Fall 2015
• Physical Geography
Introduction
Engage
• Pick a place in the world would like to visit.
– What did you see in that place?
– What was the landscape like?
– What was the weather like?
– What were the people like?
– What was the vegetation or animals like?
What is Geography?
• Geography is the study of place and
space.
• Study of human activity, the natural
environment, and the relationship between
the two (human-environment interactions).
• Geographers look at where things are
and why they are there.
What is Geography?
Geography can be defined as the study of
people, their environments and their
resources.
What is Geography
Geography is closely linked to history.
History is the account of what has
happened in the lives of different people.
Physical v. Cultural Geography
Physical Geography
Cultural Geography
Rocks/Minerals
Population/Settlements/Urbanization
Landforms
Economic and Political Systems
Animal and Plant Life
Transportation
Soils
Human Migration
Atmosphere/Climate/Weather
Social Systems
Environment
Recreation
Rivers/Oceans/Other bodies of
Water
Religion/Belief System
•Physical Geography is the study of the Natural Landscape of the Earth
•Cultural Geography is the study of the Human Landscape of the Earth.
•What kinds of tools
would geographers
use?
•7 continents – Africa, Asia, Antarctica, South America, North
America, Europe & Australia
•5 Oceans – Southern, Arctic, Pacific, Indian, Atlantic
Maps and Globes –
What’s the difference?
• Maps – “two dimensional” –
usually only show parts of the
Earth’s surface.
• Globes – “three dimensional”
representation of the Earth,
shows whole surface.
Who makes maps?
• Cartographers are people who make maps.
What is an Atlas?
• An ATLAS is a book of
maps.
• You have an Atlas in your
textbook also has an Atlas
Section near the front.
• Get to know them both, we
will use them a lot this year!
Parts of A Map
• Title – explains the subject of the map
• Compass Rose – shows the “Cardinal
Directions”, meaning North, South, East, and
West
• Legend or “Key” - shows and explains the
symbols used on the map
• Scale – shows the true size of the objects
shown on the map
Activity: Identify the Map Parts
Number your paper #1-#4. Identify and label each part
of the map below, using the terms you just learned.
What main types of
maps are there?
PHYSICAL MAPS
POLITICAL MAPS
THEMATIC MAPS
Physical Maps
• Show natural features such as landforms and physical borders;
lakes, rivers, mountain ranges, and things that were around before
humans
• Physical Borders – Borders defined by a physical feature
• Example - Rio Grande River, between USA and Mexico
Activity 2 – Using Physical Maps
Use the World Physical Map on p A2-A3 of your
textbook to answer these questions on your own
paper.
1. What mountain range separates
European Russia from Asia?
2. What two mountain ranges run the
length of North and South America?
Political Maps
Show features on the earth’s surface that humans created.
Examples of things on a political map?
• Political Borders – borders created by governments
• National and State Borders,
• City Limits, capitals
Activity 3 – Using Political Maps
Use the World Political Map on p. A4-A5 of your textbook to
answer these questions.
1. What are the two countries that lie on the Himalayan
border between India and China?
2. What is the name of the largest island in the world?
3. How many countries share a border with Brazil?
Thematic Maps
•Thematic maps can be tricky, there are
many different kinds.
•They all do the same thing… they show
information
Some common thematic maps:
•Population maps
•Weather maps
•Resource maps
•Topographic maps
How data and values are displayed:
•Choropleths use differences in shading or
color to show variables.
•Cartograms represent map feature surfaces in
such a way, as to make them proportional to a
given statistical variable.
What Are Choropleths?
•
•
Thematic map that uses graded
differences in shading or color or the
placing of symbols inside defined
areas on the map in order to indicate
the average values of some property
or quantity in those areas
Many different kinds.
Examples???
•
Climate
•
Vegetation
•
Natural Resources
•
Population
What are Cartograms?
•
A cartogram is a map in which some thematic
mapping variable is substituted for land area
or distance.
•
The geometry or space of the map is distorted
in order to convey the information of this
alternate variable.
Area cartograms are maps in which the sizes of geographic regions such
as countries or provinces appear in proportion to some demographic
feature such as population, avg. income, disease incidence, etc.).
More cartograms……………
Is Walmart taking over?
Which state has the most McDonalds? Is Starbucks a west-coast phenomenon?
Top Ten Countries of Citizenship for Billionaires
Total
Number
Country
425
United States
96
Russia
95
China
55
Germany
48
India
38
Hong Kong
36
Brazil
36
United Kingdom
34
Turkey
5 Themes
• Geographers study the world by looking at
– Location
– Place
– Region
– Movement
– Human-Environment Interaction
Location
Where is it?
Absolute Location
• is the exact place on the earth where a geographic feature is found.
• 3322 RR 620 South Austin, TX 78738
• LTHS Room J205
• Latitude = 30 degrees, 19.7 minutes North
• Long = 97 degrees, 58.2 minutes West
Relative Location
• describes a place in comparison to other places around it.
– Ex. Next door to the Wendy’s
Place – What is it like?
• describes the physical features and cultural
characteristics of a location.
Region – How are places similar or
different?
• describes an area of the earth’s surface with
similar characteristics, usually more than
one.
GEOGRAPHIC REGIONS:
What defines a region?
• physical (natural) characteristics
– landforms, climate, vegetation
• human (cultural) characteristics
– language, religion, ethnicity, population
Sub-Regions
• Further classification of Regions based upon physical
features and human characteristics.
Examples: The United States is in the North American
Region. However, the U.S. has several sub-regions:
Northeast, Midwest, South, etc.
Movement
• How and why people, plants, animals, and
ideas move through time and place?
Human–Environment Interaction
• People learn to use what the environment
offers them and to change that environment
to meet their needs.
How to remember the 5 themes!
• M - Movement
• R - Region
•
•
•
•
H – Human Interaction
E – Environment Interaction
L - Location
P - Place
What theme might this picture represent?
What theme might this picture represent?
What theme might this picture represent?
What theme might this picture represent?
What are
important lines
on
“Geographer’s
Grid”?
• Equator – Divides the
earth between Northern
Hemisphere and
Southern Hemisphere
• Prime Meridian – Divides
the Eastern Hemisphere
from Western
Hemisphere
What is a
hemisphere?
• One half of the Earth.
• North, South, East, West
all have hemispheres.
Where are the
“The
Tropics”?
• Tropic of Cancer – 23.5*
North of Equator
• Sun’s most northern
location on June 21st
• Tropic of Capricorn –
23.5* South of Equator
• Sun’s most southern
location on December 21st
Where are the “Polar Circles”?
• Arctic Circle – 66.5* North of
the Equator
• begins the north polar region
• Antarctic Circle – 66.5* South
of the Equator
• begins South polar regions
What is
“Latitude and
Longitude”?
•It is a grid for finding
your
location on the Earth.
Like “X and Y” from the
grid in math class.
Or like a football field.
Or like the game
“Battleship”
What is Latitude?
•
•
•
•
Run parallel to Equator
Measures North and
South
90 degrees North latitude
90 degrees South latitude
Important lines of Latitude:
1. Equator
2. Tropic of Cancer
3. Tropic of Capricorn
4. Arctic Circle
5. Antarctic Circle
What is Longitude?
• Run parallel to
Prime Meridian
• Measures East and
West
• 180 degrees of East
longitude
• 180 degrees of West
longitude
• Total = 360 degree
circle
• All lines meet at
North Pole and stretch
to South Pole
How do you use Latitude and
Longitude to find your way?
1.
2.
3.
Find the right hemispheres (N, S, E, W).
Trace latitude and longitude till they meet.
FOLLOW THE CURVE!
Classwork
• Latitude and Longitude Worksheet
• Finish 7 Continents and 5 Oceans Map
• Map Quiz Next Class.