The Homework!

Outline Chp 1

How do geographers describe where things are?(pgs 6-14)
A) Maps (pgs 7-12)
1)Early mapmaking
a) the first maps where Babylonian Clay tablets. Almost 2000 years later, Aristotle proved the Earth was round. Ptolemy's Guide to Geography, which covered the basics of mapmaking, remained the only thing that in its field for over 1000 years until Varenius' Geographic Generalis.

2) Map Scale
a) The three types of map scales are fraction/ ratio, written statement, or written bar scale.

3) Projection
a) Since the Earth is rounded, it cannot be mapped without distorting size, distance, shape, and/or direction. Equal Area projections have the least distortion.

4) U.S. Land Ordinance of 1785
a) In 1785, the U.S. government divided up most of the country using north and south lines to break land into 6x6 mile squares.

B) Contemporary Tools (pgs 12-14)
1) GIS
a) A geographical information system is a digital method of viewing, storing, and analyzing geographical data. It is primarily used for creating maps by layering different maps on top of each other.

2) Remote Sensing
a) Orbiting satellites take pictures of Earth and send them back to be processed on Earth, where they are used primarily for weather or maps.

3) GPS
a) Global positioning systems accurately present exact locations of places on Earth using satellites in a similar way to remote sensing. GPS are primarily found in modes of transportation and phones.

Why is every point on Earth unique? (pgs 14-30)
A) Place: Unique Location of a Feature (pgs 14-20)
1) Place Names
a) The toponyms, or name given to any location on Earth, in most places are derived from their surroundings, a famous figure, religion, or publicity. They can change over time due to things such as political upheaval.

2) Site
a) Site, the physical characteristics of a specific location(climate, topography, soil, water sources, vegetation, elevation, and latitude, ect.), is used to help find places. Site features can be modified by humans.

3) Situation
a) Situation is where a location is in comparison to other locations. Giving people directions by telling them what is nearby their destination is an example of using situation to find a place.

4) Mathmatical Location
a) Any place on Earth can be found using a precise system called Mathmatical Location. This system utilizes a series of imaginary lines running parallel to the equator and perpendicular to the poles. Location is the measured in degrees by using this grid. The first man to accurately measure longitude was John Harrison, an Englishman who invented a portable clock that measured the time change to determine longitude. The 24 standard time zones are divided by 15° of longitude. Every 15° East is 1 hour ahead of where you were before.

B) Regions: Areas of Unique Characteristics (pgs 20-29)
1) Cultural Landscape
a) A region is apalce with unique physical and social characteristics.

2) Types of Regions
a) A formal/uniform/homogenous region is a region where everybody has the same unifying characteristic. A functional/nodal region is centered around a main focal point, such as transportation, stores, or media. A vernacular/perceptual region is how people group their cultures, often based on stereotypes.