What
is Geography?
2014 – 09 – 15
Geography is
the study of the earth, its people and the interaction between them.
2 main branches
in Geography:
1)
Human
Geography
2)
Physical Geography
Physical Geography is the study of landforms, climate, winds,
and all other physical features of the earth.
Physical
characteristics refer to natural conditions of an area or region such as
plains, mountains, or shields. A physical region
is defined by features such as landforms, climates and vegetation.
5 Themes
of Geography
ü Place & Location
ü Region
ü Movement
ü Environment
ü Interaction
Geographic Organizer
Unit Title
|
Chapter
Headings
|
Themes of
Geographic Inquiry
|
1)
Place & Location
2)
Region
3)
Movement
4)
Environment
5)
Interaction
|
Patterns in
Physical Geography
|
1)
Landforms
2)
Climate and Vegetation
3)
Rivers
4)
Agriculture
|
Natural
Resources
|
1)
Types of Natural Resources
2)
Non-renewable resources
3)
Renewable resources
4)
Flow Natural Resources
5)
Sustainable Development
|
Five
Themes of Geography - Notes from the Video
2014 - 10
- 21
Geo -
means earth
Graphia -
means description
Therefore, Geography is a description of the earth.
Maps
& Globes
7
Continents on our globe - North America, South America, Europe, Asia,
Australia, Africa & Antarctica
5 Oceans
on our globe - Atlantic, Pacific, Indian, Arctic, & Antarctic
Cartographers
- people who design & create maps
Population
- 7.2 billion
Surface
Area - 315 200 000 squared kilometers (45.028 people / square km)
Types of
Maps - a) General
b) Thematic
Map
Criteria - All maps should include:
1.
Title
2.
Legend
3.
Scale
4.
Compass Rose
5.
Grid (Latitude & Longitude)
6.
Symbols
5 Themes
of Geography
1.
Place & Location
2.
Region
3.
Movement
4.
Environment
5.
Interaction
Hemisphere=
half of the earth, divided by the equator
Equator=0
degrees latitude
Longitude=
Meridians
·
Prime Meridian & International Date Line
Location
·
2 Types - a)
Relative - close/near
b)
Absolute- Exact/ use coordinates/ Latitude & Longitude
Place
·
Human characteristics - building, clothing, food
·
Physical characteristics- Plant life, landscape,
weather
·
Seasons - summer solstice June 21st (Longest day
of the year)
winter
solstice - December 21st (Shortest day of the year)
·
climatic zones - tropical, temperate, polar
·
4 layers of the earth -crust, mantle, outer core
& inner core
·
earth is made up of tectonic plates
·
where crust plates meet are called fault lines -
could be locations of earthquakes & volcanoes
Chapter 1 - Key Facts / Chapter Summary
2014-10-21
Location is
our personal position on the earth identified by an address. There are 2 types
of location: Relative and Absolute.
1) Relative location tells us where
something is in relation to something else. Eg. Ruthven is between Kingsville
and Leamington
2) Absolute location gives us the exact
location of any place on earth using lines of latitude and longitude. Eg. Kingsville
is located at 42 02 N 82 45W
GPS - is a
device that helps us locate any position on the earth's surface. (uses
satellites)
GPS - Global
Positioning System
Mental Maps
- our image in our head of what a place looks like or where it is located.
Characteristics of a Map
2012-09-15
All maps should include the
following characteristics:
1) Title and date
2) Colour – used to represent various physical
features Eg. – Green for grass/land, blue for water
3) Legend to identify all features
4) Symbols
5) Compass Rose – indicates cardinal directions
(North , South, East, West)
6) Scale – indicating the size of items on your
map in relation to the actual size in real life or on the earth’s surface.
7) **Alphanumeric Grid – you will find on most
maps in atlas’ and road maps.
8) Border
Location and Place
Unique characteristics will identify
a certain location. For example, Niagara Falls cannot be mistaken for another
place. The physical characteristics include the shape of the land, weather
conditions, natural vegetation, and the animals that live in it. The human
characteristics include the structures people have built, their economy, and
their culture.
Chapter # 1 - Key Terminology
2014-10-21
1)
Place – is defined geographically as any
area that has a size and shape, and has unique physical and human
characteristics.
2)
Location – a) where you are – your position
on earth.
b) where a place is and
where it is relative to other
places.
3)
Site – the place where you live.
4)
Absolute Location – the location of a point on the
earth’s surface that can be expressed by a grid reference (eg. Latitude and
longitude)
5)
Relative Location – the location of a place or region
in relation to other places or regions (eg. Northwest, downstream, 2 kilometres
past the library.)
6)
Mental Map – images or mind pictures of places
around the world – pictures of how
things are in your mind.
7)
GPS – Global Positioning System – a
system of 24 satellites stationed around the earth. The GPS picks up a signal
from the 3 satellites and calculates latitude and longitude.
8)
Latitude – imaginary lines on the earth drawn
east and west. Latitude measures are given north and south of the equator.
9) Longitude – imaginary lines on the earth drawn north and south . Longitude
measures are given east and west of the Prime Meridian
through Grenwich, England.
CHAPTER 2 – Region
2014-11-12
Pages 18 - 29 Review
·
Region
is any area that has a set of defined characteristics.
·
Regions
can be identified by political boundaries, religion, culture and landforms.
Types of Regions
1.
Wilderness
regions - region with no people
2.
Rural
regions - farms, open country side, towns
3.
Urban
regions - towns, (Leamington or bigger), but mostly cities, (Windsor, London,
Toronto etc)
Different Ways of Organizing our
World
1.
Physical
Regions - an area defined by its' physical characteristics (Himalayas - mountain
region - Sahara desert - desert region - Canadian Shield - landform region
-climate, vegetation & soil regions) etc.
2. Human Regions - population density (amount of people in a
certain area) , political boundaries (cities, county, province etc), times
zones.
3. Functional Regions
- regions defined by use around a central focus point ( ie. ecozones)
Other important info:
·
Canada's population is approximately 35.7 million
·
USA's
population is approximately 317 million
·
World
population = 7.2 billion
·
nearly
90% of the population of Ontario lives in the Great Lakes St. Lawrence Lowlands
region, which is only 25% of the area of Ontario.
Regional Boundaries
Drainage Basin
- the area drained by a river system.
Divide - a line of high ground that
separates two drainage systems.
Natural Boundaries (not man-made) - rivers, mountains,
coastlines & bodies of water.
Artificial Boundaries (man-made) - roads, walls (fences,
barricades, or between provinces or territories, & between countries. Fly
zones are also an example of an artificial boundary.
