Geography Flashcards
Geography
The study of Earth’s landscapes, environments, and the relationship between people and their environment.
What does M.R.HE.L.P stand for ( 5 themes of geography )
M- movement. R- region. H.E- human environment. L- location. P- place.
Location
The position of a place on Earth’s surface, including absolute location ( coordinates) and relative location ( in relation to other places )
Place
The physical and human characteristics that make a location unique
Human environment
How humans adapt to modify and depend on their environment
Movement
Focuses on the flow of people, goods, ideas and natural phenomenon between places
Region
Represents areas that share common characteristics weather, physical, cultural or political.
What are the 2 types of location
Relative location and absolute location
Human Geography
Looks at people and cultures and how they interact with their surrounding. e.g. cities, migration.
Physical Geography
Concentrates on the natural features of the Earth
e.g. mountains, volcanoes
Absolute location
A latitude and longitude (global location) or a street address (local location).
Relative Location
Described by landmarks, time, direction or distance. From one place to another.
Human Characteristics
Things that humans made ( ex- Building, road, clothing, food, etc )
Physical characteristics
Things that are naturally made ( ex- mountains, rivers, oceans, etc )
Formal Regions
Regions defined by governmental or administrative boundaries (States, Countries, Cities)
Regions defined by similar characteristics (Corn Belt, Rocky Mountain region, Chinatown).
Functional Regions
Regions defined by a function. These regions have a specific purpose (newspaper service area, cell phone coverage area).
Perceptual Regions
Regions defined by people’s perception (middle east, the south, etc.)
What are the 2 types of geography?
Human and physical geography
IDENTIFY IF ITS PHYSICAL OR HUMAN
- The impacts of volcanic eruptions.
- The location of the UK’s mountains.
- How cities and towns are changing.
- Will the world support 10 billion people?
- Why North and South Korea are at war.
- The impacts of climate change.
- Rivers and flooding.
- How an iPhone is made.
1- physical
2- physical
3- human
4- human
5- human
6- physical/ human
7- physical
8- human
How do humans and the environment affect each other?
1- Modify
2- Adapt
3- Depend
Identify examples of the 3 ways humans depend on the environment
We depend on it.
Example: People depend on the Tennessee River for water and transportation.
We modity it.
Example: People modify our environment by heating and cooling buildings for comfort.
We adapt to it.
Example: We adapt to the environment by wearing clothing suitable for summer (shorts)
Globe
3-D model of the planet Earth as if seeing it from outer space. A globe is round and shows continents and oceans. There are seven continents on Earth and four oceans.
Map
2-D model of the Earth shown on a flat surface. Maps are useful because you can carry them with you.
What are 2 tools you can use to learn about the earth?
Globe and map
What are the 5 important elements of a map?
1- Title
2- Key
3- Compass rose
4- scale
5- Inset map
Title
The title tells you the purpose of the map.
Key
The legend shows you what symbols on the map mean.
Compass rose
The compass rose is a directional arrow that shows cardinal and sometimes intermediate directions on a map.
Scale
The scale is shown in both standard and metric measurements and show distance between objects on the map.
Inset map
The inset map is a smaller map that shows a “larger” area of land around the map.
How do maps differ
By the different information it provides
Political maps
This type of map shows countries, states, cities, and capitals.
Physical map
This type of map shows features of the Earth such as, mountains, rivers, oceans, and forests.
Thematic maps
This type of map focuses on a specific type of information for a geographic area.
These maps can represent a variety of information including things like climate, precipitation, vegetation, elevation, population, life expectancy, etc.
They are generally used when you are looking at a single piece of information.
Topographic maps
Include contour lines to show the shape and elevation of an area.
Lines that are close togethershow steep terrain, and lines that are far apartshow flat terrain.
Geologists depend on these maps to record the types of rocks. Engineers use them when they are planning roads, buildings, or other human–made structures.
Spatial patterns
the arrangement and distribution of objects, people, or phenomena across a given space.
They help us to understand how and why things are located in specific areas and how these locations relate to one another.
3 types of spatial patterns
Clustered Pattern
Scattered Pattern
Linear Pattern
Clustered pattern
Objects or features are grouped closely together in a specific area.
Scattered pattern
Objects or features are spread out evenly across a given space.
Linear pattern
Objects or features are arranged in a straight or nearly straight line.
What factors might contribute to the creation different spatial patterns?
1- Geographic Features and Natural Environment (ex- landforms, climate, resources availability )
2- Economic activities (ex- Industrial and Commercial Zones, employment opportunities )
3- Historical factors (ex- migration and displacement )
4- transportation and infrastructure (ex- Roads, Railways, and Ports, accessibility )
Landforms, climate and resources availability
Landforms: Mountains, rivers, deserts, and coastlines influence where people settle and how cities are built. For example, coastal areas often have higher population densities and economic activities centered around ports.
Climate: Areas with favorable climate conditions, such as moderate temperatures and rainfall, tend to attract more settlements and agricultural activities.
Resources Availability: The presence of natural resources like water, minerals, or fertile soil can lead to clustered patterns of industrial or agricultural activities.
Industrial and commercial zones, employment opportunities
Industrial and Commercial Zones: Economic activities, such as manufacturing, services, and trade, create distinct spatial patterns. For instance, business districts and industrial parks are often clustered to facilitate efficiency and economic synergy.
Employment Opportunities: Areas with higher employment opportunities attract larger populations, resulting in urbanization and dense residential patterns
Migration and displacement
Migration and Displacement: Historical events, such as wars, colonization, or migration, can shape the spatial arrangement of populations and settlements.
Roads, railways, and ports , accessibility
Roads, Railways, and Ports: Transport networks dictate how easily people and goods can move, influencing where industries and cities develop. Linear patterns often emerge along major transportation routes.
Accessibility: Areas with better connectivity to other regions or major transport hubs often see higher population densities and economic growth.
An example of clustered spatial pattern
Dubai City, where commercial activities and high-rise buildings are densely packed, creating a concentrated business district.
Description:In a small town near a large forest, people started cutting down trees to create more space for farming. Over time, the once-thick forest was reduced to a few patches of trees.
Loss of animal habitats, causing some species to disappear.
Increased soil erosion because there were no tree roots to hold the soil.
Reduced oxygen levels and increased carbon dioxide, making the air less clean.
Description:In a coastal village, people rely on fishing for food and income. Due to high demand, they began catching more fish than before, using bigger nets and boats.
Fish populations started to decrease quickly.
Other marine species, like turtles and dolphins, got caught in the nets by accident.
The ocean’s ecosystem became unbalanced
Description:A small rural town rapidly grew into a big city with factories, cars, and tall buildings. The increased number of vehicles and factories released more smoke and chemicals into the air.
Air quality worsened, causing health issues for people, like breathing problems.
Smog blocked sunlight, affecting plant growth.
The city became warmer due to the “heat island” effect.
How can we improve the environment?
Reduce, Reuse, Recycle
Converse water
Plant trees
Promote renewable energy sources
Reduce food wastage
Limit the use of single use plastic
Map projection
A map projection is a method used to represent the 3D, spherical surface of the Earth on a 2D, flat surface like a map.
The 3 types of projections
1- Mercator
2- Peters projection
3- Robinson projection
Mercator projection
ADVANTAGE - Good for navigation as it preserves accurate direction and straight lines. - Useful for sea travel and map grids.
DISADVANTAGE - Distorts the size of landmasses, especially near the poles (e.g., makes Greenland look much larger than Africa). - Not ideal for showing the true size of countries.
Peter’s projections
ADVANTAGES - Shows the true size (area) of countries and continents, giving a fairer representation of the world. - Corrects for the size distortion seen in the Mercator projection.
DISADVANTAGES - Distorts the shape of landmasses, making them appear stretched, especially near the equator. - Less visually familiar than other maps.
Robinson projection
ADVANTAGES - Strikes a balance between size and shape distortions. - Provides a visually pleasing and more accurate overall view of the world compared to other projections.
DISADVANTAGES - Neither size nor shape is perfectly accurate. - Still contains some distortion, especially at the edges of the map.
Scales of analysis
local
regional
national
global
