Download Geography - Maria Regina School

What is geography?
• Study of Earth’s surface and people in their environment
• The study of many exciting things about our Earth and all
of us who live here
• Includes studying
– cities
– states
– countries
– bodies of water (oceans, lakes, and rivers)
– land (plains, mountains, and volcanoes)
– people
Globes
 A globe is a model that shows Earth as it is seen from
outer space.
 It shows large bodies of land or continents. The seven
continents are: Europe, Asia, North America, South
America, Africa, Antarctica, and Australia.
 The Earth has five oceans: Atlantic Ocean, Pacific
Ocean, Indian Ocean, Arctic Ocean and Southern
Ocean.
How can you find directions on
maps?
 Many maps include a compass rose or a drawing that
shows directions.
 A compass rose usually shows cardinal and
intermediate directions.
What are cardinal directions?
 The four cardinal directions are north, south, east, and
west or N, S, E, and W.
How can you determine
intermediate directions?
 Intermediate directions are northeast, northwest,
southwest, and southeast or NE, NW, SW, and SE.
 Intermediate directions are halfway between cardinal
directions.
What is a map scale?
 The map scale tells you how much smaller the distance
on a map is compared with the actual size.
 Scales usually show two lines: miles and kilometers.
How do you use a scale?
 You can use a ruler to measure directions on a map.
What information does a map key
give?
 A symbol is anything that stands for something else.
Black dots stand for a city. Other symbols include
triangles, squares, and lines.
 Symbols can be different on different maps.
 A map key tells you what the symbol stands for.
Locator Map
 Locator Map – shows where this map is located in the
larger context
 Sometimes called an inset map
What is a hemisphere?
 Hemisphere means “half of a sphere.”
 There are four hemispheres: Northern, Southern,
Eastern, and Western.
 The Northern and Southern hemispheres are divided
by the equator.
 The Prime Meridian divides the Western and Eastern
hemispheres.
Grid Lines
 Lines of latitude and longitude found on some maps
Five Themes of Geography
 Location
 Place
 Human Interaction
 Movement
 Region
 Remember – MR. LIP or MR. HELP
Location
 Absolute Location – the exact position on the Earth,
uses longitude and latitude
Ex. 76 N, 38 E
 Relative Location – location of something in relation
to another place
Ex. (My house is beside the big black fence with
the cows).
What are latitude lines?
 The zero degree latitude line is the equator.
 Latitude lines measure the distance north or south of
the equator.
 The Equator divides the Earth in half – The Northern
Hemisphere and Southern Hemisphere.
What are longitude lines?
 Lines that run north to south are longitude lines. The
zero degree longitude line is the Prime Meridian.
 Longitude lines measure the distance east and west of
the prime meridian.
 The Prime Meridian divides the Earth just like the
Equator and creates the Northern and Southern
Hemisphere.
Place
• All places have human and physical characteristics
• Physical characteristics- animal life, mountains, lakes,
etc.
• Human characteristics- architecture, communication,
transportation networks, etc.
•
Languages, as well as religious and political ideas shape a
place.
 When speaking about or describing place you might
mention: how many people, what the people do, the
climate or other physical features.
Ex. The Mississippi Delta is very flat and contains
lots of fertile farmland. There are a lot of farmers
Region
 Bigger than a place or location
 An area with at least one unifying physical feature;
such as climate, landforms, population or history.
Ex. The regions of the United States (New
England, East coast, the South, etc.)
Movement
 How people, goods, and/or ideas get from one place to
another.
Ex. Marco Polo and the spice trade
Ex. Buddhism being brought from India to China
via the Silk Road.
Human Interaction
 How people affect their environment and how their
environment affects them.
 Can be positive and negative ways
Ex. Houses on stilts in coastal areas and the main
trade being fishing.
Political Maps
 A political map shows information such as countries,
states, cities, and other important political features.
 Although they use state and national boundaries, they
can also use colors to highlight countries or states.
Physical Maps
 Physical maps display the physical or natural features.
 Elevation maps use color to show the height of land
above sea level.
Elevation Maps
Special Purpose Maps
 Show information about a specific place or period in
history
 Historical maps - show information about the past or
where past events took place
 Distribution maps - show how language, religion,
population, and rainfall are distributed throughout the
area
Maps at Different Scales
 Small-scale maps
 Show a large area (continent or region)
 Don’t show many details
 Large-scale maps
 Show a small area
 Has more details (can see buildings, roads, etc.)