The Tools of Geography Geographers use a variety of tools to understand the many features of the earth.

The Tools of Geography “A map says to you, “Read me carefully, follow me closely, doubt me not…I am the earth in the palm of your hand.” With these words, British pilot Beryl Markham-the first women to fly solo over Africa-expressed her wonder of maps. She was not, however, the first explorer to appreciate maps. A map drawn by Italian Cartographer, or mapmaker, guided Christopher Columbus across the Atlantic in the late 1400s. Today, people use maps to locate places, plot routes, and judge distances. Maps can also display useful information about the world’s people.

Globes Photographs from space show the earth in its true form-a great ball spinning around the sun. The only accurate way to draw the Earth is as a sphere., or round form. Behaim’s Globe-In 1492, a German geographer named Martin Behaim constructed one of the first round maps of the world and called it a globe. Although it contained several errors, Behaim’s globe was the first to show the earth as a sphere. One advantage of a globe is that it gives a true picture of the size and shape of the landmass and bodies of water. Globes also show the true distances and true direction between places.

Is the World Flat?

Is the World Flat?

Martin Behaim’s Globe

Latitude and Longitude Latitude: The starting point for measuring lines of latitude, also known as parallels', is the Equator…located at 0° latitude. Lying parallel to the Equator, lines of latitude measure degrees north and south of the Equator. The letter N or S following the degrees symbol tells you if the location is north or south of the Equator. The latitude farthest North of the Equator is the North Pole, 90° N (North). The latitude farthest South, is the South Pole, is 90° S (South) Longitude: Lines of longitude, also known as meridians, run north and south from the North Pole to the South Pole. Lines of longitude measure distances east and west of the Prime Meridian., which lies at 0° longitude. The letters E and W tell you if the location is east or west of the Prime Meridian. The meridian lying opposite the Prime Meridian is at 180°. It is called the International Date Line.

Equator and Prime Meridian

Latitude and Longitude

Hemispheres and Continents The Equator and the Prime Meridian slice the earth into different hemispheres, or halves. The Northern Hemisphere is all of the earth lying north of the Equator. All area south of the Equator is the Southern Hemisphere. The Prime Meridian divides the earth into Western and eastern hemispheres. Geographers divide most of the land surface of the earth into seven large land masses called continents. They are North America, South America, Africa, Europe, Asia, Australia, and Antarctica. Asia is the largest, and Australia is the smallest.

Eastern Hemisphere Western Hemisphere

Hemispheres and Continents

Interrupted Projections Map Projections A map is a flat drawing of the earth’s surface. Drawing a flat picture of a round object is very difficult. Unlike a globe, a map allows you to see all four hemispheres at the same time. Maps also show much more detail than do globes. They can be folded up and stored easily. Cartographers have drawn many types of maps or projections. Each map projection is a different way of showing the round earth on a flat map. Drawing an accurate may be even harder, It is impossible to draw a round planet on a flat surface without distorting some parts of the earth. Each kind of map projection has some distortion. Typical distortions include: distance, direction, shape, or area. Mercator Projections Interrupted Projections Robinson Projections

Interrupted Projections Map Projections Mercator Projections Interrupted Projections Shows world as a cut up sphere that has not been stretched and pulled together Shows size of landmasses more accurate But it is difficult to calculate distances. Mercator Projection shows land shapes accurately, but not size or distance. (Think of an orange rind unwound)

Robinson Projection This projection slices off the tips and pulls the segments together in a oval.

Political Maps Political Maps show places that people have created, such as cities or the boundaries of countries.

Physical Maps Physical Maps show natural features, such as rivers and mountains.

Special Purpose Maps Special Purpose Maps show information about specific topics, such as land use, westward movement, or vegetation.