The Geography of World Studies World Studies

Review from last year  Definition of geography  The scientific study of the location of people and activities across the Earth, and the reasons for their distribution.  7 continents  Where are they located on a world map?  4 oceans  Where are they located on a world map?  Lines of latitude and longitude  Which lines run which way?  Equator and Prime Meridian  Map Skills (parts of a map/ types of maps)  Map key, scale, physical map, political map, thematic/SP map, historical map  5 Themes of Geography (MR LIP)  Movement, region, location, interaction, place

Continents and Oceans

Latitude and Longitude Lines of LatitudeLines of Longitude

The Global Grid

Map Scale

Weather vs. Climate Weather  The condition of the sky and air at a certain time.  Changes on a daily basis.  Example: “It is 75 degrees and sunny in Chicago today. Tomorrow, it might rain.” Climate  Average weather of a place over many years.  Example: “Chicago has warm summers and cold winters.”

Climate Zones  Polar Zones (High Latitudes)  North of the Arctic circle, south of the Antarctic circle  Temperatures are cool to bitterly cold.  Antarctica, Greenland, Northern Canada, Siberia (Russia)

Climate Zones  Temperate Zones (Middle Latitudes)  Warm summers, cool winters, moderate spring and fall.  U.S.A, Western Europe, Central Asia, Japan, Chile, Argentina

Climate Zones  Tropical Zones (Low latitudes)  Area between the Tropic of Cancer and Tropic of Capricorn  Hot year round  Africa, Southeast Asia, India, Central America, the Caribbean

The Exception  Altitude  Elevation above sea level.  Regardless of climate zone, altitude can have an impact on climate.

Climate Types  Within each climate zone, we find various climate types

Climate Types  Tropical Wet  Hot/ heavy rain year round  Near the Equator  Tropical Wet/ Dry  Wet summer/ dry winter  Hot year round  Humid Sub-Tropical  Year round precipitation  Mild winters, hot summers

Climate Types  Mediterranean  Hot, dry summer  Rainy winter  Maritime  Wet year round  Mild winter, cool summers  Continental Warm  Warm summer, cold winters  Year round precipitation  Continental Cool  Cooler summers, colder winters

Climate Types  Tundra  Cool summers, bitterly cold winters  Dry  Semiarid/ Arid  Dry/ little precipitation  Deserts  Subarctic  Cool summers, very cold winters