Download Geography - Foxfire Schools

Geography
The Six Essential Elements
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The world in Spatial Terms
Places and Regions
Physical Systems
Human Systems
Environment and Society
The Uses of Geography
The World in Spatial Terms
 Location
 Where is it?
Places and Regions
 Place
 Describes physical features like
 Landforms
 Climate
 Plant or Animal life
 Or Human characteristics
 Language
 Way of life
 Regions
 Are places that are united by one or more common
characteristics.
Physical Systems
 Study of how the Earth is shaped
 Hurricanes
 Volcanoes
 Glaciers
 The Life Cycle of plants and animals
 How they survive and depend on one another.
Human Systems
 How boundary lines are set up
 How people settle in certain places
 A key is to remember people, ideas, and goods
continuously move.
Environment and Society
 How does our environment influence the way we live?
 Shows how we as humans use the environment
 Shows how our actions affect our environment
 i.e. – global warming
The Uses of Geography
 Geographers look to understand the relationships
among people, places and environments over time.
 Know the tools that are available to you
 Maps, globes, satellites, compass, aerial photos and
much more.
Maps and Globes
How are they used?
Globes
 Globes are divided into features
 Hemispheres
 Latitude
 Longitude
 A globe gives a true picture of the Earth as a scale model
(dilation in math)
Hemispheres
 The Earth is divided into 4 hemispheres
 The Equator divides the
 Northern Hemisphere
 Southern Hemisphere
 The Prime Meridian divides the
 Eastern Hemisphere
 Western Hemisphere
Latitude
 Latitude lines are
imaginary lines that break
the Earth into distance
measures from the
Equator.
 i.e. – parallel to the
Equator, lines running
East and West.
 90 degrees
Longitude
 Longitude Lines are
imaginary lines that break
the Earth into distance
measurements from the
Prime Meridian.
 i.e. – lines parallel to the
Prime Meridian running
North and South
 180 degrees
Using Latitude and Longitude lines
 When given a latitude and longitude degree you are
able to find or pinpoint an absolute location on Earth.
 See worksheet
Maps
 How maps are different
 How to read a key
 Types of Maps
 General Purpose
 Physical
 Political
 Special Purpose
 Maps can show Earth or parts in great detail.
How are Maps different?
 Maps are flat (1-dimensional) and have limitations.
 Mapmakers are known as Cartographers.
 They use mathematical formulas to create their maps
 The size, distance, shape or area can change from the
curved lines on the globe to the flat lines on a map.
Cont…
 Great Circle Routes are imaginary lines that follow the
curve of the Earth.
 Airplane pilots use these routes because they are the
shortest distance.
 Using Technology
 Cartographers use a system called geographic
information system (GIS)
 People like you and me use a Global Positioning System
(GPS)
How to read a key
 A map key explains the features that are within a
map.
 Ex: rivers, mountains, climate, cities, capitals, etc.
 Also located on a map is the Scale and Compass Rose.
 Scale – helps you locate the distance between two
points
 Compass Rose – helps you find your direction – North,
South, East, West and in between.
Types of Maps – General Purpose
Physical
Political
Cont…
Physical
 Features they display
 Landforms - Green
 mountains
 Water – Blue
 River, lakes, bays
 Elevation can also be displayed
showing multiple colors for the
height of a mountain.
Political
 Features they display
 Names and boundaries of
countries
 Cities
 Human-made features
 Major physical features – rivers,
bodies of water or mountains
Special Purpose Maps
 They show a theme or pattern on a map
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Climate
Natural resources
Population density
Battles
Territorial changes
 The title tells what the map is describing.
 The key describes how to read the map.