Geography

Geography Asks… Where are things located? Why are they located there? WHY DO YOU THINK WE NEED TO LEARN ABOUT GEOGRAPHY?

Introduction to Geography The Earth is 4 ½ Billion Years Old! The Earth’s surface is 196,940,400 square miles… 6% of the Earth constitutes arable land 33 % of the Earth is desert

Parts of a Map Grid – made up of imaginary lines of latitude and longitude Title – tells you what the map is about and which part of the Earth it represents Legend – or key, explains meanings of color and symbols used on a map Relief – shows elevation Direction Indicator – North, South, East, West Map Scale – line or bar used to measure distance

Map Grid Latitude – lines that run parallel to the equator Equator – imaginary line between north and south that divides the world Longitude – meridians run from pole to pole and cross lines of latitude Prime Meridian = 0 degrees longitude and serves as the division between the eastern and western hemisphere

Latitude and Longitude Example: 38º 50’ N, 77º 00’ W

Exercise: Using your student atlas and what you have learned let’s find the following locations using Latitude and Longitude. Remember Latitude always comes first and all of the locations will be large cities. There may be others close, but pick the largest one. Locate the city and country for each set of coordinates for the next several slides.

First location 40º40’ N, 73º58’ W

Answer: New York, USA

Second location 49º N, 2º E

Answer Paris, France

Third location 33º55’ S, 151º E

Answer Sidney, Australia

Fourth location 22º50’ S, 43º W

Answer Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Map projection is the way we fit earth’s three-dimensional surface onto flat paper or a screen

Map Styles Robinson – less distorted than Mercator in shape and size. Mercator – simple, but distorted. Areas near the poles appear much bigger. Shapes are accurate.

Maps and their Distortion Map projection – distortion occurs because you must transform the curved surface of the earth onto a flat plan. Map scale – most maps are smaller than the reality they represent. Map scales tell us how much smaller. Map type – you can display the same information on different types of maps.

Various Informational Maps Physical Map – show physical features and the relief (altitude changes) Political Maps – shows political division Thematic Maps – are designed to illustrate specific information (climate, vegetation, natural resources)

PHYSICAL MAP

Thematic – population map