Geography

1. Geography

2. What is Geography? A region is an area with common features that set it apart from other areas.

3. Name three ways in which the earths surface can change? Undersea volcanoes form islands. Ocean waves wear away coastlines. The plates that form the earths crest move.

4. What is a continent? Continents are large bodies of land. There are 7 Continents: North America, South America, Europe, Asia, Africa, Australia, and Antarctica.

5. Do you know what the word hemisphere means? In geography, it means, half of the earth. The earth is split into 4 hemispheres: northern, southern, western, eastern.

6. Can you name the cardinal directions? North, East, South, and West The intermediate directions are the in-between directions. Northeast, northwest, southeast, and southwest.

7. There are many types of maps Political maps show countries, capitals, and political boundaries. Physical maps show landforms and bodies of water. Elevation maps are physical maps that show how high and low the land is. Distribution maps show how things are spread out throughout parts of an area.

8. Can you tell the difference between lines of latitude and longitude? Lines of latitude are also called parallels and circle the earth at the same distance from the equator. Lines of longitude are also called meridians and they meet at the north and south poles.

9. What is the prime meridian The starting point for measuring longitude is the prime meridian. It, like all meridians, run from the north pole to the south pole.

10. Can you tell the difference Between the words weather and Climate? Weather is the state of the atmosphere at a place and time as regards heat, cloudiness, dryness, sunshine, wind, rain, etc. Climate is the weather patterns of an area over a long period of time.

11. Latitude and Climate Places that are closest to the equator are the warmest places on earth. Low latitudes from the Tropic of Cancer to the Tropic of Capricorn are called tropical climates.

12. Latitude and Climate The highest latitudes are the coldest places on earth and they are called polar climates.

13. Latitude and Climate The middle latitudes fall between the low and the high latitudes. Most of the North America lies in the middle latitudes. The middle latitudes are generally cool in the winter and warm in the summer. Because they are temperate, or mild, climates in this zone are called temperate climates.