Chapter 2, Lesson 1
Studying Geography
It Matters Because:
Geography helps us
understand our place in the
world.
I. Displaying the Earth’s
Surface
A.Why use a globe?
B. Why use a flat map?
1. Most accurate way to
display Earth as it is
2. Modeling Earth on a
sphere eliminates
distortion
3. All sizes, shapes,
distances and directions
can be
shown as they
truly are
1. Easier to carry than a
globe; can be folded &
carried anywhere
2. Can show greater detail of
small areas
3. Can be used to show
many different types of
information:
a. political boundaries
b. physical features
II.
Hemispheres
A. The Equator
B. Prime Meridian
1. Divides Earth into two
hemispheres:
a. Northern & Southern
1. Divides Earth into two
hemispheres:
a. Eastern & Western
2. Measured in degrees of
2. Measured in degrees of
latitude North & South
longitude East & West
of
the Equator
of
the Prime Meridian
C. Latitude & longitude lines form grid of degrees &
minutes
III. From Globes to
Maps
A. Lines are distorted when transferred from globe
to flat map
1. Distort - stretch, squeeze, or otherwise change shape
B. A flat map is a projection of the globe
1. Projection - method of showing Earth on a flat map
C. Mapmakers must decide what to distort
1. Landforms usually stretched instead of large empty
(ocean) spaces
D. Mercator
Projection
1. Shapes of
landforms and
directions are
accurate
2. Sizes of
landforms and
distances are not
accurate
3. Distortion is
greater farther
E. Robinson
Projection
1. Much less
distortion on
size of
landforms
2. Directions are
IV. Five Themes of
Geography
A. Location: where something can be found
1. Absolute Location: latitude & longitude coordinates, street
address
2. Relative Location: location in relation to another object or
location
B. Place: human & physical characteristics of a location
C. Human-environment interaction: how humans adapt to
modify their environment
D. Movement: movement of people & ideas from one
location to another
V. Types of Maps
A. Political
1. Shows names and
borders of locations
(countries, states, etc.)
2. Shows cities and major
physical features
3. Colors used to stress
political borders
B. Physical
1. Shows landforms &
water features
2. Displays rivers, deserts,
grasslands, mountains,
glaciers, etc.
2. Colors used to
illustrate features &
often elevation
Political Map
- Tennessee
Counties
Political Map
- Tennessee
Congressiona
l Districts
Physical
Maps Tennessee
landforms &
major
waterways
VI. Special Purpose
Maps
A. Maps can be used to display specific information
1. Population
VI. Special Purpose
Maps
2. Voting patterns
VI. Special Purpose
Maps
3. Historical
VI. Special Purpose
Maps
4. Roads
VII. How Do I Read a
Map?
A. Understand the map key
1. Explains lines, colors, symbols
B. Understand the map scale
1. Scale - explains how distance is calculated on map
C. Understand Cardinal Directions
1. north, south, east, and west
VIII. Using Tables,
Graphs, &
Diagrams
A. To interpret these tools, first
read
title
B. Tables show facts in
organized way
1. Arranged in rows & columns
2. Read labels across rows &
down columns
VIII. Using Tables, Graphs, &
Diagrams
C. Graphs come in many different
types
1. Bar - uses wide colored lines to
compare data
2. Line - shows change over time
3. Pie - shows data as parts of a
whole
VIII. Using Tables, Graphs, &
Diagrams
D. Diagram specialized
picture that
shows:
1. steps in a
process
VIII. Using Tables, Graphs, &
Diagrams
2. parts of an
object
VIII. Using Tables, Graphs, &
Diagrams
3. how something works
IX. Population &
Culture
A. Population - number of people living in a certain
location
1. Population density - number of people living in a specific
area (such as a square mile)
2. Migration - movement of a population from one location to
another
B. Culture - set of beliefs, behaviors, traits shared by
members of a
group
1. Cultural Diffusion - when members of more than one culture
come together, parts of each culture are shared