Unit One: Intro to Geography and Physical Geography
Themes of Geography & Maps
These are used to describe patterns and connections in the use of space
Five Themes of Geography
Where is it at? Place Names
◦ labels for locations – toponym ◦ ex: Georgia, New York City
Relative Location◦ location relative to other locations ◦ ex: Go west on Highway 53, turn right at the Rome Bypass
Absolute Location◦ geographic grid (38 °N 120 °W)
latitude & longitude ◦ site
Theme 1: Location
What is it like? The physical and
cultural characteristics of a location
Theme 2: Place
How are places similar and different? Places near each other have common features. This
makes a region Formal Region –
◦ Designated by official boundaries or names◦ Continents, Countries, States, Cities
Functional Region◦ organized around a set of specific actions or connections◦ Cities located on I-75 for example
Perceptual Region ◦ Region that has certain characteristics, but people define
those characteristics in different ways◦ Where does Atlanta begin?
Theme 3: Region
World Culture Regions
Predominant Languages by Region
Predominant Religions by Region
How do people, goods and ideas move from one location to another?
Distance is key to movement. Distance can be defined in three ways◦ Linear distance◦ Time Distance ◦ Psychological Distance
Theme 4: Movement
How do people relate to the physical world?◦ People change the environment◦ The environment changes people
Theme 5: Human-Environment Interaction
Small groups (3 is ideal) Use the five themes to describe your
environment/community1) What is your location? (use multiple descriptions)2) What is this place? (specific or general features)3) What regions is this place a part of? (formal, functional or
perceptual)4) What patterns of movement are a significant part of this
community? (Why and how do people move?)5) How have people changed the environment in our
surroundings?
Assignment
Where can you walk one mile south, one mile east and then one mile north and end up where you started?
Brain Teaser
The interpretation of a map changes depending on the information it gives
Additional information can change the way one interprets a map
MAP ACTIVITY – BUILDING A SCHOOL
Title Compass Rose Labels Legend Lines of Latitude Lines of Longitude Scale Symbols
Reading a Map
Latitude or Parallels Longitude or
Meridian
Using a coordinate system, latitude is listed first, followed by longitude
Geographic Grid
Are always written first Are always equidistant from each other Run east-west (horizontally) and measure
distance from the equator Location is measured in terms of degrees of
latitude north or south of equator The equator is 0° 69.7 miles between every degree of latitude
Latitudes
A meridian or line of longitude is a half circle from one pole to the other
Run north-south and measure distance from Prime Meridian
Are not equidistant from each other, except at the equator
Meet at the North and South poles The length of a meridian is 20,003.93 km
Longitude
The convergence of longitude
The Poles
The Earth spins on its axis The ends of this axis are the
geographic north and south poles The compass needle points to
the magnetic north pole, which is in northern Canada
The axis of the Earth is tilted 23.5°, and wobbles a bit
Tilt is called inclination Inclination and variation in
sunlight cause seasons The equator divides the world
into two hemispheres, Northern and Southern
Important Facts
Foucault’s Pendulum
The Equator is 0° latitude The Prime Meridian is 0° longitude
Lines of Reference
The ancient Greeks knew the equator existed, but it was not located exactly until the 16th century
The sun is directly overhead at 12:00 noon on the March and September Equinoxes
The equator divides the world into the Northern and Southern Hemispheres
The Equator
The Prime Meridian is the reference line longitude
Located at 0° longitude, passing through Greenwich Observatory, London
In October of 1884, international delegates met in Washington DC and agreed to its current location
The Prime Meridian
On Wednesday, July 9 1522, the survivors of Magellan’s expedition to circle the globe returned to Spain
However, they found that it was Thursday This phenomenon caused many a great
distress but it was soon solved.
The International Date Line
When it is 12:00 noon in Greenwich, England, it is 12:00 midnight at the IDL. (page A16)
Lose a day when travelling westward (the same direction as Magellan); Gain a day when travelling eastward.
If one crosses the date line at precisely midnight, going westward, one skips an entire day; while going eastward, one repeats the entire day.
The International Date Line
The art and science of map making The map is the most important tool of
geography
Cartography
a. Topographic – map that quantitatively shows relief (altitude)
Uses?
Types of Maps
◦ Dot map◦ Choropleth map◦ Isoline map ◦ Cartogram –
b. Thematic Map
Dot represents a piece of data, dots may vary in size
Uses, advantages?
Dot Map
shaded colors represents degrees of data
Uses, advantages?
Choropleth Map
Also called a contour line map
Lines divide areas of different data sets
Uses, examples?
Isoline Map
(not a cartogram)
Cartogram
The geometry or space of a map is distorted to convey the data
Uses?
Cartogram
Cartogram – people living with AIDS
show terrain, climate, vegetation. Cities or borders are not a major feature
c. Physical Map
represent political units (cities, counties, states, countries)
d. Political Maps
Projection is representing the curved Earth on a flat surface
Map Projections
Longitudes are equally spaced This distorts land sizes near the poles Good for ocean navigation Mercator
a. Cylindrical Projection
Find a balance between distortion and scale Less distortion, visually appealing Robinson
b. Compromise Projection
Minimal distortion Shows part of the
Earth Lambert
c. Conic Projection
d. Azimuthal Distortion of land size and distance – but a straight line shows the shortest route between two points (navigation by air)
What is this type of map?
Check What You’ve Learned
Is this a large scale or small scale map?
Check What You’ve Learned
What is this type of map?
Check What You’ve Learned
What is this type of map? What is the projection used?
Check What You’ve Learned
Development of Geographic Thought
1. Four Traditions of Geography
Physical geography Describing the Earth – biospheres,
lithosphere
a. Earth Science Tradiiton
Mapping Boundaries distribution
b. Locational tradition
Human impact on nature Environmentalism
c. cultural-environment tradition
Description of regions Trends and patterns
d. area-analysis tradition
2. Why Geography Matters
Western Civilization – ◦ Greeks accurately described the world with their
tools and knowledge◦ Columbus and other explorers drew on this
knowledge in the explorations of the 1400s and 1500s
China◦ Zheng He – Chinese explorer, early 1400s
Islamic World – ◦ Ibn Battuta - Muslim traveler, 1300s
a. Age of Exploration
Ptolemy (2nd century AD)
Zheng He’s flagship
b. Globalizationc. Devolution d. Supranationalism e. Environmentalismf. Data collection
a. Regional – focus on a region, study all cultural & physical matters of that region
b. Systematic – focus on a theme and compare and contrast different regions
3. The study of geography
Developed in 1884 Wladimir Koppen Concept – vegetation determines climate Climate can be categorized by temperature
and precipitation
Koppen Classification System
Add to Text: Chapter 4 Section 1 Chapter 4 Vocabulary:
◦ Culture◦ Ethnic group◦ Diffusion ◦ Hearth (cultural hearth in text)◦ Acculturation
Unit Guide Addendums