GEO 1
BASIC GEOGRAPHY
The Globe and Its Features
The best map of the earth is a globe. It provides the only true model of the
size and shape of the land and water areas on earth. The surface of the globe
shows the shapes of the land masses and bodies of water on earth. By looking at
the globe, you can see exactly where the continents, inlands, and oceans are
located. Globes are made with the North Pole at the top, but they are usually
tilted to represent the way the earth is tilted. All the sides of the globe can be
viewed by turning it around. There are certain features on the globe which
make it distinct as a a map. For direction, to help locate any place on earth, the
North and South poles are used as points of reference. From any place on earth,
north is the direction toward the North Pole as south is the direction toward the
South Pole. The other directions are east and west. When you face north, east is
to your right, west is to your left.
Lines of Latitude
The lines that go east and west around the globe are called Lines of
Latitude or Parallels. The best known Parallel of Latitude is the Equator. This
imaginary line of latitude is called Equator because it is halfway between or
equally distant from the North and South Poles. Its exact location is zero degrees.
The Equator divides the earth into two equal parts. Each part called a
Hemisphere, is half of the sphere. The half between the Equator and the North
Pole is the Northern Hemisphere. The half between the Equator and South Pole is
the Southern Hemisphere.
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All latitude lines measure distance north and south of the Equator. They
are numbered from 0 to 90° in each direction. The North Pole is located 90°
North latitude and the South Pole is at 90° South latitude. All points on earth that
have the same latitude are of the same distance from the Equator. A line
connecting such point is called a parallel. This is because it is parallel to the
Equator. As the number of the latitude becomes higher, the farther it is from the
Equator from 0 to 90° In writing degrees of latitude, the word "North (N) or South
(S) is added to tell whether the line is north or south of the Equator. For example:
Lima, Peru is 12° South latitude, and Seattle, Washington in at 47° North latitude.
Lines of Longitude
Longitude is the term used for the lines on the map found in the east-west
direction. The beginning line is placed at Greenwich (Great Britain), near the city
of London. The line through Greenwich at 0
degrees longitude is called the Prime Meridian. All distances, east and west of
the Prime Meridian, are measured in lines of longitude or meridian. In reading
degrees longitude, you add East (E) or West (W) to tell whether the line of
longitude is east or west of the Prime Meridian.
Meridian is the term used for the lines that show longitude. They are drawn
so as to connect the North and South Poles. The Meridian of 180 degrees West
longitude in the same as that of 180 degrees East longitude. This is because 180
degrees is exactly halfway around the world from the prime meridian. On most
globes, the meridians are drawn every 10 or 15 degrees. Lines of longitude run
north and south from the North Pole to South Pole. They all meet at the two
poles, but are not parallel or have the same distance throughout their whole
length The distance between meridians are farthest apart at the Equator with
about one degree or 69 miles, but near the poles, the distance may only be a
few miles apart. In reading degrees of longitude, the word "East" (E) or West (W)
is added to tell whether the line of longitude in east or west of the prime
meridian. For example, Warsaw, Poland is about 20° East longitude and Rio de
Janeiro Brazil is 40° West longitude.
The Arctic and the Antarctic Circles
Other special lines of latitude are found at 66 1/2° North and 66 1/2° South
of the Equator. In the Northern Hemisphere, latitude 66 1/2° is called the Arctic
Circle. In the Southern Hemisphere, latitude 66 1/2° as the Antarctic Circle.
Between the two Tropics and these lines of latitude are the Middle Latitudes
Beyond latitude 66 1/2° North and South of the Equator are the High Latitudes.
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The parallels are specially used to show separation between areas that get
different amounts of sunlight.
The International Date Line
There are 360 degrees in a complete circle. Halfway around the Earth
from the Prime Meridian in either direction is the 180° meridian. This line is called
the International Date Line, found right in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. Like
all oher lines in the globe, it is an imaginary. The International Date Line IDL runs
from pole to pole mostly through the Pacific Ocean but bends to the east to
include Siberia with Russia and bends to the west to include the Aleutian Islands
with Alaska. It bends to the East once more to keep all the Fiji Islands on one side
of the line.
The International Date Line
A traveler going west across the IDL will skip a day in his trip but going east
it will repeat the same day. The difference in time is ensured by the rotation of
the Earth. The Earth turns or rotates from east to west and as a result, the sun
“rises” or appears earlier at places that lie farther east and "sets" at places that
lies farther west. It takes 24 hours for the Earth to rotate one complete time on its
axis. As the Earth rotates, the path of the sun seems to move from east to west at
15 degrees every hour. The nations of the world have agreed that the date
changes at 180° longitude which is the location of the International Date Line.
Each date begins on the west side of the IDL and ends on the east side.
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Time Zones
Because the Earth is divided into 360° longitude and completes one spin
on its axis in a day (24 hours), the time alters by one hour for every 15° of
longitude (360 divide by 24). Each place on Earth has its own local time. This can
be measured forward or backward from the moment when the sun reaches its
highest point in the sky, which is noon or midday.
The Earth is divided into time zones. The simplest time would be based on
dividing the globe into equal segments of 15° and changing its time by one hour
from ane zone segment to the next. Time zones have irregular boundaries to
make allowance from political frontier. The time zones are measured through
the Prime Meridian or O° longitude located in Greenwich. England. A person
traveling west of Greenwich for 180° of longitude would have to set his clock
back by 12 hours. If another traveler were going east of Greenwich for 180°, he
would have to reset his clock only by 12 hours. When they meet on the
International Date Line, there be one day’s difference between them. Travelers
crossing the IDL from east to west lose a day. Travelers crossing over the date
line from west to east gain a day.
Hemispheres
Hemi means half so a hemisphere is half a sphere or globe. The equator
divides the earth into two parts: the Northern Hemisphere and the Southern
Hemisphere. The Northern Hemisphere lies between the Equator and the North
Pole. The Southern Hemisphere lies between the Equator and the South Pole.
Most of the Earth's landmass is in the Northern Hemisphere. Geographers
commonly divide the earth into the Western Hemisphere and Eastern
Hemisphere at the meridian of 20° west and 160° east. This puts the whole of
Africa in the Eastern Hemisphere. Asia and Antarctica are within both
hemispheres.
Continents and Oceans
The oceans cover about two-thirds of the Earth surface. This great mass of
water that covers most of the earth is called the World Ocean. It is made up of
four major oceans: the Pacific Ocean, which is the largest, the Atlantic Ocean,
the Indian Ocean. and the Arctic Ocean. The Pacific Ocean stretches from the
east coast of Asia to the west coasts of the Americas. The oceans are further
subdivided into smaller bodies of water such as the seas, gulfs, and bays. The
floor of the ocean is not smooth. Like land above water, it also has high
mountains flat areas, hills, volcanoes, and deep trenches. The greatest known
depth of the ocean is located in the Pacific near the island of Guam: the
Challenger Deep (36 000 ft or 11,000 meters), beneath the rest of the ocean
floor.
The oceans surround the great land mass called continents. There are
seven great continents which are in order of size: Asia, Africa, North America,
South America. Antarctica, Europe, and Australia. All the continents, except
Antarctica are made up of different countries. The seven continents occupy
almost 99% of the world's total land area. Europe and Asia are often referred as
Eurasia. Europe is not actually a true continent but is merely a collection of
peninsulas and islands in Western Eurasia. However, it is politically called a
continent with a traditional boundary between Europe and Asia. The Ural
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Mountains reaching down to the Caspian Sea form the political boundary.
Some scientists believe that about 250 million years ago, there was only one
giant landmass called Pangaea. Forces within the land and the impact of
ocean water caused the continents to break apart and drift in different
directions. After millions of years, the landmasses became the seven continents
of today. This theory is popularly known as Continental Drift.
The continents differ from each other. Yet they all have the four major
kinds of land, lowlands or plains, raised flatlands or plateaus, hills and mountains.
The continents of Africa and Antarctica are mainly plateaus. The other
continents have extensive plains or lowlands bordered in part by mountains or
hills. Near the continents, there are small pieces of land above water called
islands.
Tables, Graphs, and Charts
Tables are visual displays of numeral or non-numerical data arranged in
vertical columns so that the data may be emphasized, compared, or
contrasted. Tables can break up the monotony of the printed word and give
alternative ways to obtain information. It is easier to compare figures and facts
in a table because tables show a group of facts in ways that are clear and easy
to see. The example of a table below shows how tables are used in Geography
to present a clear view of the different continents of the world.
TABLE – The Continents of the World
SIZE
RANK CONTINENTS
(Square Meter)
1 Asia 16, 500,000
2 Africa 11,530,000
3 North America 9,385,000
4 South America 7,035,000
5 Antarctica 6,000,000
6 Europe 3,800,000
7 Australia 2,948,000
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Graphs
A graph is a kind of picture that makes the facts from the tables easier to
understand. There are several types of graphs used in Geography such as the
bar graph, the line graph, the pictograph, and the circle graph. The circle
graph is also known as pie chart, circle chart, or pie diagram. To interpret the
graphs, the following stage format should be used:
1. Identify the information being presented.
2. Analyze the information presented.
3. Develop hypotheses from the information.
The Bar Graph - shows comparison because it gives two kinds of information that
stands for a fact or set of facts, which are placed alongside each other.
The Line Graph - tells stories and is considered the best kind of graph for showing
the change in something over a stretch of time. A sharper rise in the line stands
for greater changes.
A Pictograph - is a chart that uses picture symbols to stand for fixed amounts of
selected things.
The Pie Graph or Pie Chart - makes it easier to see how large one part is com-
pared with other parts.
In using chart, the following steps are helpful guides:
1. Read the outside of the chart (Literal level).
2. Make meaning of the chart (Interpretative level).
3. Go beyond the chart (Applied level).
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MIDTERM: Activity #2
Instruction: Research the following and give atleast one (1) example of each.
(10 points)
1. Bar Graph
2. Line Graph
3. Pictograph
4. Pie Graph or Pie Chart
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