WORLD GEOGRAPHY GHSGT Review

Geography is the study of the earth’s surface, land, bodies of water, climate, peoples, industries, & natural resources

 Physical Geography –The study of how physical characteristics define a region or place –Landforms, bodies of water, climate, soils, natural vegetation, and animal life  A place is an area of land that shares common features or is defined by common characteristics  Physical features (a.k.a. topography) –The natural land formations that make up the surface area –Oceans, mountains, lakes, rivers

 Landform –Naturally formed features on the surface of the earth –Island, Swamp, River (Mouth), Gulf, Peninsula, Canyon, Plateau, Mountain, Valley, Etc…  Bodies of Water –A part of the earth’s surface covered with water –River, Ocean, Sea, Lake, Etc…  Climate –The typical weather conditions at a particular location as observed over time –Temperature, Humidity, Etc…  Soils –The loose mixture of weathered rock, organic matter, air, and water that supports plant growth  Natural Vegetation –Plants and trees that grow in an area  Animal Life –types of animals who naturally live in an area

 Human geography – –The study of the world, its people, communities, and cultures – –Population settlement patterns, human activities (agriculture and industry)  Human characteristics –Language, religion, political systems, economic systems, population, and way of life  Population settlements –Types of people who live in a place –Birthrate, fertility rate, morality rate, habitable lands, migration, etc… –urbanization – the growth & development of cities –population distribution - the arrangement or spread of people living in a given area; also, how the population of an area is arranged according to variables such as age, race, or sex  Human activities –Agriculture and industry –Farming, banking, manufacturing, etc…

 Culture –Shared beliefs, values, customs, behaviors –Food and shelter, religion, language, education, etc…  Physical Characteristics –Size, Shape, Location (landlocked v coast) –Boundaries (natural v artificial)  Himalaya Mountains cut off India –Natural Resources (oil, timber, etc…)  Oil in North Africa and Middle East  Customs and traditions –Ways of doing things passed down from one generation of people, group, or society to the next –Rituals, weddings, holidays, showing respect

 The following will help with reading maps, charts, etc…  The following will help you locate information on a map, chart, etc…

 Hemispheres –Each ½ of the globe

 Latitude (parallels) –Set of imaginary lines that run parallel to the equator, and that are used in locating places north or south –The equator is labeled the 0˚ line  Longitude (meridians) –Set of imaginary lines that go around the earth over the poles, dividing it east and west –The prime meridian is labeled the 0˚ 0˚ line

A continent is a large landmass and usually consists of several countries

 Physical Map –Helps you see the types of landforms and bodies of water found in a specific area  Political Map –Shows features on the earth’s surface that humans created

 Compass Rose –A design on a map that shows directions –North, south, east, west, northeast, northwest, southeast, and southwest

 Legend/Key –Since a map is a reduced representation of the real world, map symbols are used to represent real objects  Without symbols, we wouldn't have maps –Both shapes and colors can be used for symbols on maps –To ensure that a person can correctly read a map, a Map Legend is a key to all the symbols used on a map  It is like a dictionary so you can understand the meaning of what the map represents

 Scale –Since an accurate map represents the land, each map has a "scale" which indicates the relationship between a certain distance on the map and the distance on the ground –The map scale is usually located in the legend box of a map –A map scale can be printed in a variety of ways