Disney 5 Themes of Geography

Link for all things Disney including maps and attractions

etc https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/
Theme 1: Location- where is it There are two types
absolute and relative.
Research on laptop by using google and typing Latitude
and Longitude of Disney World to find its Absolute
Location. Using your laptop find a Florida Map to provide
relative location. Relative is telling something its close to
or go down this road, etc
Theme 2: Place- A place is an area defined by the things in
it. For example is school is a place, it has rooms, teachers,
students, food, different languages spoke, different type of
machines. Look up Disney World, Describe what makes it
up as a place. For example: buildings, rides, shows, food,
people, different types of parks. Define Disney World as a
place. Also use Disney maps provided to find examples of
place.

Theme 3: Region- common or similar characteristics with

other places. Compare Disney to other places that have the
same characteristics such as other theme parks, other
places in Florida that share the same type climate(think
line of Latitude), water and or land features. You may need
to research this. Write down Disneys regional features.
Also Using a thinking map compare and contrast Busch
Gardens and the Magic Kingdom. Look at both
information sheets for your ideas.
Theme 4: Movement- The way people, ideas, information
and products move from one place to another. Look up
Disney Transportation Write down the different ways
people travel inside Disney parks, between the different
parks of disney world and how would a person from North
Carolina get to Disney. Now you must chose to drive to
Disney World and use the North Carolina, South Carolina,
Georgia and Florida maps to tell the roads to take to get to
Disney. Write down the major roads you would take to
Disney World.
Theme 5: Human-Environment Interaction- The way in
which people depend, use, adapt,modify and even protect
their environment. Read articles on the 1.building of
Disney,2. Ten crazy things you didnt know about Disney,
and 3. Four ways Walt Disney World gives back to Planet.
Summarize these articles in written form. Give examples

of other ways Disney world might modify or depend or use

the environment.
Article 1: Why Walt Disney Built a Theme Park on Swampland

Stacy Conradt
Its easy to see why someone would choose the Orlando area for a tourist attraction these days its already such a mecca for vacationers, youd be all but guaranteed to pick up some visitors by
default. But back when Walt Disney was looking for a place to create a larger, roomier version of
Anaheims Disneyland, Orlando was mostly swampland. So what possessed him to build one of
the worlds busiest vacation spots on top of a bog? In a word: Interstates. Where he was going, he
needed roads.
He knew he needed to build on the east coast after survey results showed him that a scant two
percent of Disneyland visitors traveled from east of the Mississippi. Walt and his associates
considered Niagara Falls, but ultimately nixed it because the frigid winters would prevent them
from staying open year-round. They decided southeast was the way to go. With an eye on Florida
because swampland was cheap there, Walt flew above the state to scout locations on November
22, 1963 - the day JFK was assassinated. At one point, he looked down and saw where the underconstruction Interstate 4 was going to cross the Florida turnpike and knew he had his location.
The crosspoint of two major thoroughfares and the nearby airport would make for easy access to
his park.

NAME DROPPING
Although he had solved the problem of where to build, a new dilemma cropped up: Walt knew if he
was making queries about buying land under his own name, the insanely cheap swampland price
of $180 an acre would immediately skyrocket. To avoid price gouging, he created a number of fake
companies and purchased the land under their names instead. It only worked for a little while,
though. The Orlando Sentinel caught whiff of the scheme and published a story reporting that
Walt was the man behind the purchase of thousands of acres of land in Orange and Osceola
counties. He was right about the money; in some cases, prices went up to $80,000 an acre.
Some of the windows above Main Street shops in the Magic Kingdom pay tribute to those dummy
corporations: M.T. Lott Real Estate Investments is just one of them. Other windows serve as
tributes to real people who were instrumental in the early days of the company, or were just
special to the Disney family.
And in case youre wondering how Disney managed to pull off building on top of a swamp, well...
he kind of didnt. He made a big mound of dirt from what was scooped out to make the Seven
Seas Lagoon, then built his theme park on top of it. When youre walking into the Magic Kingdom,
youre actually on the second floor. The first floor is under your feet - its full of tunnels and
buildings that allow cast members to move around the lands without being seen.

Article 2:10 crazy things you never knew about Disney World
Feb. 6, 2013 at 11:38 AM
Gillian TellingScott Audette / Reuters

Walt Disney sure had some grand plans when it came to building the Walt
Disney Resort in Orlando, Fla.
He not only wanted it to be a fun theme park, but also to include an experimental prototype community of
tomorrow (EPCOT) that would be a real working futuristic city, utilizing the latest push-button technology
ala "The Jetsons."
The visionary sadly died in 1966, several years before Disney World opened in 1971, and EPCOT
eventually just became another theme park incorporated into the larger resort in 1982. But did you know it
was once meant to actually be lived in?
Below are a few other fun facts that you might never have guessed about the Happiest Place on Earth.
1. It's huge. Like, city-huge
The size of the entire Walt Disney World resort is 40 Square miles, or the size of San Francisco. You
heard me. The same size as the city of San Francisco.
2. They cut a lot of checks
It's not easy keeping the magic alive. Disney World employs 62,000 people, making it the largest singlesite employer in the country.
3. It can operate as a Sunglass Hut
Every single day, more than 200 pairs of sunglasses are turned in to the Lost and Found department at
Disney World. Good luck sifting through that pile if your aviators go missing over in Toon Town.
4. Talkin' turkey

Giant turkey legs were first introduced at Disney World the 90s, and became such a popular item that
they were quickly introduced to the other parks. More than 1.6 million turkey drumsticks are consumed at
the resort every year, and you can even buy all sorts of gear (t-shirts, hats, etc.) with pictures of turkey
legs on them.
5. It's sustainable!
Who would have thought? More than 30 tons of fruits and vegetables are grown each year at EPCOT's
Land Pavilion and used in the resort's restaurants and cafes.
6. Papa Oak
The Liberty Oak, which stands in Liberty Square in the Magic Kingdom, has spawned over 500 young oak
trees via its harvested acorns.
7. Sleep like a princess
There's a hotel suite tucked away in Cinderella's Castle that can sleep up to six and has flat-screen TV
disguised as magic mirrors. Unfortunately, you can't just make a reservation overnight guests are
winners that are chosen at random by the park each day.
8. Holy inflation
When Disney's Magic Kingdom first opened in 1971, adult admission cost $3.50. Today, it's $89.
9.Captain 'Godfather'
Captain Eo, the 3D science fiction film starring Michael Jackson that was shown at Disney Parks in the
80s and 90s, was directed by none other than Francis Ford Coppola, and produced by George Lucas.
The movie returned to Disney World after Jackson's 2010 death.
10. It's eco-friendly ... sort of
Fifteen miles south of Disney World is the Disney Wilderness Preserve, which is a 12,000 acre wetlands
mitigation project that Disney company bought it in the 90s. Disney provides funds for restoration and
wildlife monitoring in order to offset the lands impacted by the development of Walt Disney World. Fair
enough.

Four Ways Walt Disney World Gives Back to BY

ALLYSON KOERNER JULY 11, 2012

Some may think Walt Disney World is only meant for making memories, helping dream
comes true, bonding with family members and riding fabulous rides, but there is so
much more to one of the most famous parks in the world.
I recently got back from visiting Disney with my family. Its one of our favorite places
and I must admit its one of, if not, the most magical place on Earth. While exploring
each park Magic Kingdom, Animal Planet, EPCOT and Hollywood Studios I discovered
just how dedicated Disney is in supporting the environment. They give back in
numerous ways, but here are four ways the park respects the planet.

Nature and Animal Conservation

The largest of all four parks, Animal Kingdom, is a site for sore eyes. The most sought
after ride is the Kilimanjaro Safari. You take a real African safari coming up close and
personal with some of the most precious animals like giraffes, lions, white rhinos,
ostriches and elephants. Of course, to many, keeping animals at all for public viewing is
controversial. And with more than 1,700 animals from 250 species, Disney has its work
cut out when it comes to ensuring conservation and animal care. To the benefit of the
creatures who live there, Animal Programs promotes species conservation, animal
rehabilitation and the reintroduction of endangered species. Disney is even a licensed
wildlife rehab center. Since 2009, Disney has invested $15.5 million in reforestation and
conservation benefiting threatened wildlife, combating climate change and helping local
communities. To learn more about Disneys nature conservation, jump here.

Living with the Land

The Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow (EPCOT) is known for the massive
ball everyone encounters as soon as they step through the gates, but this park has all
sorts of educational exhibits. In particular, Living with the Land is a 14-minute boat ride,
where you learn how Epcot grows its own produce. You float through several
greenhouses that grow all sorts of produce including, bananas, jackfruit, pumpkins,
lettuce, blue agave and even nine-pound lemons (amazing to see in person). One of my
favorite parts was seeing tomatoes growing on trellises, thanks to its vertical growing
techniques. Everything grown at Epcots greenhouses is used at every restaurant
located within the park. Now, vegans and animal lovers might not be happy about this,
but Epcot also has an in-house Aquacell, where they practice aquaculture or fish
farming. Shrimp, catfish and alligators can be seen in giant tanks from the boat. One
good thing is, Epcot relies on animals and nature to interact and keep the environment
growing. For example, they stay away from harmful chemical pesticides, and rely on
insects like ladybugs to do the job.

Disney Worldwide Conservation Fund

Dont put it past Disney when it comes to protecting the planet for future generations.
They founded their very own organization, the Disney Worldwide Conservation Fund, in
1995, which is important to their environmental efforts. A big part of DWCF is educating
kids to ensure they have lifelong conservation values. What better place to reach
children than Disney? They also have a grant program providing financial support to aid
in the study of wildlife, conservation development and offering knowledge about critical
ecosystems all across the globe. In addition to hands-on learning, Disney reaches little

ones through Disneynature films. If youre a parent, you probably took your kids to see
one of these flicks or heck you could have gone yourself just because the movie looked
good. Such films include, Chimpanzee and African Cats. Just as much as kids love
Goofy, Donald Duck, Woody, Cinderella and Snow White, they sure do love animals.

Energy Conservation through Electricity

Did you know Walt Disney World covers 40 square miles or more than 25,000 acres?
With that much land being used, it has to work extra hard to conserve energy. So, how is
it done? First, they have long-term goals set like achieving net zero direct greenhouse
gas emissions and reducing electricity consumption by 10 percent, along with pursuing
renewable resources of electricity to reduce emissions. Lighting is a huge factor for
Disney. Between rides, parks, resorts and their Main Street Electrical Parade, thats a lot
of electricity. For example, one way Disney helps is during Christmastime, especially with
the 1,500 trees located at the resort. All hotels glow with more than 700,000 LED lights,
resulting in using one-tenth of the power of traditional light bulbs.Disney gives back to
the planet in so many other ways. To educate yourself, click here to see their ecoapproach. Yes, the resort covers quite a bit of land, using a lot of the environment, but at
least theyre trying to establish a smaller eco-footprint. Even founder Walt Disney
respected the environment. Ill leave you with this quote from Walt himself.
Landscapes of great wonder and beauty lie under our feet and all around us. They are
discovered in tunnels in the ground, the heart of flowers, the hollows of trees, fresh-water
ponds, seaweed jungles between tides and even drops of water. Life in these hidden
worlds is more startling in reality than anything we can imagine. How could this earth of
ours, which is only a speck in the heavens, have so much variety of life, so many curious
and exciting creatures?