Geography Handbook
Part 1:
Five Themes of Geography
Location
1. What question does location answer?
 Where Am I?
2. What is absolute location?
 Your exaction location (latitude and longitude).
3. What is relative location?
 Your location in relation to another place.
4. Use the “North America Political Map” on page A26 and answer the following
questions.
a. Absolute location of Pittsburgh (PA):
 40 N, 80 W
b. Absolute location of New Orleans (LA):
 30 N, 90 W
c. Relative location the United States:
 South of Canada, North of Mexico, East of the Pacific Ocean,
West of the Atlantic Ocean
d. Relative location of Houston (TX):
 South of Dallas, West of New Orleans, Along the Gulf of Mexico
Regions
5. Regions allow geographers to do what?

Divide the World.
6. A region can be as large as…..
 Continent.
a. And as small as…
 Neighborhood.
7. What ties a region together?
 Shared (common) characteristics.
a. Give 3 examples of how a region might be tied together:
 Political Divisions, Climate, Language or Religion.
8. Name 3 different regions.
 Continents, Countries, States, Counties, Time Zones, Climate
Zones, ….
Place
9. What question does place answer?

What is PLACE like? (Describe the things you see and feel while
there).
10.When describing a place, you are referring to its
___ and ___ characteristics.
 Physical and Human
a. Physical characteristics are:
 Natural features of the land.
Give 3 Examples of physical characteristics:
 Landscape, plants, animals and weather
b. Human characteristics explain what?
 What the people (humans) are like.
Give 3 examples of human characteristics:
 Language, art, architecture, clothing, language, religion
(things that are very specific to humans)
Movement
11. Movement is…

The shifting (movement) of people, goods and ideas/information
from one place to another.
a. What are two reason people are constantly moving?
 Better places to live and to trade goods (improve life).
b. Movement allows what to be shared?
 Ideas (not just things).
c. What affect has technology had on movement?
 It has quickened the movement of ideas and goods.
12.What do we call the movement of people and goods (Not in the
book)?
 Transportation
13.What do we call the movement of ideas and information (Not in the
book)?
 Communication
Human Environment Interaction
14.This theme refers to…

The ways people interact with their environment.
a. Give 3 examples of Human-Environment
Interaction:
 Building a dam (or any structure), cutting down trees, sitting
in the sun, irrigating the land
 Humans interact by finding ways to use, modify or change the
environment (land/climate) around them.
Geography Handbook
Part 2:
Map Basics
Types of Maps
1.What do political maps show?
 Political Units (Countries, States, towns, etc…)
2.What do thematic maps show?
 Specific themes/concepts/ideas (Economic Activity,
battles, etc…)
3.What do physical maps show?
 Natural land features (mountains, rivers, lakes,
etc…)
Reading a Map
a. Lines:
 Boundaries, roads,
movement, rivers, etc…
b. Symbols:
 Represent items on the
map (see the
key/legend).
c. Labels:
 Words or phrases that
explain things on the
map.
d. Compass Rose:
 Displays N/S/E/W.
e. Scale:
 Gives you the distance
on a map compared to
actual distance.
f.
Colors:

Another way of
displaying specific
information's (often
from the key/legend).
g. Legend (or Key):
 Lists and explains
symbols, lines, colors,
etc… on the map.
h. Lines of Longitude:
 Imaginary lines
measuring distance:
East-West.
i. Lines of Latitude:
 Imaginary lines
measuring distance:
North-South.
Longitude Lines
5. Longitude lines are known as…

Meridians
6. Longitude lines run from ___ to ___.
 North to South
7. Longitude lines show distances ___ and ___ of the
prime meridian.
 East and West
a. The distance is measured in…

degrees
8. What is the prime meridian?
 Longitude line that measures 0º
Latitude Lines
9. Latitude lines are known as…

Parallels
10.Latitude lines run from ___ to ___.
 East to West
11.Latitude lines show distances ___ and ___ of the
equator.
 North and South
a. The distance is measured in…

degrees
12.What is the equator?
 Latitude line that measures 0º
Hemispheres
Projections
13. Hemisphere means…
14. Projections are simply
ways to ___ a map.

Half the Globe
a.
The world can be divided two
different ways, what are they?
 Northern and
Southern
Hemispheres
 Eastern and
Western
Hemispheres
 Along what two lines are these
divisions made?
 Northern/Southe
rn Hemispheres
(Equator)
 Eastern and
Western
Hemispheres
(Prime Meridian)
Displaying the
curved surfaces on a
map
 *Remember the world
is not flat like a map.

Geography Handbook
Part 3:
Physical Geography
Introduction
Land
1. Physical geography is all…
2. Give 5 examples of land (and
land features). Hint: not
necessarily in your book.
 All Natural features
of/on the earth (things
naturall found, not
man made or man
altered).

Cliff, Butte, oasis,
marsh, steppe, prairie
(*See pages A12-A13)
3. Why might different types of
land be important in history,
especially in ancient history?
 Each type of landform
is full of many
advantages and
disadvantages.
Resources
4.
Give 5 examples of resources. Hint: not necessarily in your book
 Air, soil, water, sunlight, minerals, fossil fuels,
forests, animal life, etc…
a.
b.
c.
5.
Define natural resources (use a dictionary):

Materials (naturally) found in nature.
Define renewable resources (use a dictionary):

Resources that can be replaced as they are
used (forests, water…)
Define non-renewable resources (use a dictionary):

Resources that CANNOT be replaced as they
are used (fossil fuels)
Why might resources be important in history, especially in ancient
history?
 People had to settle in regions that provided the
resources needed to sustain their life, OR they had
to find ways to acquire these resources (trade,
conquest).
Climate
6. Define climate (use a dictionary):

Pattern of weather in one place over many years (not just
one year).
7. Give 3 examples of climate. Hint: not necessarily in your
book
 Polar (Extremely Cold Regions), Tropical (Extremely Hot
Regions), Temperate (Mixture of Warm/Cold…not really the
extremes)
 Examples of weather within climate: Rain, Snow, Hail, Humid,
Dry, etc…
8. Why might climate be important in history, especially in
ancient history?
 The climate in a particular area will tell the people what
types of clothes they can/should wear, the types of homes
they can/should build, the types of crops/plants they
can/should grow, and the types of resources that might be
found there.
Vegetation
Assessment
9. Give 5 different examples of
vegetation. Hint: not
necessarily in your book
11. Define diverse (use a
dictionary):

Trees, Flowers, Crops,
Grass, Vines, Shrubs,
etc…
10.Why might the types and
amount of vegetation be
important in history, especially
in ancient history?
 Vegetation can offer
resources used in
everyday life (shelter,
food, medicine, fire,
protection, etc…)

differing from one
another, composed
of distinct or unlike
parts.
12. What do you think are the
advantages of living in an
area with a diverse physical
geography?
 Better chance of
survival (more
options).
*Any disadvantages????