1. Opener – 5 minutes
Copy the following terms and definitions into your notebook:
Continent – a mass of continuous land.
Topography – a way of showing contrasting features on a map.
Afroeurasia – geographic region covering Africa, Europe and Asia.
Eurasia – land mass covering Europe and Asia.

2. The Earth’s Geography Work with a partner to answer the questions.
Let’s review your answers.
Is time “man-made”?
So is a continent… it’s an idea created by man.
What is a continent?

3. Is Europe a Continent?
The Oxford English Dictionary defines a “continent” as:
A continuous mass or extent of land
Does Europe fit this definition?
Given that Europe is only continuous if Asia is included, then why is Europe commonly called a Continent?

4. Is Europe a Continent?
Why aren’t North and South America one continent?
This is an example of who writes history.
Cartographers represent the world to the people with all of their knowledge, experiences, and points of view.

5. Types of Maps There are many factors that go into creating maps:
Political
Historical
Cultural

6. Topography of the Earth
This map shows the topography of the earth.
The elevations of the different physical features are highlighted in different colors.
Dark blue = lowest elevation
Red/orange = highest elevation
Light blue was once above sea level. = Continental Shelves

7. Topography of the Earth
According to this way of looking at the earth, how many continents are there?
How might have people moved from Asia to the Americas?
Where else on the map does ice provide a connection to other land masses?

8. Topography of the Earth
Think about other political maps you’ve seen.
How does this map compare with those maps?
What reasons might historians have for thinking about the earth this way?

9. Afroeurasia
Historians and geographers use this term when discussing activities that involve the three continents
Africa
Europe
Asia

10. Afroeurasia
What human activities could take place in such a large area?
Migration
Trade
Foraging
Remember Region?
Area with common
characteristics

11. Afroeurasia
Historians that study issues such as migration or trade might use a regional map such as this one. Why would this map be better than just a map of Africa?

12. Afroeurasia
Larger “geographic containers” such as this map allows us to see movement in and out of place and the location to where those people, things and ideas are moving to and from.

13. The Americas
What are some topics you could explore using the big “geographic container” of The Americas?

14. Map Scales
Work with a partner to complete the questions on the “Map Scales” worksheet.
Let’s hear your answers.

15. Analyzing Historical Maps
This map shows the trade routes in Afroeurasia in the 1300 – 1400s and the route of the Black Death. (Bubonic Plague)
Take some time to examine the maps and answer the questions.
Record your answers on the back of the sheet.

16. Analyzing Historical Maps
Compare the two maps and the patterns of movement… What do you notice?
Similar patterns of movement from west to east.
Same part of the world at the same time in history.
Scales of the two maps are very similar.
Looking at the two maps together, how do you think the Bubonic Plague spread?
Followed trade routes of China.
Looks like the plague spread over the land instead of water until it hit the Mediterranean.

17. Analyzing Historical Maps
Looking at the maps, where might the Black Death have started?
Somewhere in east Asia near or in China.
What might be one consequence of increased trade and increased human interactions?

18. Exit slip
On the “opener” paper that was given to you answer the following questions:
What challenges do historians face in using maps created in the present time to study the past?
What challenges do historians face in using old maps to study the past?