Geography Flashcards
Geography
The study of the earth, including:
- physical characteristics
- man made borders
- distribution of life and how different forms of life interact
Also focuses on the origins of the dart and the history of different human populations
Major Elements of Geography
- locations
- regional characteristics
- spatial relations
- natural and manmade forces that change the dart
Divisions of Geographical Study
Regional, Topical, Physical, and Human
Physical Geography
Study of the physical characteristics of the earth like the climate, land, and water. How they relate to each other, how they were formed and develop, and how they affect human populations and cultures.
Cultural Geography
How aspects of physical geography - location, climate, and other factors, influence cultures. And how different cultures interact with their environment.
Topical Geography
Study of a single feature of the earth or one human activity that occurs world - wide
Regional Geography
Study of the specific characteristics of individual regions
Human Geography
Study of how human activity affects the environment. Study of political, historical, social, and cultural activities.
Tools used in Geography
mapping, field studies, statistics, interviews, mathematics, and various scientific instruments.
Eratosthenes
Ancient Greece. Mathematically calculated the circumference of the earth.
Strabo
Wrote a description of the ancient world called Geographica (17 volumes).
Ptolemy
Astronomer, experienced mapmaker - contributed to overall knowledge of the earth’s geography.
Study of Human Population
Distribution of populations, industrial areas, transportation, and other important elements of a society.
Cartographers
Mapmakers. Try to minimize the distortion that occurs when transcribing features of the world (round) onto a map (flat) - using projection (3 types).
Cylindrical Projection
Created by wrapping a globe with a cylindrical piece of paper, then using a light to project the globe onto the paper. Creates distortion at the outer edges
Conical Projection
Paper shaped like a code, contacts the globe only at the base of the cone. Useful for middle latitudes.
Flat - Plane Projection
Gnomonic Projection. Projected onto a flat piece of paper than only touches the globe at a single point. This projection makes it possible to map the shortest route (Great Circle Route) between 2 points as a straight line.
Winkel Tripel Projection
Most commonly used for world maps, accepted by the National Geographic Society in 1998 as a standard. Balances size and shape, greatly reducing distortion.
Robinson Projection
East and West sections are less distorted, but continental shapes are somewhat inaccurate
Good’s Interrupted Equal - Area Projection
Sizes and shapes of continents are accurate, but the distances are not. Represents a globe that has been cut so that it lies flat.
Mercator Projection
High distortion, especially far from the equator. A cylindrical projection commonly used by seafarers.
5 Major Elements of a Map
Title Legend Grid Directions Scale
Map Title
basic info about the map, such as the area represented
Map Legend
Also called the key. Explains what the symbols used on the map represent.