5 Themes of Geography
1. location
2. place
3. region
4. human earth relationships
5. movement
Parallels
East-West circle on the earth's surface, lying on a plane parallel to the equator
Latitudes
An angular distance for a point north or south of the equator, as measured from the earth's center, like ladders
7 Important Latitude Lines
- North Pole 90'N
- Arctic Circle 65.5'N
- Tropic of Cancer 23.5'N
- Equator 0'
- Tropic of Capricorn 23.5'S
- Anta
Longitude v. Latitude
latitude = horizontal
longitude = vertical
Cartography
A sub field of geography, representing earth through maps;
Cartographer
A person who makes maps
Tropic of Capricorn
A line of latitude located at 23�30' SOUTH. The Sun is directly overhead the Tropic of Capricorn on the summer solstice in the Southern Hemisphere (Dec. 20 or 21). It marks the southernmost point of the tropics.
Tropic of Cancer
A line of latitude located at 23�30' NORTH of the equator. The Sun is directly overhead the Tropic of Cancer on the summer solstice in the Northern Hemisphere (June 20 or 21). It marks the northernmost point of the tropics, which falls between the Tropic
International Date Line (IDL)
Imaginary line on the surface of the earth following (approximately) the 180th meridian,
An arc that for the most part follows 180� longitude, although it deviates in several places to avoid dividing land areas. When you cross the International Date Line
Arctic Circle
66.5 degrees north
66.5 degrees north. experiences near total light during northern hemisphere summer. experiences near total darkness during northern hemisphere winter.
Antarctic Circle
66.5 degrees South
66.5 S, gets sunlight from fall equinox to spring equinox
66.5 degrees S. Shortest Day: June 21. Longest: Dec. 21
66 1/2 degrees South summer solstice 24 hrs darkness.
Map Projections
A way of representing the spherical Earth on a flat surface
Conic, Cylindrical, Interrupted, and Plane are different types...
Peninsula
A piece of land that is surrounded by water on three sides.
Strait
A narrow passage of water connecting two large bodies of water
Canyon
A deep valley with steep sides or cliffs.
Cliff
A high, steep face of rock or earth.
Tributary
A stream or river that flows into a larger river
River
A large body of fresh water that moves from higher to lower land. Usually flows into another river, lake, sea, or ocean.
Delta
A low triangular area where a river divides before entering a larger body of water
Plateau
A broad, flat area of land higher than the surrounding land
Valley
An area of low land between hills or mountains.
Isthmus
A narrow strip of land connecting two larger land areas
Island
A body of land completely surrounded by water
Bay
A body of water that is partially enclosed by land (is usually smaller than a gulf)
Gulf
A large body of water that is almost completely enclosed by land.
Coast
Land along a large lake, a sea, or an ocean.
Harbor
A sheltered body of water where ships can safely anchor.
Lake
A body of (usually fresh) water surrounded by land
Basin
A low place in the surface of the land, usually with a body of water occupying the lowest part
Sea
A large body of salt water nearly or partly surrounded by land.
Archipelago
A chain of islands
Mountain
Land with steep sides that rises sharply (1,000 feet or more) from surrounding land; generally larger and more rugged than a hill
Biomass
Plant material, manure, or any other organic matter that is used as an energy source
Conservation
Wise use or preservation of natural resources so as to maintain supplies and qualities at levels sufficient to meet present and future needs
Desertification
Conversion of arid and semi arid lands into deserts as a result of climatic change or human activities such as overgrazing or deforestation
Geothermal
Energy derived from the heat in the interior of the earth
Hydropower
Use of the kinetic energy in moving water such as rivers or tidal currents to generate electricity.
Nonrenewable Resources
Resources that cannot be replaced in a short amount of time, people will use them up before they can be replaced by nature
Renewable Resources
Any natural resource (as wood or solar energy) that can be replenished naturally with the passage of time
Solar
Energy from the Sun that is clean, inexhaustible, and can be transformed into electricity by solar cells
Wetland
A vegetated inland or coastal area that is either occasionally or permanently covered by standing water or saturated with moisture
Swamp
A wetland that is forested typically found near or along rivers
Marsh
A wet treeless prarie covered with water and grass/cattail
Fossil Fuels
Coal, Petroleum (oil) and Natural Gas
Mercator Projection
Shows most of the continents how they look on the globe, but stretches out the lands near the poles.
Robinson Projection
Most commonly used map projection with continents and oceans nearly their true shapes and sizes, however the poles appear flattened.
Azimuthal Projection
Shows distances and directions accurately from the center point, but distorts shapes and sizes elsewhere.
Physical Map
Helps you see the landforms and bodies of water in specific areas.
Political Map
Shows features humans have created such as the boundaries between states, provinces, territories, and countries.
Topographic Map
A map that shows land elevations.
Map Legend
A map key explaining the meaning of various symbols, colors, lines, fonts, etc...
Compass Rose
Navigational instrument for finding directions.
Map Scale
The ratio between the size of something and a representation of it.