1. Geographer’s Tools
Maps
Globes
Graphs

2. Organization
The grid that covers a globe is made of lines that run east to west and north to south.
Lines of latitude run east-west
Lines of longitude run north-south

3. Organization
The equator is an imaginary line that circles the globe halfway between Earth.
Lines of latitude measure distances north and south of the equator. They are also know as parallels
The prime meridian is an imaginary line drawn from the North Pole through England to the South Pole
Lines of longitude, also called meridians, measure distance east and west of the P.M.

4. Parallels and meridians measure distances in degrees
Parallels and meridians measure distances in degrees. Those north of the
equator are noted with an N, south with an S. Meridians can go west or east
of the prime meridian and will be noted with a W or E

5. Hemispheres, Continents, and Oceans
The equator divides the world into two halves, or hemispheres. Northern and Southern
The prime meridian and the 180 meridian divide the world into Eastern and Western Hemispheres
7 Continents
4 Oceans

6. Maps Flat representations of all or part of Earth’s surface.
There are many ways of presenting our round earth on flat maps these are called map projections
Because the earth is round, all flat maps have some distortion.
Most common maps projections are cylindrical, conic, and flat-plane.

7. Great Circle Route
A straight line on a flat map is not the shortest distance
Shortest route is called a great-circle route
Pilots and ship captains use great-circle routes to help navigate
The loxodrome is a line of constant heading, and the great circle, although appearing longer than the loxodrome, is actually the shortest route between New York and London.

9. Map Elements
Cartographers provide basic map elements to help us translate the codes that contain information on maps
Almost all maps have several common elements
Distance scale
Key
Directional indicator

10. Distance Scale
Distance scales helps us determine real distance between two points on a map
Distances measured and measurements used can vary

11. Keys
A maps legend, or key, identifies the symbols representing cities, roads, and other features.
They can use colors to represent different elevations, regions, and locations

12. Directional Indicators
Shows which directions on a map are north, south, east, and west
A compass rose has arrows that point to all four principal directions

13. Other Elements
Inset maps are used to focus in on a small part of a larger map
They can focus in on a specific area or focus on an area that is far away
The map of the USA shows both contiguous and non contiguous states.
Contiguous means connected or bordering

14. Special-purpose maps
The two main types of maps we will be using are political and physical feature maps
Other include
Climate and precipitation maps
Population and economic maps
Elevation profile and topographic maps

15. Climate Graphs and Population Pyramids
Climate graphs show the average temperatures and precipitation in a place.
Population pyramids show the percentage of males and females by age group in a country’s population
Help us understand population trends in countries
Name comes from pyramid shape
If not in shape of a pyramid, called age-structure diagram