Geography Handbook

1. Geography Handbook Part 1: Five Themes of Geography

2. Location • What question does location answer? • Where Am I? • What is absolutelocation? • Your exaction location (latitude and longitude). • What is relativelocation? • Your location in relation to another place. • Use the “North America Political Map” on page A26 and answer the following questions. • Absolutelocation of Pittsburgh (PA): • 40 N, 80 W • Absolutelocation of New Orleans (LA): • 30 N, 90 W • Relativelocation the United States: • South of Canada, North of Mexico, East of the Pacific Ocean, West of the Atlantic Ocean • Relativelocation of Houston (TX): • South of Dallas, West of New Orleans, Along the Gulf of Mexico

3. Regions • Regions allow geographers to do what? • Divide the World. • A region can be as large as….. • Continent. • And as small as… • Neighborhood. • What ties a region together? • Shared (common) characteristics. • Give 3 examples of how a region might be tied together: • Political Divisions, Climate, Language or Religion. • Name 3 different regions. • Continents, Countries, States, Counties, Time Zones, Climate Zones, ….

4. Place • What question does place answer? • What is PLACE like? (Describe the things you see and feel while there). • When describing a place, you are referring to its ___ and ___ characteristics. • Physical and Human • Physical characteristics are: • Natural features of the land. • Give 3 Examples of physical characteristics: • Landscape, plants, animals and weather • 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)

5. Movement • Movement is… • The shifting (movement) of people, goods and ideas/information from one place to another. • What are two reason people are constantly moving? • Better places to live and to trade goods (improve life). • Movement allows what to be shared? • Ideas (not just things). • What affect has technology had on movement? • It has quickened the movement of ideas and goods. • What do we call the movement of people and goods (Not in the book)? • Transportation • What do we call the movement of ideas and information (Not in the book)? • Communication

6. Human Environment Interaction • This theme refers to… • The ways people interact with their environment. • Give 3 examples of Human-EnvironmentInteraction: • 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.

7. Geography Handbook Part 2: Map Basics

8. Types of Maps • What do politicalmaps show? • Political Units (Countries, States, towns, etc…) • What do thematicmaps show? • Specific themes/concepts/ideas (Economic Activity, battles, etc…) • What do physicalmaps show? • Natural land features (mountains, rivers, lakes, etc…)

9. Reading a Map • Lines: • Boundaries, roads, movement, rivers, etc… • Symbols: • Represent items on the map (see the key/legend). • Labels: • Words or phrases that explain things on the map. • Compass Rose: • Displays N/S/E/W. • Scale: • Gives you the distance on a map compared to actual distance. • Colors: • Another way of displaying specific information's (often from the key/legend). • Legend (or Key): • Lists and explains symbols, lines, colors, etc… on the map. • Lines of Longitude: • Imaginary lines measuring distance: East-West. • Lines of Latitude: • Imaginary lines measuring distance: North-South.

10. Longitude Lines • Longitude lines are known as… • Meridians • Longitude lines run from ___ to ___. • North to South • Longitude lines show distances ___ and ___ of the primemeridian. • East and West • The distance is measured in… • degrees • What is the primemeridian? • Longitude line that measures 0º

11. Latitude Lines • Latitude lines are known as… • Parallels • Latitude lines run from ___ to ___. • East to West • Latitude lines show distances ___ and ___ of the equator. • North and South • The distance is measured in… • degrees • What is the equator? • Latitude line that measures 0º

12. Hemispheres Projections Projections are simply ways to ___ a map. Displaying the curved surfaces on a map *Remember the world is not flat like a map. • Hemisphere means… • Half the Globe • 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/Southern Hemispheres (Equator) • Eastern and Western Hemispheres (Prime Meridian)

13. Geography Handbook Part 3: Physical Geography

14. Introduction Land Give 5 examples of land (and land features). Hint: not necessarily in your book. Cliff, Butte, oasis, marsh, steppe, prairie (*See pages A12-A13) 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. • Physical geography is all… • All Natural features of/on the earth (things naturall found, not man made or man altered).

15. Resources • Give 5 examples of resources. Hint: not necessarily in your book • Air, soil, water, sunlight, minerals, fossil fuels, forests, animal life, etc… • 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).

16. Climate • Define climate (use a dictionary): • Pattern of weather in one place over many years (not just one year). • 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… • 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.

17. Vegetation Assessment Define diverse (use a dictionary): differing from one another, composed of distinct or unlike parts. 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???? • Give 5 different examples of vegetation. Hint: not necessarily in your book • Trees, Flowers, Crops, Grass, Vines, Shrubs, etc… • 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…)