geographical skills Flashcards
What is latitude?
Latitude runs horizontally, left and right around the Earth (——–)
They measure how far north or sound from the equator a location is.
What is longitude?
Longitude runs vertically down and up the Earth (/ / / /)
They measure how far east or west from the Prime Meridian a location is.
What is the Prime Meridian?
Prime Meridian is a line of longitude at 0 degrees E/W and runs through Greenwich in London.
What is the equator?
The equator is a line of latitude at 0 degrees N/S.
In what order do you write the coordinates of a country? (in terms of longitude and latitude)
___ degrees N/S, ____ degrees E/W
What is the Tropic of Cancer?
The Tropic of Cancer is a line of latitude between 23-24 degrees N. It is the most northern point where the sun is directly overhead.
What is the Tropic of Capricorn?
The Tropic of Capricorn is a line of latitude between 23-24 degrees S. It is the most southern point where the sun is directly overhead.
What is the Northern Hemisphere?
The Northern Hemisphere is all of the areas north (above) the equator. It is colder, has a larger proportion of the population there and has a smaller surface area of water than the Southern Hemisphere.
What is the Southern Hemisphere?
The Southern Hemisphere is all of the areas south (below) the equator. It is hotter, has a smaller proportion of the population there and has a larger surface area of water than the Northern Hemisphere.
What should you include in a ‘explain the distribution of ____ in this map’ question?
describing distributions on maps
- general pattern (what occurs most) and their location
- anomalies (if any) and their location
- if ‘explain’, then say why you think this has happened
What should you do when describing locations?
describing locations
- compass points
- notable locations close by
- the type of area (eg. mountainous)
- if ‘explain’, then say why you think it is in this location
How would a steep slope be shown with contour lines?
A steep slope would have contour lines very close together. (it will be labelled with the height above sea level)
How would a shallow slope be shown with contour lines?
A shallow slope would have contour lines spaced apart. (it will be labelled with the height above sea level)
What is an isoline graph?
An isoline graph shows lines on a map connecting points showing how a geographical feature varies between areas. (eg. contour lines show altitude)
What is a choropleth map?
A choropleth map shows how a specified geographical feature varies between different areas using colours or patterns. There will always be a key.
What is a flow line map?
A flow line map has arrows on it to show how things move from one place to another. They show distance, not displacement. The arrows can be proportional to real life. (eg. width of arrow shows quantity)
What is a desire line map?
A desire line map have flow lines that show movement. The lines are straight and show journeys between two different locations; they show displacement, not distance.
What is an Ordnance Survey map?
An Ordnance Survey map is the national mapping agency for the UK, and uses symbols and four and six figure grid references.
Give the symbol for a motorway on an Ordnance Survey map.
motorway - blue line
Give the symbol for a main (A) road on an Ordnance Survey map.
main (A) road - red/pink line
Give the symbol for a secondary (B) road on an Ordnance Survey map.
secondary (B) road - orange line
Give the symbol for a bridge on an Ordnance Survey map.
bridge - ] [
Give the symbol for a railway on an Ordnance Survey map.
railway - black line
Give the symbol for a county boundary on an Ordnance Survey map.
county boundary - black line, black dot, black line…
eg _ . _ . _ .
Give the symbol for a building on an Ordnance Survey map.
building - orange box
Give the symbol for a bus station on an Ordnance Survey map.
bus station - red line with circle in middle
Give the symbol for a footpath on an Ordnance Survey map.
footpath - red or green dotted line
Give the symbol for a viewpoint on an Ordnance Survey map.
viewpoint - blue lines reaching out from one point
Give the symbol for a tourist information centre on an Ordnance Survey map.
tourist information centre - white i in a blue square
Give the symbol for parking on an Ordnance Survey map.
parking - white p in a blue square
Give the symbol for places of worship on an Ordnance Survey map.
places of worship - black cross, some with black box or black circle on the bottom
How do you write a four figure grid reference?
four figure grid reference
- along the bottom first, then along the side
- should be along the left and bottom edges of the grid
How do you write a six figure grid reference?
six figure grid reference
- along the bottom first, then along the side
- should be along the left and bottom edges of the grid
- estimate how far along it is out of 10 and add this to the end of each two digits
What should you include when describing a graph?
describing a graph
- the general pattern - when it goes up and down, peaks and troughs
- any anomalies
- specific figures
How do you calculate percentage change?
percentage change = ((final value - original value) / original value) x 100
