The focus of World Geography is the physical and cultural characteristics of Earth. The course is organized systematically around the topics of region, physical earth dynamics, population, culture, economic systems, urban systems, political systems, and the environment. The course standards are not meant to be taught in order or in isolation. Critical thinking will be emphasized in this course, with stress placed on the development of spatial thinking skills and competency related to the five themes of geography: location, place, regions, movement, and human-environment interaction. Map-reading skills and the use of geographic models and geographic information systems will also be an integral part of this course.