2. Your Goal:
Understand the ways that
maps are created and
used, and to be able to
effectively create and
use maps in the future.
3. WHAT IS GEOGRAPHY?
• GEOGRAPHY is the study of the world's
environment and man's interaction within the
environment.
• Geography has two parts:
• PHYSICAL
• and
• HUMAN
4. WHAT IS GEOGRAPHY?
• PHYSICAL: The study of the earth's natural
features, such as mountains, rivers, soil,
vegetation, and weather
• and
• HUMAN: (Cultural) The study of human
cultures and man made features.
5. MAPS
• A map is one way to study geography
• People who make maps are cartographers.
• Why are maps important?
• Maps are important because we can show much
information on one document.
6. PARTS OF A MAP
• Key/ Legend: Shows information as symbols
• Scale: Used for measuring distance (like a ruler)
• Scale can also be shown in ratio form (ex. 1:10) or
by an equation (ex. 1 inch = 10 miles)
• Directional Arrow: All maps must have AT LEAST
an arrow showing relative direction. This is called
orientation (orientation is any direction or location
in terms as points on a compass ie. DC is north of
Fredericksburg)
• Compass Rose: Shows Cardinal & Intermediary
Directions
N
8. TYPES OF MAPS
• 1. Political Map- shows political boundaries (countries, states,
districts, etc)
• 2. Physical Map- shows elevation, mountains, oceans, rivers,
valleys, etc.
• 3. Thematic Map- shows “themes” on a map- basically any
information.
• Anything can be shown on a map using symbols, colors,
pictures, numbers, contour lines, etc.
• MAPS MUST HAVE A LEGEND. This tells the reader what
each picture/symbols/color/etc represents on the map
9. Topographic Maps
• These maps use curvy CONTOUR
lines to show the relief and elevation
of the landscape. These lines also
have the number of feet/meters above
sea level.
G
F 50
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10. G
Topographic Maps
F 50
40
30
J H 20
10
• Look at the figure to the right. The numbers increase
(no negative numbers) so you see that the elevation
is increasing. Therefore this picture is ABOVE sea
level.
11. G
Topographic Maps
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• Look at the spacing of the lines. The closer the lines,
the steeper the slope. The more apart the lines are,
the more gentle the slope.
12. G
Topographic Maps
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J H 20
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• Look at the numbers. They are above zero (sea level),
so the highest number is the peak or summit of the
feature- in this case, a hill. If the numbers were
negative numbers, then this feature would be a hole or
depression that is below sea level.
14. USING AN ATLAS
• Use the INDEX to help locate
the location of cities, states, and
countries around the world.
• Use the LEGEND on the maps
to read information
• Use the SCALE of the map to
find distances
• Use the COMPASS ROSE to
locate and pinpoint orientation
or direction.
16. MAP PERSPECTIVE
• Map Perspective is to look at a map with a
DIFFERENT point of view.
17. LATITUDE AND LONGITUDE
• Reading coordinates is
very important in finding
location in geography.
• Remember that you read
the “x-axis” (latitude) first
and then read the “y-axis”
(longitude) second. X- AXIS
Y- AXIS
(x,y)
19. THE GLOBAL GRID
The Earth is divided by latitude and longitude lines. There are
several important lines to know on the earth's surface:
#1 is the ARCTIC CIRCLE found at 66 ½ o NORTH
of the Equator
#2 is the TROPIC OF CANCER found at 23 ½ o
NORTH of the Equator
#3 is the EQUATOR which splits the earth
into two hemispheres at 0o Latitude
#4 is the TROPIC OF CAPRICORN found
23 ½ o SOUTH of the Equator.
#5 is the ANTARCTIC CIRCLE found at 66
6 ½ o SOUTH of the Equator
#6 is the PRIME MERIDIAN which runs north to south at 0o LONGITUDE
20. READING COORDINATES
•Read the coordinates for
LATITUDE first…. 33o NORTH
latitude
•Read LONGITUDE next….97o
WEST longitude
•Which means that coordinates
for Dallas, Texas would look like
this:
33oN, 97oW
22. GRID MAPS
• Grid maps are another way to look at finding
location. Instead of latitude and longitude lines,
use grid squares to find a specific place on a
small area of the earth.
Cheddar, England is
found in grid square A-9
23. MAP PROJECTIONS
• To find just the right map to use, ask yourself
“What am I trying to show on my map?”
• Usually you ask the question for one of the
following four map topics:
» AREA
» DIRECTION
» DISTANCE
» SHAPE
25. TYPES OF
MAP PROJECTIONS
•Mercator
•Eckert IV
•Lambert
26. MERCATOR
• Mercator Map
Projection: Shows
accurate direction, but
area & shapes are
severely distorted at
the poles.
• ***Sailors use these
for true direction
27. Eckert IV
• Eckert IV Map Projection: Shows
accurate shape & size of continents,
but water areas are expanded to fill in
area.
• ***These maps are good for data
collections like in a classroom or lab.
28. Lambert
• Polar Map Projection:
Used for mapping
hemispheres. Shows
accurate distance &
direction but shape and
size are distorted at the
edges.
Just call me “polar” since I only
show one pole at a time.
29. MANY USES FOR MAPS
• You MUST be familiar with maps for many
different reasons…
• Driving (Road Maps)
• Locating places (Political Maps)
• Traveling (Political or Physical Maps)
• Researching (Thematic Maps)
• Building (Topographic Maps)
• And just knowing where you are in relation to
your surroundings!!!!
40. Regions
• Northern Hemisphere
• Southern Hemisphere
• Western Hemisphere
• Eastern Hemisphere
• Tropic of Cancer
• Equator
This is an entire sphere.
41. THE GLOBAL GRID
The Earth is divided by latitude and longitude lines. There are
several important lines to know on the earth's surface:
#1 is the ARCTIC CIRCLE found at 66 ½ o NORTH
of the Equator
#2 is the TROPIC OF CANCER found at 23 ½ o
NORTH of the Equator
#3 is the EQUATOR which splits the earth
into two hemispheres at 0o Latitude
#4 is the TROPIC OF CAPRICORN found
23 ½ o SOUTH of the Equator.
#5 is the ANTARCTIC CIRCLE
6
#6 is the PRIME MERIDIAN which runs north to south at 0o LONGITUDE
42.
43. Why geography matters:
• 90% of the world lives north of the equator.
• Most of the world’s dry land is north of the equator.
• The area between the Arctic Circle and the Tropic
of Cancer is temperate. It has seasons. (Good for
agriculture)
44. Weather Zones
• Polar
– Too cold
• Tropical
– Too hot
• Temperate
– Just right
• How might weather conditions be helpful to a
country?
45. Natural Resources
• Coal
• Iron
• Water
• Oil
• Diamonds
• Coltan
• What can a country do if it doesn’t have the
resources it needs?
46. Settlement Patterns
• Where do people want to be?
• What would make people move?
• Migration: Moving
• Immigration: Moving INTO a country.
• Emigration: Moving OUT of a country.
