Download Unit 2: The World in Spatial Terms (Lessons 4-5)

Unit 2: The World in Spatial Terms (Lessons 4-5)
Physical Characteristics of Place
The earth has many different and unique physical features. Physical
features are the natural (not human-made) details of the world such as
mountains, deserts, or oceans. The characteristics of natural features can
vary depending on their relative location. For example, mountain ranges in
North America can look very different from each other; they also look
different than mountain ranges in other parts of the world.
Figure 1: Rocky Mountain
Figure 2: Appalachian Mountains
Certain physical features tend to appear near each other. For instance, you
cannot have an island without a body of water. Grasslands tend to be
found on the edge of deserts. Rivers tend to flow to or from other bodies of
water. Knowing the relative locations and characteristics of natural or
physical features can help us better navigate our world.
Look at the illustration to the
right. Which natural features
are familiar to you? Which are
new?
Figure 3
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Representing Physical Features
Maps can help us see how certain physical features are related to one
another. A geographer can use maps to locate different physical features
of the earth, including their relative locations to other natural features.
Consider the maps below. Can there be a mountain without a volcano?
Can there be a volcano without a mountain? How would you describe the
connection between volcanoes and mountains?
Figure 4: Mountains of the World
Figure 5: Volcanoes of the World
Some physical features tend to be found near each other. However,
latitude also plays a role in where some physical features are found. What
physical features are likely found near the equator? What physical features
are not? In looking at the map in Figure 6 below, it is not a surprise to see
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a cluster of tropical rainforests near
the equator.
Ways to Regionalize the Earth
Geographers find patterns on Earth
and ask questions about them.
However, the earth is a large place
to investigate. Oftentimes,
geographers use these patterns to
carve out smaller places to study.
Figure 6: Map of Tropical Rainforests
Patterns can be identified by using either human or natural characteristics.
By finding at least one human or natural feature that several places share,
geographers create regions. A region is an area of the earth that shares at
least one common characteristic – either natural or human. Regions can
be big or small.
Let’s look at an example. The Great
Lakes is a region. The characteristic
that all the places in this region share
is that they abut or touch the Great
Lakes. The common characteristic is a
natural feature – a Great Lake. How
many states are in the Great Lakes
region? How many countries?
Figure 8: Map of the Great Lakes Region
The types of vegetation or the climate of an area can also be used to
create regions. Can you use the name of the following natural features to
identify a region based on them?
• Gulf Coast
• Pacific Ocean
• Mississippi River
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Regions can be created based on human characteristics too. Human
characteristics reflect common historical, economic, cultural or political
features. These may include the country of Japan, the European Union, or
the Middle East. Each of these areas shares some common characteristic
that distinguishes them from other places.
Read and complete the graphic below.
By
_______
Figure 9
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The United States can be seen as one region. It is a country which is a
political region. Yet, the United States can also be subdivided into many
different types of regions. Can you name the common characteristic used
to define the regions in the maps below?
Figure 11: ________________________________
Figure 10: _________________________________
Figure 12: _______________________________
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Using a smaller spatial scale, we can look at even larger regions.
Landmasses can be divided into regions by hemispheres or continents. A
hemisphere allows for geographers to look at only half of the globe. While
the Eastern and Western Hemispheres are divided by the Prime Meridian
and International Dateline, the Northern and Southern Hemispheres are
divided by the equator. These regions are determined by their placement
on the planet.
Figure 14: Northern and Southern Hemispheres
Figure 13: Eastern and Western Hemispheres
Landmasses do not always fit perfectly into only one hemisphere.
Remember, lines of latitude and longitude are a human creation. This grid
system enables geographers to more precisely locate places on the planet.
While all countries lie in at least two hemispheres, some countries lie in
more than two. There are twelve countries that straddle the equator and
are found in both the Northern and Southern Hemispheres.
Figure 15
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Similarly, there are countries whose territories are on both
sides the Prime Meridian. For example, France and Spain
in Europe along with Mali and Togo in Africa have the
unique privilege of being in both the Western and Eastern
Hemispheres.
Figure 16: Countries in
the Western and
Eastern Hemispheres
There is just one country in the
Figure 17: Kiribati is in
world that is located in all four
all four hemispheres.
hemispheres. The country of
Kiribati, which lies in the Pacific
Ocean near Australia and New Zealand, is not only divided by the equator,
but also by the one hundred and eighty degree line of longitude (the
International Dateline). Due to these divisions, Kiribati is found in all four
hemispheres.
Another way geographers regionalize the earth is by focusing on the
landmasses themselves. Traditionally, we define a continent as a large,
unbroken land mass surrounded by water. Today, we identify seven
continents of the world as North America, South America, Asia, Europe,
Africa, Antarctica, and Australia (or Oceania). However, not all of these
continents fit the
traditional definition.
Can you think of a
continent that is not
surrounded entirely by
water or a continent that
is not “an unbroken
landmass”?
Figure 18: Continents of the world
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