BASIC GEOGRAPHY

• Geography is the study of the relationship

between people and their physical
environment
• The name geography comes from GEO
meaning earth and GRAPHICA meaning
description.
 2 Branches of Geography
• Physical Geography
– Study of earth’s physical
processes
• Geology – rocks and earth
formations
• Environmental science –
human interaction with the
environment
• Topography – earth’s
features
• Cartography – map
making.
• Human (Cultural)
Geography
– Characteristics of human
activities
• Politics – governments
• History – significant
events
• Economics – how use
resources
• Sociology – human
societies
• Urban – cities
• Demographics – human
population statistics
•7 continents – Africa, Asia, Antarctica, South America, North
America, Europe & Australia

•5 Oceans – Southern, Arctic, Pacific, Indian, Atlantic

 AKA: Parallels

Numbers get higher the further North or South

you move away from the Equator

Latitude lines measure North or

South of the Equator

Zero Degrees Latitude is the Equator

90 Degree North (North Pole)

90 Degrees South (South Pole)
 Zero Degrees longitude is the Prime Meridian. 180 degrees
East or West is the International Date Line
By international agreement - 0 degrees longitude runs through
the Royal Observatory in Greenwich, England

Numbers get higher the farther you

move either East of West
Longitude lines measure East or
West of the Prime Meridian

AKA- Meridians
MEMORIZE THESE LINES!!
KNOW: Equator, 2 Tropics, 2 Circles, 2 Poles and their latitudes!!!!
Where lines of latitude and longitude cross they form a pattern known as a GRID
SYSTEM.

(a global address)

Absolute Location- a place found at a precise point

Ex.) Toyko, Japan is at 36 N Latitude and 140 E Longitude
Relative Location- is the location of one place in relation to another
Ex.) Sonic is across the street from Kroger
 Hemisheres
If you cut the Earth
through the Equator you
would get two halves, the
Northern and Southern
Hemisphere

If you cut the Earth through

the Prime Meridian you
would get two halves, the
Western and Eastern
Hemisphere

The US is in the Western Hemisphere and

the Northern Hemisphere
Each degree of the earth is equal to 1/360
of the earth. Each degree is divided into
60 minutes (‘). Each minute = 60 seconds
(“)
 • Globe - Scale model of the earth.

YOU ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR ALL OF THE VOCABULARY ON PAGES 14 – 15!

 Parts of the Map
• T – Title (top of map – where, what type of map, and
when it is showing)
• O – Orientation (compass rose – n,s,w,e)
• D – Date created (bottom right corner)
• A – Author (who made it – bottom right corner)
• L – Legend (key) explains symbols, shapes, numbers,
abbreviations used on the map
• S – Source (where did you get your information)
• I - Index of all the places on the map
• G – Grid is the pattern on the map to make location
easier (latitude & longitude usually).
TODALS - Must be on
• S – Scale (how big is the map compared to real life)

every map !!!

 Map Scale
Small Scale Maps-
Show large area with
little detail

Large Scale Maps-

Show small area with a lot
of detail
 Reading a Map see Pg 8-9

Show a wide variety of information

Physical Maps- Show topography (shape) of earths physical features

Political Maps- Show boundaries between countries. Also may

show cities, capitals, roads, railroads. Think man made!

Emphasize a single idea or a particular kind of

information
Economic Activity Map- Shows the distribution of land use and natural
resources.
 Globes to Maps
All maps have distortion because you are trying to take a 3-D sphere and make
it into a flat map. Distance, direction, shape, and size of land masses can be
distorted.
How do you make a sphere flat?

Cartographer- Mapmakers

(Go-cartographer)

Three basic categories are;

Planar, Cylindrical, Conic
Goode’s Interrupted Equal-
Area Projection Map
 Pro’s- 1) Accurate at center
Planar Projection
2) Every line is a line of true direction
(Azimuthal)
and represent the shortest distance
Con’s- 1) Distorts shape
 Pro’s- 1) Accurate near the equator
Cylindrical 2) Shows direction and true shape
Con’s- 1) Distorted near poles
 Pro’s- 1) Limited east-west areas not too far from the Equator
Conic 2) Indicates distances and directions fairly accurately
Con’s- 1) Distorts toward poles
2) Only shows one hemisphere at a time
 Common Map Projections
• Winkle-Tripel Projection- good
balance of size and shape of
land areas. The poles have
little distortion. National
Geographic Society adopted
this map type as the standard
in 1998. Computer generated

• Robinson Projection- Little

distortion, most distortion
appear at poles. More oval
than Winkle-Tripel. Computer
generated.
Goode’s Interrupted
Equal-Area
Projection- True
size and shape of
land, but distances
are distorted

Mercator Projection-
Accurate at equator,
but distorts size and
distance as you
move away from
equator. Accurately
shows true direction,
good for sea travel
and navigation.
Pizza Hut is near the pyramids in Egypt
 Places and Regions
Place- a particular space with physical and human meaning.

Region- areas united by specific factors

Formal (uniform)- common characteristic such as a product
Ex.- The Cornbelt

Functional- is an urban central point (core) and surrounding area

(periphery) that are connected to it.
Ex- New Caney is in Houston’s functional region

Perceptual- is defined by popular feelings and images

Ex.- “Heartland”
Great Circle Routes

• Shortest distance between two

points on a map!
• Maps distort distance, for
example it may look shorter to
travel between two areas on a
map than it really is.