Basics of Geography

Cornell Notes Basics of Geography Topic/Objective: Essential Question: Basics of Geography What are the basic geographic elements of the planet?

Geography Basics: Compass Every map has a compass The four ‘cardinal’ directions are north, south, east, and west The four ‘intermediate’ directions are northwest, northeast, southwest, and southeast

Geography Basics: 4 Oceans Oceans are the largest bodies of water on earth We have 4 oceans They are the Atlantic, Pacific, Indian, and Arctic oceans

Geography Basics: 7 Continents The largest bodies of land on earth are known as continents We have 7 continents North America, South America, Europe, Africa, Asia, Australia, and Antarctica

Geography Basics: Equator and Prime Meridian The world is divided by a grid of lines to help locate points These lines are called latitude (running horizontally) and longitude (running vertically) Equator (0 degrees latitude) and the Prime Meridian (o degrees longitude)

Geography Basics: Poles and The Tropics The most northern and southern points on earth are the north and south pole The tropics are the area between 23.5 North (Tropic of Cancer) and 23.5 South (Tropic of Capricorn)

Geography Basics: Hemispheres The Equator and Prime meridian divide the world into big halves. We call these hemispheres Equator divides the northern and southern hemispheres Prime Meridian divides the eastern and western hemispheres