Geography Notes

Geography: The study of features on Earth’s surface including landforms, bodies of water, climate, plants, animals and people. There are two types of geography: Human and Physical

Human Geography The study of how people have spread across Earth and their human-made features such as towns, farms, dams, and roads.

Physical Geography The study of natural features on the surface of Earth such as mountains, plants, animals, temperature, wind and weather.

The Geographic Setting Absolute location – the precise point where a place is located on Earth Relative location- where a place is located in relation to another place Distortion- a change in the shape, size, or position of a place when it is shown on a map Map projection- a way of representing the spherical Earth on a flat surface (a map)

Map Titles and Symbols A map title tells what a map shows (the main topic.) A compass rose shows directions. A map legend or key lists symbols and what they stand for. A map grid is a system of lines on a map. A global grid consists of latitude and longitude lines.

Latitude & Longitude Every place on Earth has an absolute location. Latitude and longitude lines are used to find absolute location. Parallels of latitude are imaginary lines that run east and west around the globe. They never meet. They are measured north and south of the equator in units called degrees. Meridians of longitude are half circles that run

From the north pole to the south pole. They are not parallel. They are measured east and west of the prime meridian. A coordinate is the meeting point of a latitude and longitude line. It names the absolute location.

Map Scale Scale tells how distances on a map compare to actual distances on Earth. A large-scale map gives a close-up view of a small area. A small-scale map shows a larger area with fewer details.

Hemispheres Hemisphere – half of the earth The equator divides the earth into the northern and southern hemispheres. The prime meridian and International Date Line divide the Earth into the western and eastern hemispheres.