Geography

region

A ____ is a group of places that share common characteristics, whether human or physical. They can be large---incorporating multiple continents---or quite small. *

functional, node (for example, a school district is a functional region organized around a set of schools)

A _____ region is an area defined by common movement of function. These regions have a focal point, called a ____, around which they are organized, related to their function. *

Gnomonic

A ______ projection preserves the property of accuracy of distance. This projection is useful in navigation by sea or air where direction is important. It is also often used to map the poles which are usually highly distorted in other map projections.

isothermal map

An _____ is use to illustrate ranges of temperature. Lines are used to show areas of equal or constant temperature. *

Azimuthal Equidistant

An ______ projection maintains accuracy in scale for distances from one single point on the map to all the other points on the map. This kind of projection is most often uses in showing airplane routes from from city to multiple other cites, for example. *

steppes

Areas of continents far away from the ocean are called ____, or prairie. These are dry flatlands with minimal rainfall (10-20 inches). They can even become deserts if it goes below 10 inches. Summers are hot and winters are often very cold. These climates are in the middle latitudes and can be found in the interiors of North America and Asia, as these continents are so large that their interiors are not subject to the ocean winds. *

International Date line

At about 180° opposite of the prime meridian is the ______. This is where the date changes in order to allow the global time system to work. *

deserts (most famous deserts include the Sahara, the Australian Outback, and the Arabian Desert)

Beyond the savannahs to the north and south lie the _____ of the equatorial lowlands. The receive less than 10 inches of rain. Temperatures swing widely from extreme heat during the day to extreme cold at night. *

grid system

Called the ____, the earth is divided by imaginary, equidistant lines running vertically and horizontally. *

degree, minuets, seconds

Called the grid system, the earth is divided by imaginary, equidistant lines running vertically and horizontally to create a grid. Each line is measured as a ____ (°) which can be subdivided into _____ (') and _____ ('').

growing season

Climate is based on monthly and yearly temperatures, as well as the length of the _____ (which then has a direct impact on human characteristics of a place). Climate is shaped by the latitude of a location, the amount of moisture it receives, and the temperature of both land and water. *

90, 69

Degrees of latitude are numbered 0° to ___° running north & south from the equator (the equator is 0°). In actuality, there are about ___ miles between each degree of latitude. This # shifts slightly because the Earth is not a true sphere, but slightly egg-shaped. *

projection

Every map is a _____, a representation of the Earth's features on a flat surface. *

size, shape, scales, line

Every projection has four main properties: the ____ or areas, the ____ of areas, consistency of ____, and straight ____ direction. No map is able to accurately depict all four of these properties: every projection must sacrifice accuracy in at least one. In general, mapmakers choose to maintain the accuracy of one property and distort the others as needed. *

great circle

Every straight line on a Gnomonic projection is the arc of a _____, which represents the shortest distance between any two points on Earth. A great circle is any circle that bisects a sphere. In most projection, great circles are curved due to distortion resulting in the maintenance of one of more other properties. The Gnomonic projection is the exception.

prime meridian, 180

For lines of longitude, the 0° line was established by an international agreement. Called the ______, it is the line that runes through the Royal Observatory in Greenwich, England. Meridians are then numbered up to ____° running east and west of this line. *

where

Geographers look at the world from a spatial prospective. This means that at the center of all geographic study is the question, _____? For geographers, the where of any interaction, event, or development is a crucial element to understanding it. Further questions asked are why is it there? and what are the consequences of it being there? *

Demographic Transition Model

Geographers use the _____ to understand demographic growth in a region as a whole, not just a specific place. *

space

Geography is the study of ____. It studies the physical space of the earth and the ways in which it interacts with, shapes, and is shaped by its inhabitants. *

formal (for example, the Middle East is a formal region, as the area has common physical and cultural traits)

In a _____ region, the shared characteristics define the region. *

soil

In a place geographers look at ____: how fertile it is, the kind of life it can support, and how it easily is shaped by wind and water. *

equal area map

In an _____, the accuracy of the size of area is maintained. Each land mass is kept in scale to its size. *

absolute location (the tallest building in the world---the Burj Khalifa---is located at 25.2 N and 55.3 E)

In formal geographic settings, ____ is used. A location is absolute when it is described by its position on earth. *

land, water, climate, vegetation, animal life

In order to describe a place physically, five main categories must be addressed. ____, ____, ____, ____, & ____, with the latter dependent on this first three. *

ecosystems

In physical geography, one of the key ways regions are organized is by climate. These regions are called ____. The earth's ecosystems can be divided by latitude, with different longitudes having different climates. *

longitude, meridians

In the grid system, the lines that run from pole to pole (north & south) are called lines of ______, or ______. *

latitude

In the grid system, the lines that run horizontally around the Earth, parallel to the equator, are called lines of _____. *

north, ocean

In the low and high latitudes, the farther ____, the drier the climate. In the middle latitudes, distance from the ____ determines how wet or dry the climate is. *

plateaus, plains

Land forms categorize areas by elevation, like mountains, hills, foothills, and ____ on one hand and ____ and valleys on the other. *

60

Land-bound freshwater bodies of water are called lakes and can be found in varying sizes throughout the world, with particular concentration in Canada, where more than ___% can be found. *

relative (if someone says his house is located two blocks north of the school, he is providing a relative location for the house)

Location describes where something can be found on earth. When location is _____, the object in question is positioned in relation to something else. *

cultures

Mental maps are a gateway into understanding perspectives not only of individuals, but of entire ____. When examining mental maps, it is important to consider both what the map indicates and what the map does not indicate (in other words, what the individual or group does not account for).

subjective

Mental maps are constructed from both direct & indirect experiences. As a result, they have elements that are both objective and subjective. Take, for example, a building in a neighborhood. Its presence is an objective fact. However, a local resident's perception of the distance between the building and his house is a ____ element. *

tools

Most maps have four main ____ to aid the reader in understanding them. These are the title, the scale, the grid, and the compass rose. *

savannah

North and South of the tropical rainforests of the equatorial lowlands is the ______. It is dry in the winter and wet in the summer with an average of 10-30 inches of rain. Temperatures usually stay below 90 degrees Fahrenheit with lower temperatures (under 80 °F) in the winter. *

transition zones

Regions are not static, and can change over time. The borders of regions are also not often sharply defined, but instead gradually shift from one region to the next. The area between regions are called ____. They are marked by a greater diversity of cultural traits; furthermore, they more often experience conflict. *

growing season

The Mediterranean climate is one of the three most wet/fertile climates in the middle latitudes. The climate has hot summers and mild winters. The winters receive most of the rain, and the summers are generally dry. This climate allows a year-round ____. *

cylindrical projection

The Mercator projection is made by wrapping the paper into a cylinder around a globe, called a ______. On a Mercator projection map, the scale is accurate only at the equator or at two parallels equidistant from the equator. The farther from the equator, the more enlarged land masses appear. It is used primarily for marine navigation. *

taiga (taiga means northern forest in Russian)

The ____ climate of the high latitudes can be found south of the tundra in Northern Russia, Sweden, Norway, Finland, Canada, and Alaska. This area is home to the world's largest forestlands. It also contains many swaps and marshes. It has more extreme temperatures than the tundra because it is further from the ocean. While there is a growing season, it is so short that meaningful agriculture is impossible; thus it is sparsely population. However, this region features distinctive and extreme mineral wealth. *

tundra (tundra means marshy plain in Russian)

The ____ climate of the high latitudes features extremely cold and long winters. While the ground is frozen for most of the year, during the short summer the ground become mushy. It has low precipitation and actually receives less snow that the eastern US. With no arable land, it is home to few people. There is, in fact, abundant plant life mostly growing close to the ground, which supports animal life; however, this is insufficient to support a human population. *

legend

The ____ explains the meaning of any symbols used on a map. *

marine climate

The ____ is one of the three most wet/fertile climates of the middle latitudes. It has very temperate weather and is near or surrounded by water. Winters rarely go below freezing and summers stay below 70 °F. These climates are warm and rainy, resulting in part from warm ocean winds. This climate can be found in Western Europe, the British Isles, the Pacific Northwest, southern Chile, southern New England, southeastern Australia, and on the western coast of Canada. *

Indian

The ____ ocean touches Africa, Asia, and Australia. *

grid

The ____ of a map consists of lines placed on the map to aid in finding locations. It is often, but not necessarily, based on latitude and longitude. Maps of smaller areas will use different, more effective grid systems for their size. *

title

The ____ of a map provides a description of the purpose of the map as well as the area of focus. *

scale

The ____ of a map tells the reader the relationship between the unit of measurement used on a map and real distances on the earth. This information is particularly important when using a map for distance or navigation. *

humid subtropical

The _____ climate supports the greatest percentage of the world's population. Japan, southeastern China, northeastern India, southeastern South Africa, the southeastern US, and parts of South America all have this climate. *

compass rose

The _____ indicates the four directions (north, south, east, west) on a map. *

humid subtropical climate

The _____ is located on coastal areas north and south of the tropics. It is one of the three most wet/fertile climates in the middle latitudes. This climate receives warm ocean currents and warm winds year round, leading to a climate that is warm and moist. The summers are long and wet, and the winters are short and mild. *

Pacific

The _____ ocean (covering almost 1/3 of the earth) separates North and South America from Asia and Australia. *

Arctic

The _____ ocean extends from the northern edge of North America and Europe to the North Pole and is composed primarily of ice for much of the year. *

Atlantic

The _____ ocean separates North and South America from Europe and Africa. *

Southern, Antarctic

The _____ or _____ ocean extends from the Southern tip of South America and Africa to Antarctica. *

middle latitudes

The _____, from latitudes 23.5° to 66.5° north and south, have a variety of climates, determined more by proximity to water than be exact latitude. *

high latitudes

The _____, from latitudes 66.5° north and south to the poles, are home to two climates: tundra and taiga. *

low latitudes

The _____, from the equator to latitudes 23.5° north and south, have three distinct climates: topical rainforests, savannahs, and deserts. *

Mediterranean climate

The ______ can be found in lands between 30° and 40° north and south that lie along the western coast. These territories include land bordering the Mediterranean Sea, a small part of Southwestern Africa, southern and Southwestern Australia, a small part of Ukraine, central Chile, and southern California. *

Gall-Peters

The best example of and equal area map is the ______ projection. In order to preserve land mass size, the shape of the land masses is distorted. *

humid continental climate

The climate best for farming is the _____, the true four-sea-son climate. Average temperatures vary bases on an area's distance from the ocean, but regions with this climate all feature fertile land. Summers are warm to hot and usually humid. Winters range from cold to extreme cold, and precipitation is distributed evenly throughout the year. This climate is in the middle latitudes and can be found in the northern and central US, south-central & south-eastern Canada, northern China, and the western and southeastern parts of the former Soviet bloc. *

Caspian Sea

The largest fully enclosed seas (or salted lake) is the _____. *

Mediterranean Sea

The largest sea is the ______. *

compromise map

The most commonly used maps are some sort of ______, meaning they distort all four properties to some degree in order to minimize distortion overall. *

rivers

The most important bodies of water for the development of civilizations are _____. They flow towards the ocean. *

Robinson, Winkel (the National Geographic society used the Robinson projection and then replaced it with the Winkel tripel, as it had less distortion at the poles)

The most popular compromise map is the ____ projection and the ____ tripel projcetion. Both projections balance size and shape, with minor distortions in each. *

Mercator

The most used conformal map is the ____ projection. It uses straight lines for latitude and longitude, rather that curving them to indicate the curve of the Earth. *

Nile, Tigris, Euphrates, Indus, Ganges, Huang He, Yangtze, Amazon, Mississippi

The world major river systems: the N____, T____, and E_____, the I____, G____, and H____ (Yellow River) and the Y____, A____, and M____ all gave birth to early and complex civilizations. *

12

There are ___ widely accepted realms: Sub Saharan Africa, North Africa and South West Asia, Europe, Russia, South Asia, East Asia, South East Asia, North America, Middle America, South America, the Austral Realm, and the Pacific Realms. *

location, place, region, human-environment interaction, movement

There are five themes of geography: Location, Place, Region, Human-Environment Interaction, and Movement. Each of these addresses a basic geographic question: a) _____: where is it specifically located? b) _____: what is it like there? What are its qualities and characteristics? c) _____: what do different areas have in common and why? d) _____: how do humans shape the environment and vise versa? c) _____: how do places connect to and interact with one another?

perception, cultures, direct, paper

These are some aspects of mental maps: - Mental maps can be based on both fact and _____. - Mental maps are studies in order to understand different _____. - Mental maps can be based on both ____ and indirect understandings of a place. - Mental maps are drawn on ____ based on the idea in someone's mind. *

Universal Coordinated Time (this is a general rule, but there are exceptions. China uses one timezone for the entire country)

Time zones have been organized loosely on the meridians, with each zone representing about 15°, and time measured as an offset of _____ (a system the measures time bases on the rotation of the earth). *

realms

To analyze global phenomena, geographers divide the world into ____, the largest logical regions possible. They are based on clusters of human population, economic, political, cultural, and physical traits. *

ecosystems

Varying climates create different ____, the communities of living organisms and nonliving elements of an area. *

functional (it is a region with a common purpose---representation in congress)

What is Geography? (Acc. pg 193-210) Example Q. Q) A congressional district is and example of what kind of region? A) a ____ region.

movement

What is Geography? (Acc. pg 193-210) Example Q. Q) Migration patterns are an example of which geographic theme? A) _____.

desert

What is Geography? (Acc. pg 193-210) Example Q. Q) What ecosystem experiences extreme temperatures---both hot and cold---in a single day? A) ____.

Gnomonic

What is Geography? (Acc. pg 193-210) Example Q. Q) A scientist exploring Antarctica would use which type of map? A) _____ projection.

shape

What is Geography? (Acc. pg 193-210) Example Q. Q) In a conformal map, areas are represented accurately in terms of... A) ____.

distortion

What is Geography? (Acc. pg 193-210) Example Q. Q) What is one advantage of globes over maps? A) Globes are accurate models of the Earth without ____.

site (the site of a football field could be described by the # of seats, the field, and the number of fans)

When a place is described by its ____, it is being described by its internal physical and cultural characteristics. *

situation (a football stadium might be described by its relative size as compared to other buildings in the city, it accessibility, or the amount of foot traffic it receives. The more connected a place is to powerful places, the better its situation. So, the front row of seats in a stadium is better situated that the top row)

When a place is described by its _____, its characteristics are described relative to those around it. *

mental maps (Some mental maps are localized: someone may have a mental map of his house. Others are regional or global: one's understanding of the location of oceans or the continents would constitute a mental map.)

While most maps are illustrations, some maps exist inside a person's mind. These are called ____. They are an individual's internal representation of the physical and human aspects of the earth. *

seas

____ are bodies of salinated water which are smaller than oceans are are surrounded---in part, or wholly---by land. *

climate

____ is the average weather for a specific location or region. *

Swamps

_____ are any wetland primarily covered in woody plants.

Marshes

_____ are any wetlands that are frequently inundated with water.

maps

_____ are flat representations of the Earth or parts of the Earth. They can range in what they illustrate, from a single park to and entire planet. *

globes

_____ are spherical representations, or models, of the Earth. They show the correct size, shape, and location of land masses, and the accurate distance between places on earth. However, they cannot provide much detail. *

Deltas

_____ are the flat plains created by deposits from diverging branches of a river. *

relief map

_____ depict elevation through shading to create a three-dimensional effect. *

contour maps

_____ illustrate varying levels of elevation in an area. The lines on the map connect points of equal elevation, with the provided scale indicating the distance between the lines. *

perceptual

_____ regions are areas grouped not by actual commonalities, but perceived ones. For example, Africa is often addressed as a single region, even though the continent has a many differences. *

Basins

______ are bowl-like land that catches water and directs it toward a river. *

tropical rainforests

______ can be found in the equatorial lowlands. They experience intense sun & rain daily. Although temperatures rarely go above 90 degrees Fahrenheit, the combination of the sun & rain creates high humidity levels, leading to extreme heat. *

regional studies

_______ examine the characteristics of a particular place. *

human studies

_______ examine the relationship between human activity and the environment. *

physical studies

_______ focus on the physical features of Earth. *

topical studies

_______ look at a single physical or human feature that impacts the whole world. *

conformal maps

_______ maintain the shape of areas at the expense of accuracy in size. *