Geography Lesson 1

Directions:
Cardinal directions are north, south, east, and west.
Intermediate directions lie between cardinal directions, such as
northwest or southeast.

Latitude:
Latitude is the position north or south of the Equator. The lines of
latitude are divided into 180 degrees. 90 north of Equator and 90 south
of it. Each degree can be divided into 60 minutes (60’), and a minute
equals 60 seconds (60’’).
The Equator divides Earth in half. The Northern Hemisphere and
Southern Hemisphere.

Longitude:
Longitude is the line separating west and east. Longitude lines are also
called meridians. The Prime meridian divides Earth in half- the Western
Hemisphere and Eastern Hemisphere. There are 360 degrees in
longitude or 0 to 180 degrees east and 0 to 180 degrees west.

Global Grid
Longitude and latitude form a global grid. You can describe any location
on Earth by using degrees of longitude and latitude.

Geography’s Five Themes:

The five themes of geography are location, place, movement, human
environment interaction, and region.
Two main kinds of location are absolute location and relative location. An
absolute location tells the definite latitude and longitude of the place.
The relative location is telling a location by referring to the other relative
locations or landmarks. An example of relative location is that Canada is
located at the north of the United States of America.
The theme of place is any mix of human or nonhuman locations. You can
also define a place by its climate or special features.
A geographer connect places into regions by using their unifying features
such as climate, landform, history, or culture. A new region might form
when new high speed railways are built in several places forming the
connection between each place and another.
The theme of movement is considering how people, goods, or idea travel
from one place to another. An example of movement is when a daily
truck delivers food or basic goods from a place to another.
The theme of human environment interaction considers of how people
affect their environment which might be a natural surroundings, and
how the environment affect the people. For example, building a dam to
the river is a human environment interaction. The human settlement
pattern is the pattern of many people moving to a place because of its
climate, fertile soil, or landforms. For example, eight out of ten world’s
most populous cities are located directly on the coast or near the water.

Geographers use a number of models such as globe, photographs,

digital maps, geographic information systems, and global positioning
system to define Earth’s geographic locations.
Globes are rounded or in similar shapes with Earth. A globe has scale or
the given place on the globe corresponding to in the real world. Globes
are not preferred by most people than maps since carrying a globe while
walking is tiring, and a globe can’t show a specific road or street in a city.
Photographs including aerial and satellite photos are also preferred by
geographers. Aerial photos are taken in the air above Earth’s surface
whereas satellite photos are taken by satellites orbiting around Earth in
space. However, aerial and satellite photos may not include specific
streets like a map.
Digital maps are maps that can be use in technology equipment such as
phone or computer. The public also use the digital maps to find their way
to their destinations.
Geographic information systems, in short- GIS, is a computer- based
system that stores and links to geographic locations. Not only
geographers use GIS, government agencies and business also use GIS for
connecting information to locations.
Global positioning system, in short- GPS, has a great accuracy since it
includes 24 satellites that take photo in space twice a day. Not only
geographers use GPS, people such as sailors and hikers also rely on GPS
since it has the coverage of nearly the whole Earth.
Map Projections
Robinson map projection shows the size, distances, and shapes more
accurately, but it has distortions especially on the edges too.
Mollweide map projections or equal-are map projections show the
correct size of landmasses but has distortions in shapes.
The Mercator map projections show the correct shape but not true
directions or sizes and the area near the poles get extra big.

Understanding maps
The five essences of maps are compass rose, map title, map key, scale
bar, and locator map. A compass rose is a diagram of compass showing
directions (north, south, east…). A map title tells you the subject of the
map. The map key explains symbols and colors of the map. The scale bar
show the distance on map corresponding to in the real world. The
locator map points out where an area is located in a larger area.
There are many types of map such as political maps showing states,
some show physical landscapes including elevation, or others show
ecosystem zones.
 Geography L2
Seasons of Earth
During time at about 3/21, both the Northern and Southern Hemisphere
receives about equal amounts of sunlight and is called the March
Equinox. The Northern Hemisphere is having spring while Southern
Hemisphere gets fall. At 6/21, the Northern Hemisphere gets more
sunlight and is having summer whereas the Southern Hemisphere is in
the opposite (June solstice). At about 9/23, it’s the September Equinox,
and both hemisphere receives about same amounts of sunlight. It is fall
in Northern Hemisphere and spring in the Southern Hemisphere. At
12/21, it’s December Solstice, and it’s winter for Northern Hemisphere
and summer for Southern Hemisphere.

Earth’s Structure
Crust is the outer layer of Earth, and it is thickest on mountains and
thinnest beneath oceans. The outer layer inside Earth is mantle which is
solid but fluid. It can flow around even if it’s solid, and it is about 1800
degrees C. The outer core is liquid, but the inner core is solid because of
the pressure given from its above. The inner core is about 3000
degrees C.

Shaping Surface of Earth

Forces that wears down the outside Earth includes weathering. In
chemical weathering, acid rain breaks down rocks by dissolving them.
Rocks are break down by wind, water, or ice in mechanical weathering.
Mechanical weathering may occur after chemical weathering. It can also
form valleys and plateaus. Rivers may weather away softer lands and
form a valley. Plateaus’ tops are harder to weather and erode away,
which causes to form higher lands with steep sides.
Deposition is a force outside Earth that builds up the crust. Ice, wind, or
water deposits or drops down eroded or carried materials to form
landforms such as deltas or flat, fan-shaped plains around rivers.

Forces that shapes inside of Earth

Forces inside Earth such as plate tectonics, volcanos… build up Earth’s
crust too. Plate tectonics is the process of involving huge blocks of crust
and upper mantle. When plate tectonics push against each other, they
form mountains. When plates slide against each other, it causes
earthquakes which often occur near faults or boundaries between
plates. Tectonic plates also force oceanic crust beneath the continual
crust to form volcanos. Volcanos may accumulate magma and erupts out
lava that forms new lands. Natural hazard include volcano eruptions and
earthquakes.
 Geography Lesson 3
What are some similarities and differences between climate and
weather?
Climate is the average weather of a place over many years whereas
weather is the condition of air and sky at a certain place and time. Both
climate and weather are mainly determined by its precipitation and
temperature.
Why do temperatures, precipitation, and air movements vary or
change over time and space?
Temperature can be changed by a place’s elevation and its latitude and
whether it’s inland or coastal area. Hot air rises and cool air sinks, and
water currents move hot water to cooler places, and cooler places’ water
in reverse. Precipitation amounts can be changed when amounts of
water in lakes, oceans… change. Also, there’re more precipitation in
places nearer to the Equator
What are Earth’s main climate region?
Tropic regions include tropical dry, tropical wet, and humid subtropical
climate. Pole regions include tundra, subarctic, and ice-cap climate.
Drier climates are arid and subarid. Temperate zone’s climate include
continental warm summer, continental cool summer, maritime, and
Mediterranean climates.
How does the curvature of Earth explain differences in temperature at
different distances from the Equator?
The sun can’t give direct sunlight to ever surface on Earth at the same
time. So each area receives different amounts of direct sunlight, and the
places that get more direct sunlight is hotter than areas with less direct
sunlight.
How does Earth’s weather move in a water cycle?
The water cycle is the process of how water moves from Earth’s surface
to Earth’s atmosphere and back again. Sun’s energy makes water
evaporates or turns into gas droplets called water vapor. Then it
accumulates and turn back into liquid or ice in the air after cooling down.
When the group of water droplets move over a hill or mountain or enters
a storm system, it drops back to Earth’s surface as precipitation which
occurs in rain, snow, sleet, or hail. After going and gathering back to
bodies of water, this process will occur again.
How do air circulation and precipitation affect people?
Hot air rises and cools in the atmosphere. Then it sinks since cool air is
heavier than hot air. Precipitation is heaviest in Equatorial areas or
coastal areas with moist air. Regions near the poles are drier because of
its cooler air. Resulting in prevailing winds when wind blows toward East
or West on Earth’s surface which blows through the region.
Storms or cyclones can occur when two air with different temperature or
when moisture contents come together causing damages for people.
What are types of ecosystems? What’re some differences between
biomes and ecosystems?
Plants of forest ecosystems :
1. tropical rain forests with trees only available in moist and steady air
climates
2. temperate forests have deciduous trees which lose their leaves in fall
3. subarctic rainforests when trees there have protective needles and
cones that carry seeds.
Grassland ecosystems:
1. Tropical or subtropical grasslands or savanna in areas that’s drier.
2. Temperate grassland or brush in less dry areas, but not humid enough
for forests
3. Mediterranean brush in Mediterranean areas when plants store
water.
4. Desert and desert brush in subarid climate areas with plants that can
survive in dry climates.
5. Mountain grassland brush has amounts of vegetation depending on
its elevation or altitude.
Cold Climate Ecosystems:
1. Tundra with few plants/ animals live in cold weather and depend on
scarce amount of food.
2. Impossible for living things to survive in ice caps regions.
How do climates affect Earth’s ecosystem?
Its temperature affects the animals in an area since some animals can
survive in cold weather and with scarce food while others cannot. Some
plants need humid, moist air while others can grow in dry areas…

Mawsynram or a small settlement in India is the wettest place on Earth

or with the most precipitation.