goods, or ideas. This is important,
because it allows people to share things with each other.
Region:
Formal Region:
A formal region is a region official stated. It is important, because it
allows people to become a community and identify themselves.
Functional Region:
A functional region is a place labeled because of its use.
Vernacular Region:
A vernacular region is a region that one understands to be a
place, but is not official. This is important, because it allows for people to see areas
as one area even if it is not official.
Human Origins
Australopithecines:
Australopithecines are the earliest of mankind’s ancestors. They are
important, because they show how hominids started off as.
Homo Habilis:
Homo habilis was another one of our ancestors, whose name translates
to toolmaker, because of the tools they began making. They are important, because they
showed the first advancement in tool making.
Homo Erectus:
Homo erectus are one of our ancestors that began to populate the Earth.
They are important, because they took tool making further and populated the Earth.
Neanderthals:
Neanderthals were the predecessors of Homo sapiens, but were not one
of our ancestors. They are important, because they lived throughout the Ice Age and
then suddenly died when Homo sapiens came.
Homo sapiens:
“Homo sapiens” is a fancy word for humans. They are important,
because the developed themselves and changed the environment around them.
Chimpanzee:
The chimpanzee is the most related animal to Homo sapiens. They are
important, because they allow for us to compare ourselves with them.
Multi-Regional Theory of Development:
The Multi-Regional Theory states that Homo
erectus left Africa to populate the Earth and then evolved into humans simultaneously.
