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MR. JOHNSON’S
Geography
OHIO COUNTY MIDDLE SCHOOL
C HAPTER 1
Geography
The science of geography is likely the oldest of all sciences. Geography is the answer to the question that the
earliest humans asked, "What's over there?" Exploration and the discovery of new places, new cultures, and
new ideas have always been basic components of geography.
Thus, geography is often called the "mother of all sciences" as studying other people and other places led to
other scientific fields such as biology, anthropology, geology, mathematics, astronomy, chemistry, among others.
S ECTION 1
The Five Themes of
Geography
The five themes of geography were created in 1984 by
the National Council for Geographic Education and the
Association of American Geographers to facilitate and
organize the teaching of geography in the K-12 classroom.
Location:
T HE FIVE THEMES OF GEOGRAPHY :
• Location
• Place
• Human-Environment Interaction
When studying geography, location is a great place to start!
To find a place you need to know it’s location. Location can be
absolute or relative.
• Absolute location provides a definite reference to locate a
place. The reference can be latitude and longitude or a street
address. For example, the absolute location of OCMS is
1404 South Main Street, Hartford, KY 42347.
• Relative location describes a place with respect to its connection to other places. For example, Walmart is across the
street (if you are at OCMS).
Place:
• Movement
• Place describes the human and physical characteristics of a
location.
• Region
• Physical characteristics include a description such
things as the mountains, rivers, beaches, topography, animal and plant life of a place.
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• Human characteristics include the human-designed cultural features of a place, from land use and architecture to
transportation.
Question: Give one real-world example of migration in the
United States.
Human-Environment Interaction
Region
This theme considers how humans adapt to and modify the environment. Humans shape the landscape through their interaction with the land; this has both positive and negative effects on the environment. The ancient Egyptians are a great
example of human-environment interaction since they lived
near the Nile River. The Egyptians depended on the Nile
River to flood each year and fertilize the soil for their crops.
Unfortunately, many of the Egyptians homes were destroyed
each year by the flooding, so the Egyptians had to adapt by
building their homes above the flood plains. Finally, the Egyptians modified the environment by digging irrigation ditches
and a dam to control the flood waters and irrigate their crops.
Region divides the world into manageable units for geographic study. Regions have some sort of characteristic that
unifies the area. Regions can be formal, functional, or vernacular.
Question: Give one positive example and one negative
modern day example that human interaction has on our environment.
Movement
Movement - Humans move, a lot! In addition, ideas, fads,
goods, resources, and communication all travel distances.
This theme studies movement and migration across the
planet.
• Formal regions are those that are designated by official
boundaries, such as cities, states, counties, and countries.
For the most part, they are clearly indicated and publicly
known.
• Functional regions are defined by their connections. For
example, the circulation area for a major city area is the functional region of that newspaper.
• Vernacular regions are perceived regions, such as "The
South," "The Midwest," or the "Middle East;" they have no
formal boundaries but are understood in our mental maps
of the world.
Question: What formal region do you live in? Give an example of a functional and vernacular region that you live
*This section was adapted from geography.about.com.
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S ECTION 2
Maps
U SING A M AP
1. Direction
Direction
Direction is one of the most important things we can learn
from a map. You use direction every day--left, right, forward,
backward, up or down. But these directions depend on where
you are and which way you are facing. Maps use the 4 major
directions called cardinal directions, north, south, east, and
west. These directions do not change. North is always toward
the North Pole. Usually north will be at the top of the map;
however, this is not always true. Mapmakers use a compass
rose or north arrow
to show directions.
2. Distance & Scale
3. Latitude & Longitude
Distance
4. Hemispheres
5. Map Symbols & Legends
A map is a drawing of a part of the earth. A map as big as the
earth would be too large to put in your pocket and carry with
you, so maps are drawn so that a certain distance on the map
represents a much larger distance on the earth. This makes it
possible to show the whole earth on a piece of paper. Distance is shown on a map using a map scale, since a map the
exact size of the earth would be very hard to fold and harder
to carry around.
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Lines of Latitude, also know as parallels, run east and west
and measure distances north and south from the equator,
which is 0 degrees latitude. When we give the latitude of a
place, we must state whether the place is north or south of the
equator. Fore example, the North Pole is at 90° north latitude.
Read each of the following phrases and determine if
that phrase describes compass rose or scale.
• helps you find directions on a map
• can be marked in miles
• helps you find distance on a map
• may be marked N, S, E, W
Latitude and Longitude
People need a way to tell exactly where they are on the earth’s
surface, their absolute location. People also need the ability to
find their way to any other absolute location. Fortunately,
this is possible by using a grid system that covers the entire
earth. This grid is made up of two sets of lines that cross each
other. These lines are called latitude and longitude.
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Lines of Longitude, called meridians, run north and south
and measure distance east and west from the Prime Meridian,
which is 0 degrees longitude. When we give the latitude of a
place, we must state whether the place is east or west of the
prime meridian. For example, South America is at 60° west
latitude.
A hemisphere is half of a sphere, or ball. People use the word
to describe one half of earth. Geographers, or people who
study earth, have divided the planet into two sets of two hemispheres. These are the Northern and Southern hemispheres
and the Eastern and Western hemispheres. The Northern
Hemisphere is all of the earth lying north of the equator
whereas all the areas south of the Equator are in the Southern
Hemisphere. The Western Hemisphere is the left vertical half
of the earth, west of the Prime Meridian whereas the Eastern
Hemisphere is the right vertical half of the earth, east of the
Prime Meridian.
Hemispheres
What is a hemisphere?
Hemi = half
Sphere = the shape of a ball (or the earth)
Hemi + sphere = half of the earth
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Question: In what two hemispheres is North America
located?
Question: In what two hemispheres is Australia located?
Question: What line latitude divides the earth into two
halves?
Question: What line of longitude divides the earth into
two halves?
Map Symbols & Legends
Maps use symbols (map symbols) to help the reader tell kinds
of information apart. The meaning of each symbol is explained in a special part of the map call a legend, or key. Each
symbol used on the map is shown, along with an explanation
of what the symbol means.
*This section was adapted from Building Skills in Geography
workbook by Glencoe.
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S ECTION 3
Find it on a Map
Continents & Oceans
The surface of the earth is covered with approximately 71% water and 29% land. The land is divided into seven continents
with six of those continents divided into over 190 nations.
• North America - located above South America and beside
Europe. It is located in the northern and western hemispheres.
I TEMS THAT WE WILL WILL FIND ON A MAP
1. Continents & Oceans
2. Landforms & Physical Features
• South America - located under North America and beside Africa. It is located in the southern and western hemispheres.
• Europe - located between North America and Asia and
above Africa. It is also located in the northern and eastern
hemispheres.
• Asia - located beside Europe and above Australia. It is also
located in the northern and eastern hemispheres.
• Africa - located under Europe and beside Asia. It is also located in the northern and eastern hemispheres.
• Australia - located below Asia and above Antarctica. It is
also located in the southern and eastern hemispheres. It is
the only continent that is also a country.
• Antarctica - located at the bottom center of the earth below
all of the continents. It is located in the southern and
western/eastern hemispheres.
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Oceans are great bodies of water that covers more than 71% of
the earth’s surface and come together around the continent of
Antarctica in the Southern Hemisphere. Oceans can affect the
development of a region such as to encourage fishing and
trade, and can influence the migration and settlement of people. It can also affect weather, climate, and the living conditions of people.
south latitude. It is considered the fourth largest of the
oceans. Some do not consider this to be an actual ocean.
Historically, there are four major oceans; however, most countries—including the United States—now recognize the Southern (Antarctic) Ocean as the fifth ocean.
• Atlantic - meets the Arctic Ocean to the north. It covers
about 31, 530,000 square miles. The Atlantic Ocean is the
second largest ocean.
• Pacific - is the largest and deepest ocean. It covers
63,800,000 square miles or about one-third of the earth’s
surface. It is so vast that the Pacific could hold all the continents and stretches about 11,000 miles.
Question: Name the two continents that are located completely within the Southern Hemisphere.
Question: Which country is also considered a continent?
• Indian - is smaller than the Atlantic. It covers about
28,356,000 square miles.
Question: What two continents are located completely within the Northern Hemisphere?
• Arctic - lies at the top of the world north of Asia, Europe,
and North America. The Arctic Ocean covers about
3,662,000 square miles. On the west, the Bering Strait links
it with the Pacific. On the east, it merges with the Atlantic.
Question: Name the continent located completely
within the Northern & Western Hemispheres.
• Southern (Antarctic) - comprises the southernmost waters
of the world ocean, generally considered to be south of 60°
Question: What Ocean borders the western coast
of Australia?
Question: What ocean borders the eastern coast of
the United States?
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Landforms & Physical Features
The earth is a very interesting place. Everywhere you turn
there is something you have not seen before. Humans seem
to have a need to explore, to go places they have never been before. In fact, the travel industry is one of the largest in the
world. The earth would not be very interesting if all the places
on it looked the same. Your family probably would not travel
hundreds of miles to visit a place exactly like your home. The
earth does not look the same everywhere because it has many
different landforms. Landforms are features of the earth’s surface, such as mountains and plains. Below are some examples
of landforms that you should know.
• bay - part of a body of water that extends into the land;
smaller than a gulf.
• gulf - part of a body of water that extends into the land;
larger than a bay.
• delta - land built up at the mouth of a river.
• island - body of land completely surrounded by water.
• isthmus - narrow piece of land connecting two larger pieces
of land.
• lake - body of water completely surrounded by land; usually
fresh water.
• mountain - raised area of land, usually with steep sides; the
highest landforms.
• peninsula - narrow piece of land sticking out into water and
surrounded by water on three sides.
• plain - flat or gently rolling land, usually not far above sea
level.
• plateau - flat or gently rolling land higher than the surrounding land.
• river - large stream of water that flows through land.
• basin - a low area of land surrounded by higher land
• straight - a narrow channel joining two larger bodies of water.
Use Google earth to look at some real-world examples of landforms.
• Bay – Hudson Bay (2nd largest in world) & Bay of Bengal
(1st largest)
• Canyon – Grand Canyon
• Delta – New Orleans (built up alluvial deposits by the Mississippi River. Also, Nile River Delta.
• Gulf – Gulf or Mexico & Persian Gulf
• Isthmus – Isthmus of Panama
• Lake – Great Lakes & Lake Victoria in Africa
• Mountain – Mount Everest, world’s highest mountain,
which is part of the Himalayan Mountains & Rocky Mountains
• Peninsula – Florida & Italy
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• Plain – The Great Plains (west of the Mississippi River and
East of the Rocky Mountains)
• Plateau – Tibetan Plateau
• River – The Mississippi & Nile
• Strait – The Strait of Gibraltar & The Bering Strait
•
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S ECTION 4
Types of Maps
T YPES OF M APS
• Types of Maps
• Physical
• Relief
• Political
• Special-purpose
Types of Maps:
There are many kinds of maps that can show a variety of information. You should choose a map that focuses on the information you need. A physical map shows how the land looks.
Mountains, rivers, plains, and lakes, the physical features of
the land, are shown on a physical map. A relief map is a
map that shows the height of land above sea level. A political map shows how humans have divided the surface of the
earth into countries, states, etc... Often, a political map will
show some physical features, such as lakes and rivers, because
these are sometimes used as boundaries. A political map will
show where the boundaries between countries, states or counties are. A special purpose map provides one particular
kind of information. For example, a special purpose map
could be used to show rainfall, population density or product
production.
G ALLERY 1.1 Types of Maps
• Map Projections
• Conic
• Gall-Peters
• Mercator
• Robinson
A political map of the world.
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Map Projections:
Have you ever heard the saying, “You can’t have your cake and
eat it, too”? It’s a great way of saying that when we get one
thing, often we must give up something else. Choosing a map
sometimes means giving up on thing in order to get another.
Maps show four things: direction, distance, shape and size.
Only a globe can show all four with accuracy at the same time.
Maps, however, cannot. A map may show distance well but
the shapes of the landmasses may be quite inaccurate. Or, if
shapes are shown correctly, distances may not be.
There are many different kinds of map projections. A map
projection is a way of showing the rounded earth on a flat
piece of paper.
conic projection - map projection used for showing small
areas midway between the equator and the poles. (size, distance, and direction are fairly accurate)
Question: Why don’t we just use globes instead of maps
since maps can’t show direction, distance, shape and size as
accurately as a globe?
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Gall-Peters projection - map projection that shows the
sizes of landmasses correctly. However, shapes and distances
are not correct. (similar to a Mercator projection)
Robinson projection - most widely used map projection in
the world that shows only minor distortions in true size, distance, and shape of landmasses.
Mercator map projection - map that shows true directions and land shapes but exaggerates sizes of landmasses.
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