Unit One: Intro to Geography and Physical Geography

Themes of Geography & Maps

These are used to describe patterns and connections in the use of space

Five Themes of Geography

Where is it at? Place Names

◦ labels for locations – toponym ◦ ex: Georgia, New York City

Relative Location◦ location relative to other locations ◦ ex: Go west on Highway 53, turn right at the Rome Bypass

Absolute Location◦ geographic grid (38 °N 120 °W)

latitude & longitude ◦ site

Theme 1: Location

What is it like? The physical and

cultural characteristics of a location

Theme 2: Place

How are places similar and different? Places near each other have common features. This

makes a region Formal Region –

◦ Designated by official boundaries or names◦ Continents, Countries, States, Cities

Functional Region◦ organized around a set of specific actions or connections◦ Cities located on I-75 for example

Perceptual Region ◦ Region that has certain characteristics, but people define

those characteristics in different ways◦ Where does Atlanta begin?

Theme 3: Region

World Culture Regions

Predominant Languages by Region

Predominant Religions by Region

How do people, goods and ideas move from one location to another?

Distance is key to movement. Distance can be defined in three ways◦ Linear distance◦ Time Distance ◦ Psychological Distance

Theme 4: Movement

How do people relate to the physical world?◦ People change the environment◦ The environment changes people

Theme 5: Human-Environment Interaction

Small groups (3 is ideal) Use the five themes to describe your

environment/community1) What is your location? (use multiple descriptions)2) What is this place? (specific or general features)3) What regions is this place a part of? (formal, functional or

perceptual)4) What patterns of movement are a significant part of this

community? (Why and how do people move?)5) How have people changed the environment in our

surroundings?

Assignment

Where can you walk one mile south, one mile east and then one mile north and end up where you started?

Brain Teaser

The interpretation of a map changes depending on the information it gives

Additional information can change the way one interprets a map

MAP ACTIVITY – BUILDING A SCHOOL

Title Compass Rose Labels Legend Lines of Latitude Lines of Longitude Scale Symbols

Reading a Map

Latitude or Parallels Longitude or

Meridian

Using a coordinate system, latitude is listed first, followed by longitude

Geographic Grid

Are always written first Are always equidistant from each other Run east-west (horizontally) and measure

distance from the equator Location is measured in terms of degrees of

latitude north or south of equator The equator is 0° 69.7 miles between every degree of latitude

Latitudes

A meridian or line of longitude is a half circle from one pole to the other

Run north-south and measure distance from Prime Meridian

Are not equidistant from each other, except at the equator

Meet at the North and South poles The length of a meridian is 20,003.93 km

Longitude

The convergence of longitude

The Poles

The Earth spins on its axis The ends of this axis are the

geographic north and south poles The compass needle points to

the magnetic north pole, which is in northern Canada

The axis of the Earth is tilted 23.5°, and wobbles a bit

Tilt is called inclination Inclination and variation in

sunlight cause seasons The equator divides the world

into two hemispheres, Northern and Southern

Important Facts

Foucault’s Pendulum

The Equator is 0° latitude The Prime Meridian is 0° longitude

Lines of Reference

The ancient Greeks knew the equator existed, but it was not located exactly until the 16th century

The sun is directly overhead at 12:00 noon on the March and September Equinoxes

The equator divides the world into the Northern and Southern Hemispheres

The Equator

The Prime Meridian is the reference line longitude

Located at 0° longitude, passing through Greenwich Observatory, London

In October of 1884, international delegates met in Washington DC and agreed to its current location

The Prime Meridian

On Wednesday, July 9 1522, the survivors of Magellan’s expedition to circle the globe returned to Spain

However, they found that it was Thursday This phenomenon caused many a great

distress but it was soon solved.

The International Date Line

When it is 12:00 noon in Greenwich, England, it is 12:00 midnight at the IDL. (page A16)

Lose a day when travelling westward (the same direction as Magellan); Gain a day when travelling eastward.

If one crosses the date line at precisely midnight, going westward, one skips an entire day; while going eastward, one repeats the entire day.

The International Date Line

The art and science of map making The map is the most important tool of

geography

Cartography

a. Topographic – map that quantitatively shows relief (altitude)

Uses?

Types of Maps

◦ Dot map◦ Choropleth map◦ Isoline map ◦ Cartogram –

b. Thematic Map

Dot represents a piece of data, dots may vary in size

Uses, advantages?

Dot Map

shaded colors represents degrees of data

Uses, advantages?

Choropleth Map

Also called a contour line map

Lines divide areas of different data sets

Uses, examples?

Isoline Map

(not a cartogram)

Cartogram

The geometry or space of a map is distorted to convey the data

Uses?

Cartogram

Cartogram – people living with AIDS

show terrain, climate, vegetation. Cities or borders are not a major feature

c. Physical Map

represent political units (cities, counties, states, countries)

d. Political Maps

Projection is representing the curved Earth on a flat surface

Map Projections

Longitudes are equally spaced This distorts land sizes near the poles Good for ocean navigation Mercator

a. Cylindrical Projection

Find a balance between distortion and scale Less distortion, visually appealing Robinson

b. Compromise Projection

Minimal distortion Shows part of the

Earth Lambert

c. Conic Projection

d. Azimuthal Distortion of land size and distance – but a straight line shows the shortest route between two points (navigation by air)

What is this type of map?

Check What You’ve Learned

Is this a large scale or small scale map?

Check What You’ve Learned

What is this type of map?

Check What You’ve Learned

What is this type of map? What is the projection used?

Check What You’ve Learned

Development of Geographic Thought

1. Four Traditions of Geography

Physical geography Describing the Earth – biospheres,

lithosphere

a. Earth Science Tradiiton

Mapping Boundaries distribution

b. Locational tradition

Human impact on nature Environmentalism

c. cultural-environment tradition

Description of regions Trends and patterns

d. area-analysis tradition

2. Why Geography Matters

Western Civilization – ◦ Greeks accurately described the world with their

tools and knowledge◦ Columbus and other explorers drew on this

knowledge in the explorations of the 1400s and 1500s

China◦ Zheng He – Chinese explorer, early 1400s

Islamic World – ◦ Ibn Battuta - Muslim traveler, 1300s

a. Age of Exploration

Ptolemy (2nd century AD)

Zheng He’s flagship

b. Globalizationc. Devolution d. Supranationalism e. Environmentalismf. Data collection

a. Regional – focus on a region, study all cultural & physical matters of that region

b. Systematic – focus on a theme and compare and contrast different regions

3. The study of geography

Developed in 1884 Wladimir Koppen Concept – vegetation determines climate Climate can be categorized by temperature

and precipitation

Koppen Classification System

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/32/World_Koppen_Map.png

Add to Text: Chapter 4 Section 1 Chapter 4 Vocabulary:

◦ Culture◦ Ethnic group◦ Diffusion ◦ Hearth (cultural hearth in text)◦ Acculturation

Unit Guide Addendums