Download introduction to geographic tools

PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY GPH111
LAB D - INTRODUCTION TO GEOGRAPHIC TOOLS - ATLASES
Introduction
Geographers use a variety of tools in their work, two of which are atlases and maps. This lab
exercise will help the student to extract information from an atlas.
Materials needed: atlas, ruler and pencil
Atlases are one of the most valuable, yet overlooked information sources available to students.
They contain a variety of maps, including:
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World Thematic Maps, portraying the distribution of climatic regions, raw materials,
economic activities, landforms and other worldwide features
Regional Maps which provide detailed reference maps for all inhabited land areas on a
continent-by-continent basis
Plate Tectonics Maps which focus on the landforms of the ocean floor
Maps of the world’s Major Cities
Completing most atlases is a set of comparative geographical tables, place index (Gazetteer) and
list of sources. This lab will allow the student to become acquainted with a variety of maps and
data in the atlas (Goode’s World Atlas 21st edition). Using the atlas, answer the following
questions. Note that the name in bold text corresponds to the name of the map you should locate
in the atlas to help you answer the question.
A. Thematic Maps (pp 1-65 21st ed)
1. Temperature (hint: questions a-d all correspond to the same geographic region)
a.
Which country experiences the greatest normal annual temperature range?
Hint: A political map may be useful. ________________________
b. How many degrees of temperature range? _______°C _______°F
c.
What is the January normal temperature for this area of greatest normal annual
temperature range? _______°C _______°F
d.
What is the July normal temperature for this area of greatest normal annual
temperature range? _______°C _______°F
e. Which general area of the world experiences the least normal annual
temperature range? ______________________________________
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PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY GPH111
2. Pressure, Winds and Seasonal Precipitation
a. What is the predominant direction of the winds over the ocean at 10°N, 60°E
in July? ________ in January? ________ (Hint: winds are given according to the
direction they come from)
b. What is the barometric pressure value for Arizona in July? ________mb
3.
c.
What is the barometric pressure value for Arizona in January? ________mb
d.
Using the two precipitation maps on pages 18 & 19, how much rainfall does the
wettest part of the Amazon Rainforest region of South America receive each
year? ________ cm or ________in.
Ocean Currents
a.
Identify (give the name of) the ocean current that influences the weather of the
west coast of the United States ___________________
b.
Which direction does this current flow? _______________________________
c.
What is the relative (warm or cold) temperature of this current? ___________
4. Natural Vegetation and Soils
a. Name two types of natural vegetation found in the central states of the United
States. __________________________ and ____________________________
b. Which continent has the most Aridisols? _______________________________
c. Which major soil order (e.g. Aridisols) dominates the tropical regions of Africa
and South America? _________________ Describe their suitability for
agriculture. ________________________________________________________
d. Mollisols are the dominant soil order of the Midwestern United States. Describe
their suitability for agriculture. _______________________________________
5.
Minerals
a. Which country is the world’s leading producer of the precious metal - gold?
__________________
b. What is the name of the leading copper producing location in the United States?
____________________
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PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY GPH111
6.
Demographics
a. What are the two most densely populated countries in the world as of the year
2000? _________________________________________________________
b. What three countries have the highest literacy rates?
_________________________________________________________________
c. Which country has the highest birth rate per 1,000 population? ______________
B. Regional Maps (pp 67-244 21st ed)
1. Identify three types of natural hazards that affect the state of Louisiana.
_____________________________________________________________________
2. What landform dominates the state of Florida?_______________________________
3. Identify three types of natural hazards that affect the west coast of South America?
_____________________________________________________________________
4. Has Britain ever experienced earthquake activity?____________________________
5. What are the two dominant forms of vegetation in the British Isles?
_____________________________________________________________________
6. How many tropical storm tracks approach or strike the Japanese islands each year?
_____________________________________________________________________
7. During which season does Perth, Australia receive most of its precipitation?________
8. Identify the dominant mineral resource on the island of Madagascar?_____________
C. World Information Tables and Comparisons (pp 245-261 21st ed)
1. Lake Superior is the largest fresh water lake (surface area) in the world. How
many square miles does it occupy? __________ sq. mi.
2. Mt. Whitney, CA is the highest elevation in the “contiguous” United States west of the
Mississippi. What is its elevation?__________ ft. Mt. Mitchell is the highest peak
(6,684 ft.) east of the Mississippi? In which state is it located? __________________
3. What is the world’s longest river? ________________________________________
4. Where is the lowest elevation on the Earth’s land surface? _____________________
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