Geography of the Americas

Section 2 Tools of Geography

Globes Only accurate way to draw the earth. Behaim’s Globe 1492 German cartographer First round map of the world

Latitude and Longitude Each line measured in degrees (°) and minutes (´) Latitude Also known as parallels 90°N farthest North and 90°S is farthest south Equator Longitude Also known as meridians Prime Meridian 0° International Date Line 180°

D. Grid System Coordinates Examples: A location’s degrees of latitude and longitude Gives the Absolute Location Example: Coordinates of Philadelphia are 40°N and 75°W Examples:

E. Hemispheres and Continents Earth sliced at the Equator and the Prime Meridian.

Continents

North America

South America

Africa

Europe

Asia

Australia

Antarctica

Continents – North America, South America, Europe, Asia, Africa, Australia, Antarctica Map Projections Maps are flat drawings of the earth’s surface and can take different forms, or projections. Mercator projection – shows land shapes accurately, but not sizes or distances. Interrupted Projection – shows Mercator’s world as a cut-up sphere. Size more accurate, but hard to measure distances.

D. Robinson Projection – most commonly D. Robinson Projection – most commonly used, some distortion on northern and southern tips.

E. LANDSAT – created by photographic satellites

Types of Maps General-purpose – show wide range of general information about an area. Physical maps – show natural features such as rivers and mountains Political maps – show places people have created such as cities or boundaries of states and nations Special-purpose maps – who information on specific topics such as land use, climate, or vegetation

Assignment: Discuss one advantage and one disadvantage of maps AND one advantage and one disadvantage of globes. Use paragraphs and complete sentences. Minimum ½ page.