The World’s Geography Chapter 1

Chapter 1 Key Terms theory weathering erosion Latitude Longitude Irrigation Desertification migration deposition Tidal wave Tributary River system Climate Temperate Tropic urbanization

Essential Questions How does the Earth’s geography affect how and where people live? How do people modify their physical surroundings or adapt to their environment? How can we use maps to better understand the Earth and the people who live there?

Earth’s Landforms Earth’s landforms were formed in different ways. Landforms came into being through forces of nature.

How Landforms Came to Be Theory: a possible explanation Plate tectonics theory Earth is made of several “slabs” (slow-moving plates) As the plates move, so too do the sections of continents and ocean floors Pangaea (pan-jee-uh) Experts believe that at one time, the Earth was one big “super-continent”

Continental drift: continual movement of plates to break apart continents. When plates push together they create mountains Movement of plates sometimes make the Earth shake.

Earthquakes Happen along faults… What is a fault? A crack on the Earth’s crust along which movement occurs. When plates move and push together, their edges may crumple and fold creating mountains. Mountains also may form when 2 plates collide and overlap.

Volcanoes Add Land When rock melts, it produces gases. The gases mix with the magma, causing it to rise to Earth’s surface through cracks in the crust. Magma: molten rock Lava: magma that reaches Earth’s surface.

Mauna Loa Earth’s largest volcano…. HAWAII Tamu Massif, it the world’s largest underwater volcano.

Weathering Definition: wearing away of rock. Moving water breaks down rocks and weathers away riverbanks and sea cliffs.

People Change the Land Draining wetland Building new waterways Building dams

Erosion: is the carrying away of land by forces of nature (wind, water, or glaciers) The building up of this land is called deposition.

Earth’s Bodies of Water Water covers more than 70 percent of Earth’s surface. Without water, there would be no life…no people, plants and animals.

Which continents are bordered by the Indian Ocean?

Vocabulary Trench: the deepest ocean valley Currents: streams of ocean water Tidal waves: giant waves exceeding 100 ft. Tides: regular, rhythmic rise and fall of the oceans

The Ocean Floor and Landforms Q: How is the ocean floor like the land on Earth’s continents? A: It has many of the same physical features, such as mountains, plains, basins and valleys.

The Water Cycle Replenishing of the Earth’s supply of fresh water. Heat from the sun causes water to evaporate—forming water vapor Clouds are formed from water vapor Precipitation falls Some water from precipitation flows across the land Some water from precipitation soaks into the ground, some is absorbed by the roots of plants and some flows into lakes, rivers, and oceans.

What is the importance of rivers and streams to culture? Streams and Rivers What is the importance of rivers and streams to culture? Tributaries: smaller streams that join rivers River System = rivers + tributaries Drainage Basin: the land area drained by a river system

Rivers of the World

Rivers and People Many of the world’s first human settlements were along the fertile banks of rivers. - drinking water - transportation of goods - energy Present-day cities are located by them

Lakes Greek word for hole. North America has the largest number of lakes. Glaciers carved huge holes in the Earth and when they melted formed lakes. Rainwater also creates lakes. Reservoir: A lake that forms behind a human-made dam Can you name some lakes?

Lakes Lake Baikal Lake Victoria Lake Malawi Lake Tanganyika Great Lakes Dead Sea Caspian See Sea of Galilee

Factors that Affect Climate Distance from the Equator (latitude) Temperate a climate that varies with the seasons (hot summer, cold winter) The curve of Earth and its tilt on its axis affect the way the sun’s rays heat Earth’s surface. The closer a place’s latitude is to the equator, the more vertical rays it receives from the sun, making its climate warmer.

Factors that Affect Climate Distance from oceans and other large bodies of water Elevation: the height of the land in relation to sea level

Seasons Earth’s orbit around the sun causes changes in the seasons—summer, autumn, winter, and spring Places on Earth receive different amounts of sunlight and heat at different times of the year

Earth’s Major Climates Tropical: warm all year, lots of precipitation Desert: arid, can be hot or cold Temperate Warm: affected by coasts, generally damp and warm Temperate Cool: affected by land, warm and cold, lots of rain Polar: brrrrrrrrrr Highland: undefined

Climate: kind of weather a place has over time Temperate: neither hot nor very cold. Tropic: an area of Earth at or near the Equator

Population and Settlement There are different factors that affect where people live. Climate Vegetation Land Water Pull Factors Push Factors

1. Climate 2. Vegetation 3. Land 4. Water More people live in temperate climates 2. Vegetation People tend to live where crops and vegetation grow easily Sometimes, people use irrigation to carry water to dry places. 3. Land People avoid rugged, mountainous land 4. Water People live near water supplies

5. Pull factors 6. Push factors People are drawn to places where they can earn a living more easily 6. Push factors People move away from places where they cannot find work and where they experience drought, war, unemployment, food shortage, and famine.

Desertification: the change of fertile land into desert Desertification: the change of fertile land into desert. This can be caused by overgrazing, over farming, or over logging. Urbanization: the movement of people from the countryside to the cities. ** the world’s largest metropolitan city is Tokyo, Japan with 31.4 million people!